Massage Therapy
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"The body is inherently a system of seamless networks of tissues, rather than a collection of separate parts. These connective tissues surround, support, and penetrate all of the muscles, bones, nerves, and organs. This is the stuff that shapes us and gives us both stability and mobility"
~ Rich Ennis ~ |
Meet Cori Getchell, LMT
What the Fascia is Fascia?
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Some of you may have heard a thing or two before about this fascia thing that we're talking about today. But in case you haven't, or are still unsure of exactly what it is, this newsletter should help you gain a better understanding of what it really is and why it is so important.
The fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds, encases, and connects all of our muscles, organs, joints ligaments, bones, blood, nerves, lymphatic system, etc. It is an intricate, intelligent, interwoven system that holds us together, helps us survive, and adapts to support us in our everyday movements. Healthy fascia allows the muscles to glide and move, uninhibited, to take us through our day. But as our bodies are designed for survival, overtime, our fascia will create points of tension or expansion to allow for more support for the daily shapes and subtle shifts toward misalignment we commonly take. For example, those moments when you stand with one hip jutted out, when you hunch or slouch, when you are looking down at your phone or computer, when you are sitting cross legged or just sitting too long in a chair, and so on and so forth. We don't think about these small actions that we take everyday, but after repeated offenses, our body has to learn to compensate. But our fascia isn't just a master adapter, this supportive connective web of tissues also works to absorb the impact of sudden shocks. |
When we get into an accident, fall, or get injured, the fascia spreads the energy of the impact to keep the organs safe and prevent serious damage.
So what happens as our fascia adapts to support and protect us? What happens is that we lose what is called tensegrity. And what is tensegrity you ask? Tensegrity, when broken down into parts, is a combination between the words tension and integrity, and it represents just that... the integrity of the tension in our bodies. So when we think of our bodies, tensegrity is the ideal model of health, where we maintain the perfect amount of tension and elasticity within, unaltered by knots, kinks, or other learned holding patterns. Since your fascia is one large, interwoven mass of elastic, connective tissue, anything that happens to one point of the body, alters the elasticity, tension, and mobility of every other part of your body. Tensegrity is the picture of health and perfect posture, where there are no restrictions, and the body is easily able to bounce back into a state of balance after every movement. For a better explanation of what tensegrity is, what it looks like, and how it applies to our bodies, check out the video below by Tom Myers, author of "Anatomy Trains." |
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So why is maintaining tensegrity important?
A restriction or loosening of the fascia in any one area of the body, will cause every other area of the fascia to shift. And because our fascia is so interconnected to every other systems in our bodies, that one shift will cause other muscles, organs, joints, bones, etc., to make their own adaptations to try and maintain a new state of balance. Every compensation creates a ripple effect of subsequent changes, which eventually leads to pain, poor alignment, and other physical restrictions that decrease mobility, range of motion, and adaptability within the body. |
As Cori mentioned in the video, "it is the victims that scream." It is important to understand that even though your pain is in one part of your body, the antagonist, or the one who is actually causing the pain, is usually somewhere completely different. That pain in your right knee could actually be stemming from the arch of your left foot, the pain in your neck could actually be caused by tension in your hip flexor. The body is so beautifully interwoven and connected in intelligent ways that many of us do not understand, so how do we begin to undo the doing we've done? |
Myofascial Release - The Journey Back to Tensegrity
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Lucky for you, we've got just the right person to help you undo these holding patterns that no longer serve you, and return you to a space of healthy balance, elasticity, and tensegrity.
Allow me to introduce you to Cori! Cori is a licensed massage therapist who has been practicing massage since 2012, when she graduated from ASIS massage school in Prescott, Arizona. After working in a few spas she moved on to a clinical setting and has spent the last 6 years working on many clients suffering from chronic pain, injuries, athletes and non athletes. Helping clients live with less pain has become the focus of her practice. She specializes in fascia focused therapies, neuromuscular therapy, sport massage, and is a certified fascial stretching instructor. With almost two decades of practical and formal education with the human body, Cori brings a unique set of skills to her practice. Cori not only works wonders on undoing the body's unhealthy holding patterns through her massage, but she also teaches you how to do the work at home, through her private self myofascial release (SMR) sessions, for faster, longer lasting results. What is SMR (self myofascial release)? SMR is a form of self massage that utilizes specific tools such as lacrosse balls, tennis balls, pvc pipes or foam rollers, medicine balls, etc., to assist in breaking up knots and other points of tension held within the fascia and muscle tissues. The idea is that, once you begin to break down these points of tension through applying gentle, sustained pressure with these tools, the muscle fibers will start to return to healthier alignment and proper, uninhibited range of motion will eventually be restored. |
Benefits of SMR:
So wether you are wanting to relax and have someone do the work for you, or if you want to be able to do the work at home (or both!), Cori has got you covered! So give us a call and get your next massage or SMR appointment scheduled to give your body the love it deserves, and start undoing the doing you've done. To book any sessions with Cori, please give us a call at: (928)856-0656 |
Our rates:90 minute massage: $140
90 minute massage for veterans: $120 
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Call (928) 856-0656
1926 N. 3rd St. Ste. 100 Flagstaff, AZ 86004 |
