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F.A.Q
- What should I wear to a session?
Wear whatever you are comfortable in. Your therapist may want to go through some range of motion exercises with you or give you some stretches, so a change of clothes, such as workout attire may be necessary. - Do I need to undress completely before a massage session?
As the question before implies, you can wear whatever you may be comfortable wearing. You can undress completely as your therapist will FULLY drape you, or you may wear workout clothes, or anything in between. It is about comfort for you, so keep that in mind.
There are modalities that can/may be performed fully clothed, such as Thai massage or Active Isolated Stretching. For these reasons, the comfortable clothing is great. Other modalities will require more access, but again, you are in charge. Keep your therapist aware of any area that may be uncomfortable for you to have undraped for work. Your intimate areas will ALWAYS be covered.
- How often should I get a massage?
This is a great question and not easily given one answer across the board. Considerations for determining your optimal frequency would include your level of activity, time, objectives and goals, and budget. For most clients, a schedule of once a month would be recommended for maintenance. Some clients come in once a week, or every three weeks, and some every six weeks. More frequent visits may be suggested by your therapist at the beginning of your treatment schedule, with less frequent visits as you reach the point only maintenance is required.
Massage effects are cumulative and a maintenance schedule will help aid/prevent the reoccurrence of nagging overuse injuries or chronic pain onset.
- Will I be sore after my massage?
Chances are yes, but not necessarily. Some modalities such as Trigger Point/NMT, or deep tissue massage may cause some tenderness the following day or up to 48 hours. It should not be pain, but a soreness as if you had a heavy workout. You will be responsible for letting your therapist know when something is uncomfortable to you. Many modalities will require a little more pressure and you should be very vocal about your discomfort. Sometimes working with an injured area might be painful, but even that should be within a good tolerance level using a pain scale of 1-10, nothing should be more than about an 8. Your therapist is there for you, so give as much feedback as possible.
Drinking lots of water will help with the soreness by flushing your tissues of lactic acid and waste products produced by the massage. More water means less soreness. You can also soak in Epsom salt the evening of a massage. The minerals in the salt will help pull toxin from the area and alleviate a lot of muscle soreness.
- Is it OK to talk during my session?
Again, you are in charge. Many clients will talk to relax themselves or take their mind off their stresses. Some will start a massage with small conversation and “drift into la la land”, or some will drift off as soon as they lie down. Your therapist will most likely start the massage with some questions for feedback, especially on the first visit. Whatever your preference: IT IS YOUR TIME. - Am I supposed to tip?
A client recommended adding this to our FAQ’s, as I am sure many people are curious after their appointment, this is another question not easily answered. We have some clients who feel they would like to leave something for a great experience, and that is greatly appreciated. However, you will always receive the same professional service with or without a tip.
Sports Massage & Integrated Therapies has always been a more clinical setting. We are usually thought of as health care or care providers for our clients. In such cases, you wouldn’t tip your doctor. There is no better “tip” than having you leave feeling you had great service and care; so much so, you refer your friends and family to our offices. Therefore, the best answer is: It is completely at your discretion.
- Does your practice do house calls?
We do have therapists that perform house calls. The house call rate is different than our “normal” rates for massage. Please call and speak with a therapist to negotiate time and rate for the service as each therapist has certain requirements for those appointments. - How do I find a therapist in my area and what qualifications should I look for?
We are fortunate to have two great resources for finding therapists. The American Massage Therapy Association has a great online locator service at www.amtamassage.org. The American Massage Therapy Association requires that its Professional members:
• Graduate from a minimum 500 in-class-hour massage therapy training program, or
• Pass the National Certification Examination in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork,
• or Possess a current AMTA-accepted license to practice, and
• Earn continuing education credit, and
• Uphold the AMTA Code of Ethics.
Additionally, the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork website is another great resource. Their mission is to foster high standards of ethical and professional practice in the delivery of services through a recognized credible certification program that strives to assure the competency and professionalism of practitioners of therapeutic massage and bodywork. To become nationally certified, a practitioner must demonstrate mastery of core skills and knowledge, pass an NCBTMB standardized exam, uphold the organization’s Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, and take part in continued education. So check the www.ncbtmb.com website for any other information.
By far, your best local resource will be your health care provider’s referral, and the referral of your friends, training partners, and teammates. So ask around and get ready to treat yourself. Commit yourself to a higher level of “health” and enjoy the miles ahead.
Patient Information
OUR THERAPISTS ARE SKILLED IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF MASSAGE BUT OUR MAIN FOCUS IS IN SPORTS MASSAGE.
When people ask us about massage therapy, the questions always arise: What kinds of massage do you do, and what are the differences between sports massage and other types of massage? There are countless different types of massage, below are the modalities we commonly use. While our therapists are skilled in different types of massage, our main focus is in Sports Massage. Every client at SMIT is evaluated and an individualized treatment plan will be given. All therapists will incorporate a few different techniques in any one treatment session to fully address the clients needs.
Sports Massage
is a clinical and orthopedic based massage designed to enhance athletic performance and reduce recovery time. Many different modalities of massage are used during a sports massage session including some very deep elongating Swedish strokes, joint movements, trigger point therapy, deep tissue massage, scar tissue mobilization, Thai massage, and myofascial release techniques. Sports Massage is also used for Post Rehabilitation.Swedish Massage
is the most common form of massage mainly used to relax muscles and ease aches and pains. Swedish Massage uses long, smooth and kneading strokes and frictioning techniques to affect the more superficial layers of muscle and connective tissues.Thai Massage
is a modality of soft tissue body work which combines acupressure, massage, and practitioner-assisted yoga together to stretch and normalize muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia (a connective tissue). During Thai massage, you stay fully clothed (except for shoes and socks) and lie on a soft floor mat. The therapist assists you into a stretching position and then uses her hands, palms, thumbs, knees, elbows, feet, shoulders, etc. to apply deep pressure to either the belly of your stretched muscle or the musculo-tendonous attachment sites on your bones. Thai massage is slow, firm, and more or less rhythmic. Each of the stretching positions should feel challenging to you, yet very comfortable.Myofascial Release
is a form of bodywork which includes, but is not limited to structural assessments (where a formal diagnosis is not necessarily given) and manual massage techniques for stretching the fascia (connective tissues) and releasing bonds between fascia, integument, muscles, and bones are mainly applied; with the goal of eliminating pain, increasing range of motion and balancing the body. The fascia is manipulated, directly or indirectly, allowing the connective tissue fibers to reorganize themselves in a more flexible, functional fashion.Trigger Point Therapy/NMT
is a very deep, sometimes vigorous type of massage used to eliminate pain and discomfort caused by trigger points. Trigger points are hypersensitive areas of dysfunction in a muscle fiber which may radiate pain throughout a related region of the body.Deep Tissue Massage
uses slow, deep, long fingertip, whole hand, forearm or elbow strokes to separate and release layers of muscle and connective tissues.Scar Tissue Mobilization
uses very fine fingertip movements to work scarred areas of skin and underlying connective tissues in order to reduce stickiness and make the scar "more functional".On-Site Massage (AKA: Corporate Seated Massage)
is administered while the client is fully dressed and seated in a specially designed chair. This type of massage usually lasts 10 - 20 minutes and is intended to relax yet energize the client, and improve blood circulation.Pregnancy Massage
are special massage techniques used to provide comfort and relaxation to a pregnant woman. Pregnancy massage can also reduce fatigue, enhance sleep, and calm the client. A variety of positions can be used to meet the comfort needs of the pregnant client.Race Day Sports Massage
Pre-race sports massage can be done after a warm-up and directly before the start of a race. Light, invigorating massage strokes, and light stretches are used to increase blood circulation and prepare the nerves and muscles for activity. Post-race sports massage uses deeper strokes to manually push muscle metabolic wastes, which tend to accumulate in tissues following strenuous activity, and to minimize or prevent delayed onset soreness.