Gain and sustain mobility, restore balance, and heal faster.
Clinical massage therapy focuses on your individual needs, based on a thorough evaluation and your personalized Integrated Treatment Plan. It differs from traditional massage because it is used to treat a specific medical problem. Also called medical massage, rehabilitative massage, or soft tissue manipulation, clinical massage therapy is performed in a professional medical setting to improve conditions diagnosed by a physician.
Clinical massage therapy involves assessment, skillful mobilization, and movement of soft tissue to reduce pain and dysfunction with a focus on functional movement patterns. Restoring structural balance throughout your body supports rehabilitation and prevention of musculoskeletal dysfunctions.
Benefits many of our patients realize from clinical massage therapy include :
- Reduces or eliminates pain and dysfunction
- Complements other therapeutic techniques performed during your treatment
- Increases range of motion, flexibility, and mobility
- Restores structural balance and improves posture
- Improves circulation and reduces swelling
- Breaks down scar tissue between muscle fibers
- Releases natural painkillers to promote the healing process
The Affinity Advantage
Our clinical massage therapists have a combined 70 years of experience. Licensed Affinity therapists partner with our chiropractic physicians, physical therapists, and physical therapy technicians to follow your Integrated Treatment Plan. The Affinity team of clinical massage therapists holds certifications and has rich clinical expertise including about 10 therapeutic techniques as well as extensive knowledge of human anatomy and the mechanics of human movement.
Our clinical massage therapists will use one or several of the following techniques to provide personalized treatment for your diagnosed condition:
- Neuromuscular re-education/proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation uses therapeutic techniques to build the necessary strength, flexibility, posture, mobility, balance and coordination skills to support optimal functioning and improve activities of daily living. These stretching techniques are used to enhance active and passive range of motion, improve motor performance, and aid rehabilitation.
- Myofascial release eliminates pain and restores motion by applying gentle sustained pressure into the myofascial connective tissue restrictions. Myofascial tissues are tough membranes that wrap, connect, and support your muscles.
- Myofascial trigger point therapy uses palpation to identify and sustained pressure to melt away trigger points, which are painful nodules within a tight band in the muscle or fascia.
- Graston technique is a type of instrument-assisted cross-friction soft tissue mobilization used to break down scar tissue and adhesions. It also stimulates blood flow to tendons and ligaments. Effectively releasing these restrictions improves joint range of motion.
- Craniosacral therapy stimulates healing by using gentle hand pressure to manipulate theskeleton and connective tissues, especially the skull and sacrum (the large, triangular bone at the base of the spinal column). This technique uses gentle mobilization and release of cranial bones and spinal segments to facilitate balanced flow of cerebrospinal fluid.
- Lymphatic drainage is used to treat an accumulation of fluid and swollen tissue caused by an impaired lymphatic system. The therapist gently massages the skin following the structure of the lymphatic system to promote drainage of accumulated lymph fluid through proper channels. It is a gentle yet powerful tool in the acute phase following injury or orthopedic surgery.
- Other manual techniques used include muscle elongation, cross friction, and pre- and post-natal massage.