Sciatic Pain- How to get relief! Part 1

Sciatic Pain- How to get relief! Part 1

When I was in massage school, we were taught that sciatica (shooting nerve pain that travels down the back of the leg) was most often caused by a tight hip rotator muscle called the piraformis ( a muscle in the gluteal region of the lower limb). The piraformis connects our tailbone (or sacrum) to the top of our femur (or leg bone) and when contracted or when the muscle constricts, pulls the leg and knee to the side away from the body, opening the hip. Since this muscle crosses over the sciatic nerve, if it is overly contracted then it can pinch the nerve and cause pain. If someone came in complaining of sciatic pain, I would release their piraformis during the session using several techniques including deep tissue massage and body rebalancing.

In these sessions, the piraformis release “hurts good” at the time of the session but the clients often don’t receive lasting benefits from this release. A tight piraformis does not live on its own; it often a symptom of an imbalanced structure. Though we can get the piraformis to release and let go, if this is not done within a session where all the muscles of the hips contributing to a pattern are also released so the body can find a new way to balance more efficiently. Then the body will often return back to the starting pattern and sciatic pain returns. Addressing pain as a symptom of structural issues is our objective at Surgical Alternative. We utilize SET Bodywork release the muscles and rebalance the body.

This became very clear to me once I started to study structural approaches to pain rehabilitation. The piraformis, I discovered, is certainly not the only culprit to sciatic pain. Determining how to most effectively address this issue depends on adequate evaluation of the body’s structure. This is way we first visually assess the structure by observing the client standing so their weight-bearing structure emerges. Almost every client I have seen reporting a painful condition presents an imbalance in the pelvis with one side rotating forward and one rotating backward.

Although massage has been around for hundreds of years we are still discovering the power the body and mind having in the healing process. I have seen and lived this process with many of my clients, that is why I feel very fortunate and excited to do what I love to do, help others that are suffering from herniated discs, bulging discs, hiatal hernias, peripheral nerve damage, nerve entrapments, pinched sciatic nerve issues and many more symptoms that people think they either have to have surgery for or are told they just have to deal with the pain. At www.surgicalalternative.com we can help! Check back for Part II

Why we are not just another deep tissue massage?

Why we are not just another deep tissue massage?

I get inquiries from potential clients looking for deep tissue massage. Sometimes I think that clients have the impression that the deeper the massage the better the results. You’ve heard the adage “no pain, no gain.” I am here to tell you that you should expect more from your sessions and your therapist than just depth! How would you like to experience a session where several evaluative tools are used to assess your total body alignment and the bodywork systematically releases the soft tissue directly affecting your pain, and more! After discussing with your therapist the pain causing condition that brought you in, we perform a postural analysis to observe how your body is compensating to keep you going. Through postural analysis it is possible to determine which areas of their body are under more strain than others, and which muscle groups are causing this strain. We use kinesiology/ muscle testing before and after to show you which muscles are involved in the collapse and the changes that the cranial/structural work has made to your structure. Only after a thorough analysis, we finally couple all of this with the slow but deep tissue restructuring body work! Our therapists are highly trained and specialize in SET Bodywork which prepares us to help and effectively treat conditions ranging from herniated discs, bulging discs and much more, to helping you recover from that painful sciatica pain or the plantar fasciitis you’ve now been putting up with for months. Once you book your appointment , you are in for lasting changes within your entire body structure that will have you rehabilitated from pains you thought you had to live with. Managing pain is not acceptable here! We approach the body as a whole. We look to address the source of where the pain originated from, not address all the symptoms. When this is kept at the fore front of your rehabilitation plans we can rehabilitate you from pain, not manage it. You’ll find yourself resuming life activities you had not fully enjoyed in years! Contact us regarding your condition. WE CAN HELP!

Unleashing an Athlete's Potiental

Unleashing an Athlete’s Potiental

I have worked on athletes in the past but usually after they have finished competing. By then their bodies had begun to breakdown and they began to feel aches and pains from all the years of trauma they put on their bodies while competing. As an ex-athlete, I understand the toll years of training and competing has on the body. In my past, I have worked on athletes before competitions to help them stretch and warm-up their muscles but have always wanted to try our advanced bodywork sessions on them, to measure the impact. Well, I finally got the opportunity. My old track coach has a daughter that competes in high school and she was having some issues with tight muscles in her abdomen that caused discomfort when she ran and asked if I could help. As an athlete, the importance of keeping your body and muscles in top condition is vital to your success. I started by cranially rebalancing her to bring the structure into alignment and then followed up with the bodywork session, which combines deep tissue massage and structural therapy techniques that allow the body to remain balanced. The next day at practice she had mentioned being sore, but the pain had almost completely gone away. Luckily, we had a couple more sessions before her next match. After a couple more session she mentioned feeling pain free, but what effect would it have on her performance. Well, she called me right after her next match and was super excited. She had beaten her best time by over a second, which in the track world is a major accomplishment. It proved what I had always believed. What we do, can impact lives in many different ways and can help to gain that competitive advantage that athletes are looking for. There are more and more articles such as this one, http://www.amssm.org/complementary-and-alterna-p-47.html?StartPos=50&Type=, that show the advantages of complementary and alternative medicines.

I feel very fortunate and excited to do what I love to do, help others. We have been dealing with clients in severe pain for almost 25 years, that are suffering from painful conditions associated with herniated discs, bulging discs, hiatal hernias, peripheral nerve damage, nerve entrapments, pinched sciatic nerve issues and many more symptoms that people think they either have to have surgery for or are told they just have to deal with the pain. The reason I started blogging was so that I could reach and help some of those people that suffer from these and many other painful conditions. At www.surgicalalternative.com we can help!

Surgical Alternative Opens A New Location

Surgical Alternative Opens A New Location

It is with great pride and pleasure that I am pleased to announce,” Surgical Alternative has a new office!!!.”    We are still conveniently located on N. US HWY 41 in Lutz,FL.  We now have 2 more therapists whose schedules you can also view online at our site.  No more waiting your turn while a loved one is seen; you can now be seen simultaneously. With 3 therapists specializing in various types of therapy including SET BODY(integration of  deep tissue massage and cranial structural therapy), Emotional Release, Mother Massage and much more. We have the staff to support your therapeutic needs and you’ll be on your way to feeling more like yourself in no time.
Our new therapist include a wealth of experience:
Pamela Mann’s ability to empathize and her calm energy allow her clients to receive the maximum results possible during each session. She is passionate about educating her clients and empowering them to take control of their own health and well-being. Pamela has a mindful, nurturing touch and a relaxed professional presence that allows her to work well with a variety of clients. “My passion is to provide a service that improves the quality of life for my clients. If they come to me in pain, the end-goal is to find a way to alleviate that pain and make them a happier and healthier person.”
Nyssa Hanger has been a licensed massage therapist since 2005 and has been specializing in Structural Energetic Therapy® since 2006. In 2009, she founded Upward Spiral Body Therapy and Education (www.upwarspiraltherapy.com), offering therapeutic bodywork and educational workshops designed to help others embody their potential. She has seen both in herself and her clients the holistic benefits of this rehabilitative therapy and desires to share this gift with many more
In my dream to bring you a well rounded approach to healing,  Jacqueline Armand,  a clinical social worker  will also be joining our officelate fall.  We look forward to having her join our team.
We look forward to giving you the care and attention that you have come to know, but adding that compassionate touch to make your experience here exceptional!
NEW HOURS OF OPERATION:
M-Thursday  8-6:30  Friday  8-4  Saturday  10-4
New services being offered such as Cranial decompression, Mother Massage® and lymph drainage.  More information on our new services and more can be found at our site!  Come meet the newest additions to our staff.
Office Address:
17886 N. US HWY 41
Lutz, FL 33549

We do make a difference! An inside perspective.

As with most specialized or advanced therapist I started out as a relaxation/sports massage therapist after a career in my major( Nutrition) didn’t work out. As a former track athlete I understood the importance and benefit of massage in treating muscular aches and pains and I have always been compelled to help others. A few years out of massage school I had a growing business and was doing well, but 911 changed all that. My business died and I had to reaccess my situation. Fortunately, I meet a man, my husband, that allowed me to pursue my passion of helping people who were in constant pain, feel better and return to normal lives. Through my search I was fortunate enough to be introduced to a new therapy that combined deep tissue massages and cranial therapy techniques, finding new ways of helping those in severe and chronic pain called Structural Energetic Therapy. A girlfriend was going thru the training and kept encouraging me to try a workshop and experience the work. After the first weekend of a 2 weekend workshop I immediately signed up for the 2year training. Doing this type of worked completely opened a whole new world of how I could really make a difference in others lives. I have had the luxury of learning and working for the last 9 years next to the creator of the main work I practice, who has helped me hone and perfect my skills. I love what I do, therefore I am constantly looking for ways to educate myself so that I can do the best possible job for my clients. I have even taken a cadaver class to gain a better understanding of the body and how the muscle, bones and organs connect. I know, strange but really cool and highly beneficial. OK,Who didn’t like the bodies’ exhibit! I take my experience and take the time to try to educate my clients during their session and show them that sometimes where the pain is showing up is not always the source of where the pain is coming from. I have been awed and privileged to get the array of clients that have been referred to me. Many of the clients I see have been in pain for a long time, have been told there was nothing that we can do for you, have been told their test came back fine, and or been told here are some medications to help manage your pain…good luck.

If anyone of you have followed my blog in the past, then you know I’m passionate about letting people know there are surgical alternatives. I’m also excited to see the recent positive press about the health benefits of massage(which I have tried to stress with my clients). With the internet, availability and speed of information is more widespread than ever and when Oprah and Dr. Oz are in the discussion at least we gain credibility. I feel fortunate to learn about techniques online that other have used for centuries but because of locate have been inaccessible. Technology has changed accessibility which will continue to evolve the world. I hope we get to a point where we can use massage and other alternative medicines to stay healthier and cure common alignments instead of medication.

I have been helping people cure many conditions associated with whiplash flexion/extension injuries, headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, degenerative disc disease, hiatal hernias, herniated discs or bulging discs, carpal tunnel, nerve entrapment, sciatica (providing sciatic pain relief), low back pain, hip pain, knee pain, or foot pain and tailbone pain – that is usually related to the musculoskeletal structure. By addressing and releasing the core distortion pattern through a combination of techniques including deep tissue massages and cranial release we are able to achieve pain relief, homeostasis, and return to normal function.

Lymph Drainage…What is it? Who needs it??!!.

The lymphatic system is part of the circulatory system. It is a secondary pathway to the heart, parallel to the venous system. It moves fluids through the body and returns it to the circulatory system. The lymphatic circulation has a slow rhythm, as compared to blood circulation. The lymphatic system is the body’s waste disposal. It clears away bacteria, cell debris, excess water, proteins and wastes from the connective tissue and returns it to the bloodstream for ultimate removal by the kidneys. Lymph drainage massage increases lymphatic circulation and helps detoxify the body. It drains sluggish lymph nodes. The purpose of lymphatic drainage is to cleanse and regenerate tissues and organs, and to promote balance of chemistry. It stimulates the movement of lymph and encourages the formation of lymphocytes that produce antibodies, increasing the body’s resistance to infection. If tissue has been damaged, Lymphatic drainage helps to stimulate the lymphatic system to remove wastes more rapidly from around these inflamed tissues sending it back to the lymphatic system for removal and cleansing. Manual Lymphatic Drainage is safe and indicated for most people with a few notable exceptions. If you are frequently ill or just sluggish, MLD can help overcome this burden if the primary cause is an overtaxed lymphatic system. Minor edemas can be helped with basic lymphatic techniques. The lymphatic flow can stagnate for many reasons, such as swelling, chronic inflammation, lack of physical activity, stress, fatigue, emotional shock, age, poorly fitted brassieres, or brassieres worn for an excessive amount of time. When lymphatic circulation slows down, the regeneration of cells becomes less effective. This condition allows toxins and proteins to accumulate around the cells, causing cellular oxygenation to decrease and tissue regeneration to diminish.

As an advanced practitioner of Lymph Drainage Therapy I’m trained to interact with the fluids at different levels, from the superficial cutaneous circulation to the mucosa, muscles, tendons, periosteum and viscera. We also perform Manual Lymphatic Mapping to assess the direction of lymph flow before, during and after treatment to see if the location of lymph stagnation has improved.

Why live with back pain? Alternative therapy benefits

Weekend warriors and people living an active lifestyle that has recently been disrupted by pain as well as those of you that have jobs / hobbies that have you doing repetitive actions for extended periods of time fall in this category too.  Why are you putting up with these pains?  Now it’s affecting activities you love and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.  Does this sound like you? Adding regular bodywork as part of your health and fitness/ training regimen is preventative for injuries.   Which by the way helps you stay on your game?  SET bodywork is so much more than a deep tissue massage; this therapy incorporates cranial work, body logic, and deep tissue massage to focus on the source of where your symptoms are coming from.  Let me help you get back to feeling like yourself and resume normal life activities.
Having been in this industry for 13 years, I have always believed the benefits of massage especially the more specialized work like I do, have been undervalued.  So it was great to see an article on NPR discussing the benefits and the great results.  They compared the effectiveness of treatments for lower back pain using three different groups, full body relaxation massage, deep tissue massage and medication and physical therapy.  The study found good improvement with those who used either relaxation or deep tissue massage therapy over conventional types of treatment.  You can check out the full article at http://www.npr.org/2011/07/04/137609072/got-low-back-pain-massage-therapy-may-rub-it-out?sc=emaf.
Although massage has been around for hundreds of years we are still discovering the power the body and mind having in the healing process.  I have seen and lived this process with many of my clients, that is why I feel very fortunate and excited to do what I love to do, help others that are suffering from herniated discs, bulging discs, hiatal hernias, peripheral nerve damage, nerve entrapments, pinched sciatic nerve issues and many more symptoms that people think they either have to have surgery for or are told they just have to deal with the pain.  At www.surgicalalternative.com we can help!