John Aaron Wellness

Sometimes I come across someone who doesn't quite know what it is that a massage therapist does exactly. If you are one of these folks, take a look at the following guidelines I’ve laid out to help you feel at ease and perhaps give you a better understanding of what to expect during your massage session. Aside from the manipulation of muscle tissue, your massage experience should reach the senses of security, trust and relaxation. Actual massage technique (the touch, pressure and use of friction) are only a part of the session. In other words, you deserve to be treated well. Your concerns should be listened to and respected. No matter which massage therapist you see, you deserve that therapist to: Provide a safe and secure environment and carry liability insurance for you protection as well as the therapists. The therapist should have competency in human anatomy & physiology. Maintain records including continuing education, certifications and session notes. Do hi...

Whether you play tennis or golf, or you spend most of your time filing papers, tendinitis can affect anyone. Tendons are the tissues at the end of muscles that connects muscle to bone. Known for its painful inflammation ('itis' refers to inflammation), scarring of tendons, swelling, and a feeling of weakness, tendinitis can inhibit proper muscle function. Tendinitis is sometimes confused with or occurs with a condition called 'tendonosis,' a degenerative condition of the tendon, which also causes pain and dysfunction. The most common sites for both are the shoulder, arms, hip, hamstrings and the Achilles tendon. You may experience pain at the site of the injury or pain can be referred, or radiated, to areas distant from the injury. Pain and Repetitive Actions Repetitive strain injuries (RSI's) develop from repeated movements and are characterized by pain, stiffness and tissue scarring. They often involve tendons that cannot adapt to forces placed upon them. ...

Research published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, the American Journal of Public Health, and Journal of Child Neurology supports the notion that massage can reduce the frequency and intensity of stress and migraine headaches. This further supports the experience of many massage clients who report a decrease in both headaches and headache pain. How It Works: Massage relaxes tense muscles. When tension held in the muscles of the head, shoulders, and neck eases, there is less pressure on the nerves and blood vessels that supply them. Blood flow improves and muscle spasms are often relieved. Trigger points in the neck, head and shoulders can be another cause of pain which respond well to specific massage techniques. These factors add up to relief of tension or migraine headaches. Massage therapy often reduces the anxiety and worry that can accompany headaches, too. As overall stress eases and muscle tension that can trigger headaches lessens, headaches can be prev...

Your body aches and you can’t wait to get to your next massage appointment to help alleviate the pain. You absolutely know how much better you will feel after getting your massage. massage helps manage pain. But, have you ever wondered how it works? Well, there’s much more to it, but I’ve managed to condense it into small easy to understand bullet points Massage stimulates the release of natural pain-relievers such as endorphins.  Massage stretches tight muscles and sends messages to the nervous system to relax.  Massage not only increases circulation, but flushes irritating waste products and floods tight muscles with healing oxygen and nutrients. Combined with stress relief, improved circulation may be enough in itself to help you relax and allow the pain to recede as you let go. Massage releases trigger points. These are highly irritable spots that feel like lumps or knots, which send uncomfortable sensations to other parts of the body.  Massage softens contr...

It’s no secret that those who run, bike or play sports for fun benefit from regular sports massage to help ease muscle soreness and tension.   In fact, when I work on my clients I like to add stretching to their massage session. Not only does this feel good at the time, but it helps them to maintain flexibility - an essential for injury prevention.   Many of my clients regularly play recreational golf, tennis or racket ball. Some run marathons or weight lift regularly. So, depending on the client’s goal, I tailor the massage to their specific needs. Some research even suggests that there is a benefit to designing different massage treatment routines for before and after physical activity or competitive events.   For example; a 2008 study published in the North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy looked at the impact of massage prior to competition. It found that clients who received Swedish massage before an event "experienced the greatest reduction in blood ...

Alright, so you may not be a star athlete playing on an NFL team, but you ARE physically active, right? So why use massage therapy only as a special “treat” for when you feel emotionally stressed out? The truth is that different massage techniques can also help heal your weekend-warrior, sports-related, and gym induced injuries. In fact, sports medicine has employed massage therapy as a complementary treatment for decades! Have you ever seen a personal trainer massaging the legs or arms of a professional athlete during a big game? Well, that's not just for show. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases says the rubbing, pressing and body manipulation involved in massage therapy works to soothe muscles and increase blood flow. This, in turn, helps relax tense, sore, or overworked muscles. And, a further study published in February 2012 in Science Translational Medicine found that massage therapy can reduce inflammation and promote muscle healing ...

It’s true. It’s Edison’s fault. While technology has advanced our species it has also impacted eons of evolutionary progress. Few people understand the connection or how the process of invention can have a negative effect on our health, but I can’t help but sense their related connection. For example, “circadian rhythm” is a term used to describe the internal clock regulating the activities all living creatures perform throughout a 24-hour day. While this internal clock may differ, some animals are nocturnal while others are active during the daylight hours, the circadian rhythm reigns supreme over everything within the body like temperature, appetite and energy level. It’s the reason why some people can regularly wake up at a specific time without the use of an alarm clock. Before Edison’s miraculous invention came about, our human circadian rhythms were closely matched with the 24 hour cycle found in nature. We got up with the Sun and slept when it went down. By nature, and ext...

So, what is “sports massage?” Many of my clients are athletes, or at the least weekend warriors and, as such have asked me about the subject. It seems the performance and wellness advantages afforded by sports massage are highly sought after by my more "competitive" clients? ; ) So anyway, there are basically three main goals of sports massage: To assist you in performing at you peak level To help reduce or possibly prevent the risk of injury To help with recovery in the event of injury Since they typically want to depend on their body's ability to function at its best, injury recovery time is dramatically reduced for the clients that incorporate sports massage into their routine. Although sports massage can occur in a variety of different settings and administered at different times with different goals, there are also generally four times to administer this type of massage: Pre-event Massage - Pre-event massage typically occurs at the sports event, 20 to...