Welcome to Massage Aurora

Please click on a question below that is of interest to you:

What are the benefits of massage?
I have never had a massage before. Can you explain to me what happens during a massage?
Can anyone receive a massage?
Does massage help headaches?
How often should I receive a massage?
What do the terms Swedish, Deep Tissue, and Neuromuscular Massage mean?
Do you give a "Deep Tissue" massage?
Do you give a deep massage?
Do you have abdominal massage?
Are there studies being done to prove the claims about the benefits of massage?

Massage is beneficial in so many ways, and it only takes a minute to realize that everyone can benefit from massage. The human body is a wonderful thing. It balances and counterbalances to keep us moving and enjoying our life. The more stress we add to our body, without seeking times of relaxation and appropriate exercise, the harder and harder our bodies work. Any career that we do is stressful to our bodies, obviously things like construction work, nursing or working on your feet for long periods of time, laying cable, or other careers that require constant physical activity are wearing, but most people do not realize the wear and tear on our bodies that sitting at a computer or in a car, constant use of the phone, or caring for dependants actually have. Here is a list of the benefits you will receive during your massage:

Reduce stress
Increase T-Cells and B-Cells (disease fighting blood cells)
Decrease heart rate
Decrease respiration
Deeper more restful sleep
Flushes out lactic acid
Flushes out old lymph and blood, while making way for freshened lymph and blood
Light workout/Gentle stretching of muscles
Increase in the body's natural anti-depressant and pain killer — endorphins

Depending on the therapist and your needs additional benefits are:

Release of congested and hypertonic muscles
Re-education of muscle or re-training muscle to behave like it should
Faster weight gain in pre-mature babies
Helps reduce injuries suffered by athletes
Speeds recovery time of injury
Can

help reduce scar tissue — (the newer the scar tissue the better result)

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WHAT HAPPENS DURING A MASSAGE?

Many people ask this question and it usually has to do with what do I wear — or not wear? It is very important for you to know that you will not be exposed at any time during the massage. We specialize in therapeutic massage, and are very modest about our approach. Only the area of the body that is being worked on is uncovered. Work on the posterior hip is part of a good massage. There are large muscles in the hips, and muscle groups used in sitting, walking and standing are attached to the boney structures of the posterior hip. Removing your underwear is preferred, so that the therapist may address any hip issues with greater efficiency. However, if you are uncomfortable with this, you may choose to leave your underwear on. Work on the posterior hip will be done through your clothing.

First you will fill out a client intake form, and the therapist will discuss with you any pertinent items. You will then be shown the room in which you will receive your massage and be instructed to start your massage either face up, face down, or on your side, depending on what the therapist has decided is the best approach for your massage. The therapist will ask you to remove your clothing, and get between the sheets and cover yourself up (if a blanket is on the table you still get under the sheet). Then the therapist will leave and you can prepare yourself for your massage. You will need to roll from one side to the other during your massage, so the therapist will lift or tent the sheet that is over you so you may roll over. Once again, you will not be exposed to the therapist. As the massage progresses please let the therapist know if the pressure is too much, or if it is too little. Your main job is to relax and let the therapist do the work!!!

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CAN ANYONE RECEIVE MASSAGE?

Most people are able to receive massage. There are, however, some conditions that will require a doctor's note. There are a few conditions in which massage is completely contraindicated. Severe Osteoporosis, bruising easily, hemophilia, or if you are currently experiencing lice, are a few of these conditions. If you have questions, please talk to your doctor to see what they think, and then talk to a massage therapist to make sure you both feel comfortable. There are some conditions that were contraindicated 10 years ago, cancer being one of these, that are being reconsidered today. Research is showing that massage helps with patient recovery, or quality of life, in many instances. Often the advantage to the client is simply being touched and nurtured through a very difficult time.

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DOES MASSAGE HELP HEADACHES?

YES!!... and no... If you suffer from tension headaches, or those caused by muscle spasm in the neck, upper back and occipitals, quite often massage can really help, if not take the headache away completely. Migraine sufferers, however, do not have as good a chance of relief as do the tension headache suffers. Migraines are a result of vascular expansion and contraction, and massage therapists just can't get their hands to where the problem is. Sometimes, massage may help by relaxing the muscle tension that goes along with pain, but quite often the relief is over as soon as the massage.

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HOW OFTEN SHOULD I RECEIVE A MASSAGE?

Our bodies are amazing and compensate as much as possible to keep us moving forward. A lot of massage therapy is retraining muscle and the longer any kind of compensation has been going on, the longer the recovery will take. If you haven't been seeing a massage therapist for your condition it may take several visits to really address your issue.Like so many things, it depends, but here are some general guidelines.

If you suffer from chronic illness or pain than you should receive massage a much as you need, and are able, to help maintain your quality of life. It may mean that you start seeing a therapist once or even twice a week for a month, maybe two. Then you may begin to stretch out the visits to suit your need.
If you are seeking a therapist to overcome injury, it will be a process of a month or two, depending on the injury.
If you have been involved in an auto accident, or a severe accident of any kind, it may fall more into a chronic pain area, and the time frame can be 6 months, a year or longer depending on the injury.
If you have an old injury that was not addressed, or needs to be re-address, than it could take seeing a therapist once a week for 3 months.
If you are looking for a great way to treat yourself and reduce stress, once a month is fine.Many people are amazed at what one massage a month has done for them over time. Your goals and needs are very important in determining the length and effectiveness of treatment.

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SWEDISH, DEEP TISSUE, AND NEUROMUSCULAR MASSAGE

Swedish massage is the type of massage most people will receive for most of their session. It is a series of strokes that are made to warm up the muscles within a general area. Swedish strokes range from long and flowing, to rapid percussion, and incorporate techniques such as traction (gently stretching of the muscles), and range of motion exercises.

Deep tissue massage is a technique that therapists use to help relieve pain and release muscle tension. It is specific to the injured or painful area and is used to isolate the problem muscle. It is more specific than Swedish, but often uses the same type strokes. People often confuse "Deep Tissue" with the pressure that is exerted by the therapist.

Neuromuscular massage is a technique that is used specifically when muscle injury is found. Our body creates signals that let us know we have injury. The massage therapist is trained to feel the differences in muscle texture. We can feel lumps, bands, stiffness, congestion, all kinds of differences that are within muscle and affecting its function. Neuromuscular techniques focus on the signal that the body has created. If a lump, or trigger point, is found, the therapist will focus on it to help the body release the muscle.

All three techniques have value in the massage world. Deep tissue and Neuromuscular depend on Swedish massage to assess the condition of the client at each session, and warm the muscles up for more specific work. They work together for health of the client.

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DO YOU GIVE A "DEEP TISSUE" MASSAGE?

Most people think that a massage with a lot of pressure is a "Deep Tissue" massage, but the reality is "Deep tissue" is a technique that is used rather than a type of massage given for a full session. It is used in conjunction with Swedish to isolate a specific muscle that is showing signs of injury or overuse. Many people prefer a Swedish massage with a lot, or deep, pressure.

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DO YOU GIVE A "DEEP" MASSAGE?

Deep is a word in massage that is both accurate and inaccurate. The more a therapist warms up the muscle tissue the less pain, or pressure a person may feel. The therapist can put a lot of body weight into a stroke in one area and the client may not feel that the stroke is "deep." The therapist can then move to another area and gently touch a person and they may say it's too "deep." Pressure, then, or depth, is in the eye of the beholder, and many factors will determine if a massage feels firm enough. One factor may be how warm the muscles get during the first few minutes of massage. Another would be if enough water has been consumed in the day prior to the massage. Yet another may be how focused the therapist is on the massage they are giving. The best thing to do, as the client, is let the therapist know if you would like more or less pressure, and remember having a massage hurt, or insisting on getting a real heavy handed massage, may not be in your best interest. If you are stiffening a muscle against the stroke of the therapist, not only are you loosing out on many of the benefits to massage, but the therapist is working a lot harder, with less result.

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DO YOU HAVE ABDOMINAL MASSAGE?

Many people suffer from chronic stomach and intestinal maladies. Our society is very busy, our stress is mounting, many peoples body image isn't very high, and our eating habits are not always very good which adds to our already knotted up stomachs. Abdominal massage is often just too uncomfortable for many people, because a therapist has to "mess with their guts." and that is where the stress goes. Although, stress, eating habits, and stomach disorders are all good reasons to receive abdominal massage, we do not incorporate it into a massage session without a request from our client.

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STUDIES ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF MASSAGE

All over the United States (and the world) there are university medical centers, massage schools, and hospitals performing acceptable studies regarding massage. They have studied effects of massage on ADHD, headaches, cancer patients, heart disease patients, etc. The findings are usually surprising, and very good. If you would like more information please go to the Studies tab on our website and you will see some examples of results for various maladies; where the study was held; where the information was found; and what the results were.

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