Want to hear some good COVID-19 massage news? Massage Therapy with safety protocols is SAFE!

 

Our COVID-19 safety measures for massage therapy are working great – Read Our in Depth Safety Plan Here

Hi! So, we have been open now since July 6th and steadily rebuilding our team. The first couple of weeks felt pretty stressful. We have a whole list of new safety protocols and cleaning procedures to practice. What once felt routine and easy (all the things that happen before and after your massage) has took a while to adjust to, but is now the new normal. It feels good to be able to share some good COVID-19 massage news. Whew!

Our track record over the past 4 months is now over 1,500 appointments since reopening with zero issues of covid transmission. Therefore, I feel that I can comfortably say that massage therapy is a safe activity with our safety protocols securely in place. Thank you to all NYC’ers for taking masks and social distancing seriously! All of our hard work is what’s allowing businesses to stay open and for us specifically to be able to offer medical massage in New York.

With the recent uptick in cases in NYC, we are re-instituting mandatory PCR covid testing for our therapists. Since we reopened, I myself have had 7 tests, all were negative. As long as testing is readily available, therapists will test every two weeks even though it’s not required by NYS. You can view the therapists’ test results here.

For More Information: Medical Massage in New York

How Often Should I Get a Massage?

 

In the often hectic & stressful environment that is NYC, having a self-care plan or routine in place is key. A good self care plan can greatly aid in reducing the physical and mental effects of this stress. Deciding to integrate massage therapy into your self-care routine often begs the question: “how often should I come in for a massage?” There is no one-size fits all answer, but here are some general guidelines depending on your lifestyle and health. Hopefully, these will help you determine an effective frequency to keep you pain free!

General Recommendations: How Often Should I Get a Massage?

First rule: Don’t wait for a crisis! Start adding massage therapy to your routine before you get injured. You’ll need to come far less often and also vastly improve your ability to prevent future injury.

For any actual pain symptoms, we recommend a series of massage therapy sessions with no more than 2 weeks between sessions. Depending on the severity of your pain and the causes the series will be anywhere from 3-8 sessions.

Once you are no longer experiencing pain, you can switch to a maintenance cycle of massage sessions. This is important to keep the pain from coming back. For people who work highly stressful jobs or work out hard regularly, we recommend a maintenance massage every 2-4 weeks. For the rest of you, a maintenance massage every 6-12 weeks usually does the trick of keeping you pain free!

For More Information: How Often Should I Get a Massage?

Doing Physical Therapy? Massage Therapy Can Improve Results!

 

7 Reasons why this powerful combination works

Pain sucks. As a massage therapist, I would know. Almost everyone who comes to see me does so because they’re in pain! Many times, they are already seeing a physical therapist and not entirely happy with the results. What many don’t realize is that the combination of physical therapy and massage can give greater results than either modality on it’s own. 

Most of the time, my clients have such a powerful response to massage therapy they don’t need additional therapies. However, that isn’t always the case. I always look for clues that indicate I may need to refer a client to another practitioner, such as a physical therapist. 

Update September 2020: Sometimes those clues are less about what the “best” course of treatment would be. And more about finding a way to help a client make their budget work. PT is covered by insurance far more often than massage therapy is (for now). Sometimes, I think a combination of PT and massage will work as well as massage on it’s own. If so, I will often recommend a client work with a PT 1-2 times a week and with me once every 2-4 weeks.

The PT will help the client make small but steady gains. In my sessions, I’ll then focus on making bigger leaps. Assuming the PT sessions are covered by insurance, the client spends less money overall and arrives at a pain free place. It just might take a little bit longer to get there. You can find several great PT’s that we send clients to on our colleagues page!

For More Information: Massage Therapist In NYC

Massage Therapy for Diastasis Recti: A Case Study with Debbie J

 

Getting to the core of the issue

First off, what is this strange sounding condition?

Diastasis Recti is most common among pregnant or postpartum women. About two thirds of pregnant women have it. So why have you never heard of it? People don’t talk about it! And hardly anyone knows that massage therapy for diastasis recti can help. 

The facts:

Diastasis Recti is a condition where the rectus abdominis splits down the middle causing a vertical gap in the abdominal muscles. It can cause lower back pain, constipation, and urine leaking. It can even make it harder to breathe and to move normally.

How to treat it if you have it:

Massage therapy for Diastasis Recti can be very helpful to rebuild proper abdominal tone as long as you’re also working with a physical therapist who specializes in this issue. An experienced massage therapist can open stuck tissues that are pulling the abdominal muscles outward. These stuck tissues are generally from previous injuries that have left scar tissue behind. In addition to this kind of bodywork, you’ll need physical therapy exercises to knit the torn muscles back together.

For More Information: Massage Therapy NYC

Massage Therapy for Ankle Sprains: Advice for Runners

Massage Therapy for Ankle Sprains: what to do from the moment you get injured…

Massage therapy for ankle sprains wasn’t my intended topic this week. Then I took a bad fall in a parkour class trying to jump a 12 foot gap. (I made it 11′ 9″). I’ve now got about 6-8 weeks of healing, before exercising again in any weight-bearing or high impact capacity. And definitely won’t be doing the NYC Marathon this year. Based on my own professional assessment, anyway.

It’s also timely and useful for those of you currently training for the NYC Marathon or the Ironman Triathlon to know a bit more about treating ankle sprains.

Update August 2020: Sadly, there will not be an NYC Marathon this year due to COVID-19! Our advice is to take training slowly and use the break this gives as a way to avoid injury next year 

I know that there is a lot of info out there about what to do and what not to do. And mub ch of this info is confusing and conflicting. So I’m going to walk you through what to do based on the most recent science. And show you when to add in massage therapy for ankle sprains. Using my own injury as an example.

For More Information: Massage Therapy NYC

Our Top 5 Tips to Avoid Text Neck Pain!

 

The perils of “always on” technology:

Okay, so your “text neck” probably won’t actually kill you (unless you are texting and driving). However, it’s becoming increasingly likely that at some point in the next 5-10 years of tech use, you’ll develop a repetitive stress disorder. So we’ve compiled some tips for text neck to help your phone becoming a pain in the neck!

The phrase carpal tunnel syndrome (wrist pain) has been part of the collective conscious for several decades. It’s so common as a disrupter of productivity that it has spawned an entire industry of ergonomics solutions. These range from special keyboards to Star Trek styled full desk/monitor set ups. All keep you at your desk longer making trades, typing contracts, writing legal memos.

And then the 2000’s came along. Most of us jumped all in with smartphones and laptops and tablets.

Update September 2020: So now we’ve all got Zoom issues too! Not quite the same as text neck as we don’t have to look down. But a lot of folks are complaining about headaches and TMJ from so many meetings staring at a screen. All the more reason to play with strategies to lessen screen time throughout the rest of your day! In addition, masks are vitally important from a safety perspective…and also are contributing to some jaw, neck, and head tension. On the plus side, covid massage safety protocols are working great! So getting a neck pain massage in Midtown or Fidi to help is totally safe!

Suddenly we could be productive all the time.

Standing on the subway platform?

Let me check my email.

Taking the train in from CT?

Let me just go over those sales reports.

Date just went to the bathroom?

Let me text my assistant to make sure I’m set up for tomorrow’s board meeting.

Unfortunately, there are costs to constant device use that might change your mind about your phone and tablet.

Looking down at our phone, tablet, or laptop, pulls our head forward and down. This imbalances all the muscles holding up your head (ahem… text neck). These imbalances can cause any and all of the following:

• neck pain
• shoulder pain
• TMJ
• headaches
• low back pain
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• anxiety
• low energy
• depression
• memory loss

For More Information: Neck Pain Massage in New York 

Work From Home Tips: Don’t Ignore Your Self Care!

 

Work From Home Tips – Ways to improve your home office

I’ve now been a 10 year self-employed writer, then a 13+ year massage therapist, a life coach, and most recently have grown my practice to have 28 employees. Including 23 massage therapists who train under me and see clients at my practice. In that time I’ve had to learn self care for the entrepreneur (or working from home in general) the hard way! So I’ve compiled some of my best work from home tips for you. 

Update September 2020: Wow, this post is now super relevant…we’ve all been stuck at home here in NYC due to COVID-19. Originally this post was focused on self-employed, since those were the folks usually working from home. Now, EVERYONE is working from home to some degree. So we’ve made a few updates and edits, and included a great free ergonomics video at the end from our Bodyworks DW TV subscription series of self-care videos. Enjoy!

I’ve seen working from home from a lot of different angles. Both from my own experience and from working with and talking to hundreds of self-employed massage and coaching clients.

Along the way we’ve learned good practices for keeping your work life from feeling like it’s all-consuming. And ways to actually get and feel the freedom you were looking for going in… And the stability you thought you might never see again.

So, for the entrepreneurs, whether just starting out, or building out your third 100+ employee company, here’s some of our best self-care for the entrepreneur advice for de-stressing.

And for the rest of your now working from home and not sure when (or if) you’ll be returning to the office, here are some welcome work from home tips!

For More Information: Work From Home Tips: Don’t Ignore Your Self Care!

Deep Tissue Massage for Back Pain: What are the Best Therapeutic Techniques?

 

Back pain massage is one of the most common requests of our massage therapy clients. Deep tissue massage for back pain can be a life saver! Our spine protects and houses a large part of our central nervous system. When trauma or dysfunction happens to your body, it is going to want to protect this region first. One way that your body does this is by sending pain signals to the area. The pain is a signal to rest and heal. Unfortunately, with our busy lives, we tend to ignore this signal. 

“Splinting” (ie contracting) the spinal muscles is another way that your body protects itself. This can help with an immediate injury. But it can exacerbate chronic back pain and tightness. Back pain massage is a holistic approach to rectify this dysfunction. Therapists communicate through touch to your nervous and muscular systems. The massage helps your brain understand that the original injury has healed. When your brain processes that it realizes that it doesn’t need to protect anymore. So it lets your back muscles go. The splinting is no longer necessary.  

Great massage therapists employ many different deep tissue massage techniques

Back pain can be the result of a wide variety of neuromuscular issues. And responses to various kinds of trauma. Therefore, our approach for each client case is unique. Crafting an effective massage requires an understanding of how each technique is going to affect your specific body. Each technique has a specific intention. And also produces a different sensation and result. Massage therapists frequently combine techniques to achieve an overall result. This includes reduction in pain, tightness, and restriction!

For More Information: Deep tissue massage for back pain

Massage for Sports Injuries: What is Scar Tissue and How Can Massage Help As We Age?

When were your first sports injuries?

If you are into sports now, odds are you started playing team sports when you were young. I remember my first soccer tryout at 9. I also remember my first sprained ankle from getting slide tackled at 11. There were a lot more sports injuries where that came from between then and now. Soccer, track, cross country, cycling, swimming, and later aikido. And that one ill fated parkour class during which I sprained my ankle. I wish I had known about massage therapy for sports injuries a lot earlier!

Along the way I’ve sprained both ankles more than once. And severely torn a hamstring muscle twice. I’ve smashed fingers and toes, and torn a rotator cuff. I’ve gotten a bone spur on my wrist, had shin splints, plantar fasciitis, hip pain, low back pain, and herniated a disc in my neck.

How I’ve kept active despite these injuries

To keep moving I’ve had a lot of bodywork, acupuncture, physical therapy, and chiropractic work since my mid 20’s. Without it, I’d be taped together with duct tape just to function. And probably would have needed a few different surgeries (currently surgery free at 48).

Like most of you, I’ve got the scars to prove my sports history. Unfortunately, as I get older, all of these old sports injuries make it even more likely that I’ll re-injure myself. So I’ve learned the hard way to be more cautious and create a regular self-care routine.

For More Information:  Sports Massage In NYC

DW’s Daily Stretch Routine on BWDW TV

 

Our new self-care video subscription library has the pain relief tools you need. Whether you are taking classes online, or working from home. It also helps alleviate soreness or pain you may be experiencing.

DW’s Daily Stretching Routine is easy to learn. And quick to do. It also has a host of holistic health benefits when practiced daily. It’s designed to get blood moving to all major muscle groups and joints.

In this stretch series, David takes you through some basic anatomy explanations. And shares some self-massage techniques along with the stretches.

He also includes tips for easy tension relief! You have the option of going through the entire program from start to finish in one video. Or taking a more targeted approach for specific problem areas like the neck or hamstrings. We made sure it easy to navigate and find the parts of it that help your issue the most!

For More Information: DW’s Daily Stretch Routine on BWDW TV

Our New 1-on-1 Virtual Wellness Sessions

We closed our studios last week in response to the NYS on Pause effort to flatten the curve and save lives during the coronavirus outbreak. We have to admit, it’s been weird not being able to practice massage therapy and help all of you with pain and stress management. So we’ve decided to offer 1-on-1 virtual wellness and self-care consultations with our therapists!

What does a video self care consultation look like?Think of them as an extension of the time we take with each client after a massage. You know, where we check in with your posture, give you some homework and small awareness exercises, stretches to practice, etc. All of the things we offer to you to help you get through the time in between massage sessions and keep pain from coming back. We’re offering virtual self-care practices to help reduce the pain and stress you’re dealing with during these uncertain times 🙂

In these new 1-on-1 video visits for pain and stress management you’ll have time to really learn and master these self care skills. We’ll have time to cover much more of the following and in more depth:

• Stretches to help you with specific pain

• Postural awareness

• Breathing exercises

• Stress reduction practices

• Ergonomics evaluations of your newly enforced home office space

• Self Massage techniques using balls and rollers (and your own elbow)

• Support in building a new self-care routine based around being at home

• Restorative Yoga poses

• At home pilates exercises

• Ortho-bionomy

• Strength Training and movement work

• Life coaching

• Meditation

Many of our therapists practice multiple disciplines and can teach extended skills such as:

For More Information: Video Self care consultation

INJURY RELIEF VIDEOS on BWDW TV

Sometimes injuries happen. And in these times, it’s difficult to know what the best solution is. Our subscription library has a variety of injury relief videos with targeted self-massage techniques for specific ailments.

We cover a lot of areas prone to injury. And some techniques will require use of your own hands, but others can be achieved using foam rollers, rubber balls, and other tools. We have programs for everything from:

• ankle sprains
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• self massage for neck pain
• self massage for back pain
• self massage for hip pain
• pain from sitting
• and more!

A Sample of Injury Relief Videos in the Library

• Pain Relief From Sitting – This video includes foam rolling and yoga mat stretches to relieve pain in the back and hips from sitting more than we’re used to.
• Headache and Allergy Relief- In this video you’ll find helpful techniques to loosen the nasal cavity to improve breathing and prevent headaches.
• Mobilization & Self Massage for Foot Ankle- This video contains self-massage techniques and stretches to mobilize the foot and ankle to prevent injury and relieve pain.

For More Information: Self-massage for neck pain

Winter & Workouts = Shoulder Pain! Here’s How to Fix It with Massage for Shoulder Pain!

Your Shoulders and Winter are not good friends…

Have you booked a massage for shoulder pain session yet this winter? If not, you’ll probably feel like we are psychics about how your shoulders are feeling right about now…

It’s that most wonderful time of year…okay, actually it’s not all that wonderful right now.

The holidays are over, it’s real cold, and your are deep into new year projects, stress, and pressure.

And we’ve still got several weeks to go 😬🤒

Add in indoor exercise to that (weightlifting, yoga, boxing, Crossfit) and you’ve got a perfect recipe for shoulder pain and injuries…..

Winter Shoulder Pain Recipe

• 1/4 cup “lifting shoulders due to cold”

• 1 cup “stressing at work” which engages our fight/flight response and lifts the shoulders

• 1 tablespoon “indoor exercise” which impacts shoulders more intensely (due to the other above ingredients)…

This recipe leads to overuse injuries such as rotator cuff tears, biceps tendonitis, and bursitis. 

What you get when this cake is baked is “I don’t know what happened….but my right (or left) shoulder just started hurting…..HELP!”

Shoulder Pain in Winter: What YOU can do about it

If you haven’t gotten to the pain level yet, congrats!

If you don’t want to get there, come see us for massage therapy for shoulder pain (or any other pains you are dealing with). In the meantime, the following will absolutely help to prevent further injury:

Invest in a good winter coat, hat, scarf (no, really)

• Fashion is cool and all…and usually cold too. You may not like wearing a parka, or messing up your hair with a hat, but your shoulders will thank you if you are warm enough.
• Your body is dealing with cold that it’s not insulated against.
• Our nervous system is hardwired to “protect the important bits” (ie your head and your trunk where all of your important organs are).
• It raises the arms and shoulders in a self hug to bring more body heat to your brain (the most important bit) and lungs.
• This is brain stem level instinctual….if your body is cold enough to be scared of hypothermia it will raise your shoulders no matter how much you want them not to.

For More Information: Shoulder Pain Massage

How to get a great 60 minute massage in New York that exceeds your expectations

Satisfaction in life has mostly to do with things turning out about how we expect, or better. When things happen below our expectations, we tend to be dissatisfied. I train my industry-leading massage therapists at Bodyworks DW on intake and outtake with new clients. A lot of that training goes into how to help clients have realistic goals and expectations for a medical massage in New York. In general, that means helping some clients realize that massage has a lot more to offer than simply relaxation and stress relief. And also helping other clients realize that for most pain issues it takes more than one session to completely relieve their issue.

Massage in New York can help relieve pain for the long term

If your experience of massage is limited to the occasional hotel spa massage while on vacation… You likely view it as a form of relaxation and stress relief. And no more. If you are in real pain, you’ll go to a chiropractor, physical therapist, or straight to the hospital. And for most massage therapists working at a hotel spa, you are not wrong to think of massage in this limited way. The training requirements for massage therapists vary greatly from state to state. Not to mention country to country.

For example, here are the training requirements for 4 popular vacation states, and the New York requirements:

• Florida – 500 hours and NCETMB or MBLEx
• California – 500 hours and MBLEx or NCBTMB
• Virginia – 500 hours and MBLEx
• Texas – 500 hours and MBLEx or NCETMB
• New York – 1000 hours and state exam

MBLEx is the “massage and bodywork licensing exam” and is used by many states in the US. NCETMB is the “National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork” test. Both are multiple-choice question tests of a massage therapist’s knowledge. This includes anatomy, technique, and professional ethics.

For More Information: Massage Therapy New York

How has sports massage in NYC benefited our clients?

Competitive athlete? Weekend warrior? Recreational fitness enthusiast? At Bodyworks DW, we work with a wide variety of active individuals. Our therapists provide custom-designed sports massage sessions focused on helping you maximize your activity enjoyment. This can include sessions for injury recovery, injury prevention, tune-ups and maintenance. Sports massage in NYC for active people and athletes is hardly a luxury – it’s an investment!

Sports massage provides targeted, therapeutic treatment tailored to the biomechanical and physical needs of the athlete. In other words, it’s not going to be like your typical fluff n’ buff spa massage  You’re going to be moving around a bit for analysis. You and your therapist will be working together on increasing range of motion and unwinding injuries. And you’re going to get some homework!

Curious how a sports massage in NYC might work for you? We’ve taken some of our most common client-athlete cases and given you a run-down of how a sports massage could benefit each one. Keep reading more to dive in!

All-Around Athletes: CrossFitter (CrossFit, Boot Camp)

The CrossFit community is known for its high-intensity, highly variable workouts. These incorporate anything from gymnastics to Olympic weightlifting to aerobic conditioning. In particular, CrossFit places a high demand on the shoulders. There are a lot of overhead movements. And also plenty of movements that require quite a bit of shoulder stability AND mobility. We get a lot of clients coming in with CrossFit shoulder injuries from pushing a bit too much too soon. 

Shoulder stability and mobility is a complex interaction between the scapular-thoracic interface and the glenohumeral (GH) joint. The scapulae (shoulder blades) sit near the upper half and outside portions of the back of the rib cage. The GH joint (or shoulder joint) is at the side of your upper arm. It’s where your arm attaches to your shoulder. Both have to work together to keep your entire upper body properly positioned when doing any overhead movement. 

More Information: Sports Massage in NYC

The Benefits of Realignment: Massage Therapy for Feet and Ankles

Your feet are your foundation for upright posture: Invest in massage therapy for your feet and ankles!

Very often someone will ask me: if I could only have one area of my own body worked on, which one would I choose? And more or less always, I respond that I would choose massage therapy for feet and ankles.

Surprised? So are most of the people who ask! But I can’t think of any part of my body that has worked harder than my feet and ankles. Stints in pointe shoes and training for marathons immediately come to mind as the biggest demands I’ve placed on them. But still, they support me as I walk at least 10,000 steps every day up and down the New York City streets.

But even if I’d never danced or run competitively, or walked as much as I do, my feet and ankles are still the foundation for the entire weight of my body. They absorb information from the ground so that the nervous system can create standing posture all the way up the skull. And if something is less optimal with your feet and ankles, your posture will change to compensate. Just imagine what would happen if there were a problem or weakness in the foundation of a building. Similarly, issues in the feet and ankles can lead to a cascade of dysfunctions throughout the body. Massage therapy for feet and ankles can create profound improvements in our posture and movement.

More Information: Massage Therapy New York

Medical Massage Therapy: it will relieve your pain, but did you know about all the other benefits?

Not long ago, studios that specialize in the benefits of medical massage therapy in New York City were few and far between. Massage therapy was not widely viewed as a rehabilitative practice for managing musculoskeletal pain. It was viewed as a luxury. And certainly not a luxury that was aimed at providing pain relief.

Flash forward to the present day. Massage therapy has become a sought after holistic modality for addressing an array of pain conditions. In fact, the main benefit of medical massage therapy is pain relief. But what if you’re not in pain? What if you’re not dealing with any current injuries? Or what if your pain is quickly resolved? Can you still receive or continue to receive Medical Massage Therapy? OF COURSE!

Medical Massage has a host of peripheral benefits. Whether you are seeking relief or simply want regular massage sessions tailored to you and your needs.

First, Some Basics about Medical Massage

Medical massage therapy is designed to target specific client complaints. Also, medical massage serves to supplement and complement one’s personal lifestyle and activities. It’s not just one technique. It is a combination of techniques and styles that address these specific conditions or lifestyles. It’s also outcome-oriented. The massage therapist and client typically want to achieve certain goals by the end of a session as well as after a series of sessions.

Check out a previous post on medical massage therapy by Rachel Simhon, LMT, if you’d like to know the finer details about what can happen in a medical massage therapy session.

What else could I want besides pain relief?

Whether you are in pain, rehabbing an injury or looking for that extra edge, you’ll win with the additional benefits of medical massage below. We not only want you to walk out the door feeling better. We also want you to gain more knowledge about YOU! Medical massage therapists want to empower you to make the most of your lifestyle.

Read more about massage Therapy near you in midtown

Which is the Best Massage Therapist Center in New York?

When choosing a massage therapist in New York, it can be a difficult decision to make, especially when you consider the sheer number of available options. However, Bodyworks DW is here to let you know that we’ve got your back. When you come in for a massage you can rest assured that we will not only help relieve any tension or pain you may be experiencing but also help you identify where it stems from. Our services vary to suit your needs, which oftentimes, make it easier for you to decide what’s best for you.

Sports Massage for Sports and Fitness Injuries

There isn’t a massage therapist in New York that comes close to the detail we apply to our Sports Massage area at Bodyworks DW. When you hear the term “sports”, you may be thinking that this only helps folks who actually are athletes, or maybe those who do lots of swimming, biking, or long-distance running. And, yes, this part of our program does apply to them. However, it is also set up for ordinary working people who, say, have been trying to fit a workout into their workday. The thing is, when you jam spontaneous exercise into the middle of the day like that, you don’t get a chance to warm up and cool down the way you need to, which can lead to injury. If you are feeling like your body is beginning to wear down, even though you’ve been consistently working out, then this service is just what you need.

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