Rockwall Medical Massage

By
Meredith Knight
|
Photo
by The Teal
Album

You may
have heard the term “medical massage” without being exactly sure what it
means. Massage is massage, right? Not necessarily. While all types of massage
involve a trained professional applying pressure to your body, medical
massage goes far beyond simple relaxation and stress relief.

Medical
Massage Defined

To begin
with, medical massage is outcome-based and focused on specific medical needs.
It can be employed to manage pain, reduce inflammation, improve circulation,
relieve nerve compression, improve digestion, increase flexibility, or
address any number of healthcare concerns often by referral from primary-care
or other healthcare providers.

Medical
massage uses a variety of targeted techniques to encourage muscle health and
recovery and includes specific follow-up recommendations. Your medical
massage therapist will present a targeted plan for treatment, along with
recommendations for a series of timed visits and ways you can follow up on
your own.

Leaders in
their Field

As Rockwall’s premier medical massage
practice, Rockwall Medical Massage has worked collaboratively with Rockwall’s
medical community since 2013 to enhance patient care through just such
state-of-the-art medical massage.

Anna Baker, LMT, MMP, CDT and her
hand-selected team bring to the table advanced education and training in
modalities designed to reduce pain and restore function. Rather than simply
treating symptoms, their customized medical massage sessions get at the root
of your condition(s), partnering with you to work collaboratively toward your
wellness goals. They employ a variety of massage techniques to maximize
complete wellness, including Swedish massage, deep-tissue massage,
deep-tissue massage with cupping, prenatal massage, reflexology, fibromyalgia
massage, visceral manipulation, orthopedic massage, sports massage, raindrop
therapy massage, neck and shoulder release, lymph-drainage therapy,
craniosacral therapy, Bowenwork therapy, and infrared sauna always following
strict clinical guidelines and protocols.

“All our
therapists are LMTs (Licensed Massage Therapists), but that’s just the
beginning,” Anna said. “Many have been practicing for more than 10 years, and
along with their LMT, they hold certifications in different
modalities/therapies and are extremely knowledgeable in regard to physiology
and the connections between the body’s layers of muscle, fascia, and

lymph systems.”

Manual
Lymphatic Drainage Therapy

As more has
been discovered about the benefits of lymphatic drainage therapy, the RMM
team is having phenomenal success providing relief for patients after
surgery, and after-COVID treatment, including post intubation or as part of a
proactive wellness plan. “Anyone can benefit from lymphatic drainage,” Anna
said. “Even one session can work to detox your body and get your lymphatic
system working properly. It’s ideal for anyone suffering from a lack of
energy or a sluggish immune system.”

Lymphatic
drainage is administered through light touch massage to help increase lymph
flow just below the skin’s surface. As lymph flow is increased, harmful
substances are removed from the tissues and neutralized in the nodes. It can
also stimulate increased production of lymphocytes, enhancing

immune function.

Pre and
Post-Cancer Surgery

Lymphatic
drainage is used as support for cancer treatments to help clear the body of
some forms of chemotherapy or before chemotherapy to ensure the lymphatic
system is functioning efficiently. “Clinical research shows lymphatic massage
before and after surgery improves outcomes by up to 50%,” Anna said. “Plastic
surgeons have taken advantage of this for years. Now, we’re seeing other
types of surgeons come onboard.”

Healing
Scar Tissue

Lymphatic
drainage can also help reduce scarring by enhancing circulation and immunity.
As the lymph flow around the scar is increased, damaged lymph vessels are
stimulated to heal, and the increased lymph flow also draws away toxins,
improving the health of the tissues. It’s also been used aesthetically for
years to enhance the quality of the skin, especially on the face. When the
lymph is flowing, the cells are being bathed in fresh fluid, causing the skin
to look fresh and alive.

Recovery
from Sports Injury

Lymphatic
drainage massage is also useful following sports injuries. After the initial
inflammatory stage, lymphatic work can be applied. This helps clear tissue of
debris and reduces the minor edema. Continued applications of lymphatic
drainage while the client is healing can help enhance the tissue regeneration
process by keeping the tissue as healthy as
possible.

CranioSacral Therapy

Another
highly effective, light-touch modality is CranioSacral Therapy. CST can
dramatically release deep soft-tissue tensions, the cause of pain, and
restore the whole body’s health and wellbeing. This gentle, rhythmic,
methodic massage helps improve the function of the central nervous system,
optimizing the potential of the whole body/mind to heal holistically.

Relieving
Pain and Tension

During each
60- 90-minute session, a CranioSacral therapist uses no more than five grams
of pressure (the weight of a nickel) to release tension, the cause of pain
and soft-tissue restrictions affecting the body’s craniosacral system. By
carefully “listening” and monitoring through touch to locate imbalanced
movement patterns, tensions, and restrictions, the practitioner locates the
original source of the pain or dysfunction. Then by using delicate
“direction-of-ease” techniques, they release and support the body’s own
healing. “Research from the Upledger Institute concluded that CST could help
patients who’ve suffered a concussion or traumatic brain injury,” Anna
said.

It can also
be beneficial in relieving a full spectrum of health issues including
headache pain and migraines, chronic neck and back pain, chronic fatigue,
stress and tension-related disorders, central nervous system disorders,
infant and childhood disorders, learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, spinal cord
injuries, motor-coordination impairment, fibromyalgia, scoliosis, PTSD, TMJ
pain, orthopedic problems, and many other conditions.

“Rockwall
Medical Massage is here for your therapeutic needs to maintain your health,
as well as medical massage, to treat any specific issues that are giving you
pain, no matter your ages and stage of health,” Anna said. “Virtually anyone
can benefit from our unique approach to the art of massage.”