The New Bodywork Service That's Sure To Give You Goosebumps

Have you ever experienced that tingly, euphoric feeling while someone plays with your hair or gently traces their fingertips along your back?

If so, then you’ve likely experienced Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response or ASMR.

ASMR has become increasingly popular all around the world and especially on the video sharing platform YouTube. This is likely due to its ability to reduce stress, increase relaxation, and help those who have difficulties falling asleep.

Some individuals with clinical diagnoses even report that ASMR is helpful to their insomnia, anxiety, panic disorders and/or depression, according to on-going studies and research published in the Multisensory Research journal in 2017 by Dr. Janik McErlean in the UK.

So, what is ASMR anyway?

ASMR sensations are both physical and psychological. This includes light and soothing tingles, an enjoyable static-like feeling on the skin, or waves of relaxation that generally originate in the head, neck and spine—sometimes traveling throughout the rest of the body. This euphoric tingling sensation is usually accompanied by feelings of relaxation, calmness, comfort and sleepiness.

ASMR “triggers” that produce this tingling response can be different for everyone, but they are often induced by light touch, along with certain visuals or sounds such as whispering or crackling.

If you’re someone who loves watching ASMR videos on Youtube, or you’d like to receive an incredibly relaxing, gentle bodywork service with lots of tingles and goosebumps—our in-person ASMR experiences offered exclusively at TheraKneads Wellness Center are for you!

Something important to keep in mind about ASMR: it can be very different from regular massage, as the aim is not to work out knots or increase mobility. ASMR is all about ultra-light touch that produces tingles and incredible relaxation like nothing else.

Choose from two ASMR experiences, specifically designed with the ultimate tingles and relaxation in mind:

The Cozy Fireplace ASMR Experience

Get cozy under a soft blanket as you bask in the glow of a crackling fireplace on a cool, autumn night. Drift off slowly as you receive relaxing tingles on your scalp, neck, chest, arms and legs.

The Midnight Thunderstorm ASMR Experience

Nestle in safe and warm as you are lulled to sleep by the sound of the trickling rain right outside your window. Lay back and relax as you receive relaxing tingles on your scalp, neck, chest, arms and legs.

Customize your experience by choosing additional tools you’d like to further your relaxation, including a scalp massager, fan brushes, a hair comb and more.

Try something new and incredibly relaxing! Book your ASMR experience today at www.therakneads.com/asmr-experience.com  or give us a call at 410-549-7711. You'll be so glad you did!

Stretching and Massage Help You Recover Faster from Workouts

Are stretching and massage part of your routine as an athlete? If not, they should be. For one, muscles that are never stretched can shorten and become tight, limiting their ability to fully extend and, in turn, becoming weak.

Stretching can also help increase your range of motion and help maintain healthy joint health. Tight, in-flexible muscles can pull on joints, causing skeletal misalignment, as well as increasing your risk of rupture, strains and sprains.

Not only is stretching a key component to add to your pre- and post-workout routine, it’s also a great activity for total-body relaxation. Stretching can help reduce blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate, counteracting they body’s physiological responses to stress and muscular tension.

But what about massage? Massage has been shown to decrease and prevent delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) by helping remove muscular waste such as lactic acid. Massage also brings fresh blood and nutrients to affected muscle tissue, helping to repair micro tears caused from an intense workout.

The scientific evidence is clear: Post-work out stretching and massage helps you get back to training sooner—and with more flexibility and less muscle soreness.

That is why we now offering a new, two-hour signature service with Massage Therapist Kristin Farrow: The Athlete’s Stretch and Soothe. The first hour of the session is spent on a floor mat, with Kristin providing assisted stretching meant to warm muscle tissue and release fascial restrictions. The second hour is spent on the massage table, allowing you to fully relax as you receive a soothing massage, which creates blood flow and faster recovery for sore muscles.

Book online here: https://therakneads.com/book-the-athletes-stretch-and-soothe or give us a call if you have any questions. And remember, athletes—training doesn’t end at the gym. Proper recovery is vital!

Why Your Nervous System is Stuck on High-Alert and How We Can Help

When our ancient ancestors came across a menacing tiger in the woods, their “fight or flight” response activated—preparing their body to either fight the tiger off or take flight (run away). This biological response occurs due to the central nervous system, which is composed of two parts: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems.

The sympathetic nervous system causes an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. This state of alert prepares your body for a perceived threat. Once the threat is over, that is when the parasympathetic nervous system is supposed to kick in. This is known as the “rest and digest” state, and this state allows for your body functions to return to normal.

In the modern-day, most of us don’t come across the threat of a tiger, but we do have stressful jobs and never-ending to-do lists, along with financial, family, and relationship stresses. As far as our bodies are concerned, this means that a threat is always close by—causing our sympathetic nervous systems to remain constantly on high-alert.

Symptoms of an Imbalanced Nervous System

This chronic state of stress causes your nervous system (along with your immune and endocrine systems) to experience imbalances, which can be detrimental to your health and overall well-being. These imbalances can be noticed as:

- overwhelm

- anxiety

- fatigue

- digestive disturbances

- insomnia

- immune issues

- chronic pain

- fatigue

- fertility, pregnancy or postpartum-related issues

These all-too-common symptoms, along with our passion for guiding clients toward healing, is why we designed The Nervous System Reset. This service is designed specifically and thoughtfully to nourish your parasympathetic nervous system and restore homeostasis to your mind and body.

What The Science Says

While all components of the Nervous System Reset have been chosen to allow for optimal nervous system recalibration—here’s what the experts have to say about sound bowl therapy, reiki, craniosacral therapy and binaural beats therapy:

Reiki

“The profound relaxation produced by Reiki has been anecdotally reported to alleviate anxiety and stress, the perception of pain, and to promote a feeling of psychospiritual well-being. [Reiki] is a relaxing form of healing therapy that is applied through non-invasive nonmanipulative gentle touch…Reiki’s ability to activate the parasympathetic nervous system helps reduce pain, anxiety and depression, [and] improves self-esteem and quality of life. 

Craniosacral Therapy

“A noninvasive, mindfulness-based treatment approach using gentle manual palpation techniques to release fascial restrictions between the cranium and sacrum….It is influenced by and linked to the musculoskeletal system, and presumably the vascular and endocrine system as well as the parasympathetic nervous system.” Craniosacral Therapy has been found to be “both specifically effective and safe in reducing neck pain intensity and may improve functional disability and quality of life.”

Sound Bowl Therapy

Research has found that participants experienced “significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed moods following a session. Feelings of spiritual well-being improved significantly.” Sound bowls are also found to “decrease blood pressure and heart rate.” 

Binaural Beats 

When sounds with different hertz frequencies are introduced to each ear, it propels “the brainwaves into states of deep relaxation.”

Additional Benefits

Additional benefits of the Nervous System Reset may include:

- strengthened immunity 

- more balanced hormones

- improved digestion and sleep quality

- decrease in pain and inflammation 

- improved focus and productivity 

- improved fertility, pregnancy and postpartum transition

Book your appointment today at TheraKneads to experience, firsthand, the amazing benefits of the Nervous System Reset.

Sources:

Goldsby, T., Goldsby, M., Mills, P.(2017). Effects of singing bowl sound meditation on mood, tension, and well-being: An observational study. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary Medicine,22(3), 401-406. Doi: 10.1177/2156587216668109. Retrieved from: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Haller, H.M., Lauche, R., Dobos, G(2016). Craniosacral therapy for the treatment of chronic pain. The Clinical Journal of Pain. Wolters Kluwer Health, 32(5), 441-449. Doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000290

McManus, D.E.(2017). Reiki is better than placebo and has broad potential as a complementary health therapy. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary Alternative Medicine, 22(4), 1051-1057. Doi:10.1177/2156587217728644. Retrieved from https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Five Reasons to Get a Massage this Holiday Season

The holidays are here and this time of year is all about giving, making other people’s holiday wishes come true, and selflessness. But what about you? What have you done for yourself lately? Certainly it wouldn’t hurt to treat yourself while you are out taking care of everyone else. These are the top 5 reasons to get yourself a massage this holiday season.

1. Stress: This is the most stressful time of year for the average person. Your shopping list is two miles long, your in-laws are in town, and you’re out of time! Take 60 min. and let someone else release your stress-fighting hormones while you forget about your to-do list.

1. It’s cold: When the temperature drops, muscles get tight. It happens every year. The warm loose muscles of the summer months are long gone and achy backs/hips/knees have arrived. Let a massage therapist warm up those muscles and joints and help relieve your pain.

1. You’re doing too much: You haven’t stopped moving, you’re carrying heavy bags, putting up lights, carrying boxes out of the crawl space, cleaning your house, etc. Your body isn’t used to standing while baking cookies for 10 hours, or spending a day on a ladder putting up your lights. You’re bound to get some kinks along the way. Massage therapy can help you recover faster.

1. Shoveling snow: Even the most fit of you out there are likely to get sore from shoveling (even if it hasn’t hit yet- it will). Practice the best body mechanics you can, and let a massage therapist take care of the rest.

1. It’s not a luxury anymore: If I have said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times- Massage is no longer considered a luxury, but rather an effective treatment for many medical conditions. Help prevent further injury and dysfunction by having a professional clinical massage therapist work on you today.

Hopefully this helps you realize that you need to take care of yourself too this holiday season. Besides, if you don’t stay healthy, who is going to make sure you have the perfect Griswold family holiday season?!

by Athletico

Deep Tissue Finesse

By: Colleen O’Renehan

Deep Tissue is a term which is often overused as well as misused in the world of massage. It is my goal here to clarify exactly what deep tissue techniques are and to explain how they are best used. 

Clients often come to me requesting deep tissue work. In their minds deep tissue refers to using heavy pressure when doing a massage, almost all of them expect a heavy-handed full body Swedish massage. I have overheard massage instructors telling their students that in order to provide deep tissue massage, all they have to do is press harder. One student told me that she had been told to get a stool to stand on if necessary in order to provide more leverage. It is not about pressure, it is about finesse. 

To understand the process of deep tissue massage, we must first understand the nature of fascia. Fascia is the thin sheath of fibrous tissue which encases all muscle fibers. It is tensile in nature which means it can be stretched without breaking. Fascia provides pathways for nerves and blood vessels. When fascia is tight, it restricts the blood flow and potentially nerves as well. Without proper lymph and blood flow, cellular waste (toxins) accumulate in the muscle creating pain. Fascia also provides protection for the muscles. When it experiences fast/deep penetrating pressure, it tightens to prevent or minimize injury to the muscle. 

Fascia is thixotropic in nature; it can change states. It responds best to long, slow gentle tension. This gentle work warms the tissue and allows it to soften and relax. As the fascia begins to relax, the muscle that it encases is allowed to expand and elongate to assume it’s normal resting state. As fascia is designed to protect the muscles from deep penetrating pressure, fast or aggressive work on the fascia can actually cause it to tighten, producing more restrictions. One analogy I have used to assist in this visualization is cooking with cornstarch. Anyone who has placed cornstarch in a bowl, added water and begun to stir briskly can tell you it just doesn’t work. It creates a Non-Newtonian solution. The cornstarch molecules tighten into “concrete” when pressure is applied. Slow, gentle stirring however, quickly results in a homogenous suspension. Fascia responds in a similar fashion.  

Who can benefit from deep tissue massage? Almost everyone. Muscles tighten for a number of reasons including dehydration, shortage of particular minerals (potassium, magnesium, calcium) and energy sources (ATP)*, overuse, and injury. When addressing tight muscles these issues must be taken into account.  

Prolonged pathological hypertonus of muscles causes fascia to become tense. This in turn creates compression of muscle fibers, nerve tissue and blood vessels. This causes pain. We see this every day in a population addicted to computer and cellphone use. A healthy body with chronic tension resulting from overuse can benefit greatly from these techniques. Clients with Fibromyalgia respond phenomenally to properly applied deep tissue work. Deep tissue techniques can also be safely used with the proper training to treat muscle tension in prenatal clients. A dehydrated athlete low on electrolytes does NOT need deep tissue massage, in fact it can be very damaging to overtaxed, under nourished muscles. 

 So what is Deep Tissue Massage? Deep tissue massage is the gentle, systematic penetration of muscle tissue. It is not dissimilar to peeling away layers of an onion. Beginning with deep extended effleurage to warm and soften the fascia, the therapist will be able to feel the superficial layers of muscle “let go”.  As the superficial layers relax, the therapist’s hands will be able to sink ever deeper, feeling the adhesions and muscle contractions which lie below. Gradual, unhurried work can result in eradication of these issues without causing pain or discomfort for the client after the session is terminated. 

I hear you saying “So what about the elbows?” Elbows work great on trigger points. They can be gently used to sculpt muscles after they have been properly prepared for the deeper work, but digging in with elbows and thumbs before properly preparing the muscles is damaging and is very likely to cause pain for the client after the session. Trading one pain for another is hardly productive. 

My point here, is that many therapists are working way too hard to accomplish something that is really quite easily done if done properly. In talking to clients who have come to me with a “deep tissue” request, when questioned the majority of them are there to feel better. They are requesting “deep tissue” work because they are under the impression that an elbow is the only thing that is going to fix their issues.  

 What I really want impart to you today is that just because the only tool you have is a hammer doesn't mean everything has to be seen as a nail. If the only thing you know how to use is your elbow, find classes in neuromuscular, orthopedic, myofascial or other modalities to expand your toolbox. You don't have to become in expert in these modalities in order to utilize them in your practice. Your clients will thank you for it.

By: Colleen O’Renehan, LMT

  *ATP is a major energy source for muscular contraction 

  ** Judy Delany, one of our Neuromuscular gurus, as labeled effleurage as the single most effective tool in the Neuromuscular toolbox!