On July 17, 2022, an article was published in the Daily Herald about alternative therapies. Teri Dreher’s publicist contacted me about the article to discuss medical massage. Her question to me was, "What is the difference between a medical massage and a regular massage?"
I was quoted in the article. However, the quote had nothing to do with medical massage and the article had little information about medical massage. In fact, it muddied the waters about alternative therapies altogether.
I am listing the article here as well as the email I sent to her publicist about medical massage. I have also sent a letter to the editor following up on this article and its inaccuracies.
You can read the original article here: What are alternative and complementary therapies
Email to publicist
Thanks for reaching out.
One from The Science Of Massage Institute provides a couple of videos from Dr. Ross Turchaninov. He is the editor-in-chief of The Journal Of Massage Science and my medical massage instructor. I spent three years training with him learning to be a certified medical massage practitioner (CMMP). On the website under certification, you can see the list of CMMPs. There are currently only fifty practitioners in the country that have completed this program. I am proud to be on that list and currently the only one in Illinois.
Dr. Ross explains what separates the different types of massage. He is from Ukraine and a little hard to understand so I will try to summarize.
Another link is from a case study that I wrote that was just published in The Journal Of Massage Science.
The Last link is for an open house we are having in our new location on May 1. I realize this won't article won't be out by then but just to mention.
What separates spa, relaxation, and sports massage from medical massage? First of all, any massage can have medical benefits from a general point of view. However, when dealing with chronic pain or a specific injury a relaxation massage is not going to provide you with clinical results.
For instance, when I was fresh out of massage school and a client came in with a rotator cuff diagnosis, I would massage the whole shoulder area and hope for the best. Now that I have much more training I have a complete protocol I am going to follow. First a detailed intake form with specific questions. All designed to help me narrow down the problem areas I need to work in. Next specific muscle testing to further narrow down the areas that need attention. Then the use of multiple modalities including but not limited to lymphatic, kneading, friction, stretching, electric vibration massage and trigger point work all in a specific order for this certain individual. Then send the client home with exercises or homework to complete in-between visits.
There are specific protocols for each injury such as tennis elbow, migraines, knee or hip rehab, carpal tunnel, plantar fasciitis, etc. There are subsets to those injuries as well. For instance, Plantar Fasciitis may be localized in the foot or start all the way up from the lumbar vertebrae. The only way to know this is to go step by step from the back down. Every single client is different and every session will usually be different as well.
My personal take on medical massage is that the body is a puzzle. Chronic pain can be a mystery. We are like a body detective tracing back clues that solve the mystery. Sometimes you hit a dead end and have to redirect your path. But the solution is usually hiding somewhere. Once you find the culprit recovery is possible.
You do not need a prescription and we do not take insurance as we are not a hospital or chiropractor. We do take Health Savings Accounts. I suggest to clients get a prescription anyway to be able to write it off on their year-end medical for tax purposes.
There is much more I could explain and go on all day about this subject. I hope this gives you a brief overview.
The reason I reached out to Teri is to explain my frustration with our medical system in general. I read medical articles all the time which never mention massage as a viable alternative or stand-alone treatment for chronic pain. The clients I see have been everywhere else through the medical ringer. I am not patting myself on the back when I tell you how many of my clients said that I was the only one able to help them.
My goal is to tell people that there is an alternative to surgeries and drugs but that's where they are typically directed. In many other countries, Medical massage is part of the healing process, not an afterthought. I would love to see an ask your medical Massage therapist article somewhere. Dr. Ross sends out monthly tips with medical massage information. I would love to see that reach more people.
I have added staff because of the growing need in our field. We have also moved into a larger office space. My wish is to bring back Dr. Ross to Chicago to train more medical Massage therapists. Clients are looking for ways to avoid drugs and surgery. Medical Massage can make that possible.
Please let me know if you need anything else or need further explanation on anything.
Again thanks for reaching out.
Letter to editor in reply
This is in response to Teri Dreher's column, "What are alternative and complementary therapies."
Because I was quoted in the article, I feel the need to respond. For Teri's article, I was asked the question, "How does regular massage differ from medical massage?" I gave a detailed response which included a link to The Journal Of Massage Science and its editor-in-chief Dr. Ross Turchaninov. Dr. Ross has written several books on medical massage and has been instrumental in bringing these protocols to our country, as well as training therapists. Myself included.
These methods have all been researched, tested and proven effective. In many other countries, medical massage is an integral part of the healing process. It is tested as such. Whether it be for frozen shoulder, chronic back pain, migraines, etc. There is a specific protocol for each which is based on science.
Where my practice is concerned the statement in the article, “And that’s despite the fact there’s no research-backed evidence that it’s effective” is inaccurate.
I reached out to Teri to talk about the benefits and misconceptions there are about medical massage. If anything, this article mentioned nothing of what I represent and only added more confusion.