therapy spotlight

More and more people are finding that integrative bodywork is an important tool for feeling "better in their bodies" and living their lives to their utmost potential. People are living longer and want to be more active and pain free as they age. Being proactive about wellness can start young, even in childhood, and can start with bodywork.

According to Mark Rogers, a Licensed Massage Therapist at Advanced Bodywork who has over 25 years of experience and education, regular bodywork can help not only care for aches, pain and injuries but prevent them as well. It's never too late to get into a regular routine of bodywork, whether once a month or even four times a year as the seasons change, which can still be beneficial. Common issues people want addressed through bodywork are low back and neck pain. In addition, most pains within the musculoskeletal system like shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles and even the jaw can benefit from assessment and skilled bodywork that considers the body as a whole versus just an area that hurts. Bodywork can also aid chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome and migraines.

At Advanced Bodywork, sessions start by first assessing the client’s posture while standing before even lying down as well as walking and doing other movements, especially the ones that are painful. This is a way to see how the client lives in gravity. The practitioner then has the client lie down on a table for assessment for leg length imbalances, similar to a chiropractor’s procedure, with head turns, bending knees and so on. This provides key information on where the body is holding muscle spasms and irritation at the spinal cord level.

Specific techniques that may be used include the Importance of Symmetry Bowen therapy approach as well as Rolf Structural Integration, myofascial release, neuromuscular trigger point therapy and deep tissue massage to bring balance to the pelvis and legs and within the neuromuscular system. The lymphatic system is also assessed, and clients can be taught a lymph stimulation routine that can be done at home to assist in the process of decreasing inflammation, which is the root cause of most pain. The treatment plan may include once-weekly sessions for three to four weeks that are then spaced farther apart for maintenance.

For clients interested in a truly integrative approach and delving into other root causes of pain, the Accunect energy medicine approach can be used to uncover hidden blockages to healing from more of a body/mind perspective. This approach is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine and uses muscle testing and a health map to explore which areas could use help balancing, including organs, meridians, mind and emotions, senses, life events and memories, inherited factors and more.

All of these techniques are designed to help people feel their best. That means leaving feeling balanced, taller and lighter, with easier movement.

Advanced Bodywork is located within Birmingham Professional Building at 1775 E. 14 Mile Rd., Birmingham. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Mark Rogers at 248-761-4135. 

For more information on Advanced Bodywork check out their online Natural Directory listing.