The Functional Muscle Manipulation is a neuromuscular technique that could be called Deep Tissue 2.0.
It was developed by George Rodafinos in 1989.
- It goes deeper, but without pain.
- It teaches you how to breathe and release chronic contractions.
- It offers full therapy that can last for years to a number of chronic or recurring problems like neck or back pain, headaches, peripheral pains.
The FMM looks a lot like deep tissue in photos but feels very different.
The main functional difference is that deep tissue tries to force chronically contracted muscles to soften up.
With the FMM, the therapist works the muscles to talk to the sympathetic nervous system to convince it to let go of its control over them.
Reflexology is a technique that allows us to access and harmonize functions of the body by the sole of the foot, hands, ears and other areas.
Although it’s theory about its mechanism of action has not been proven scientifically yet, there is research that shows it’s efficacy.
What I mostly do with it:
1. Deal with acute, current pain in an almost instant way that no other technique I know of can. To that it’s similar to acupuncture but -in my opinion- more dependable.
2. Regulate the autonomic nervous system. In other words, shift to a deeply relaxing, healing state. Which can have results that add up, with the goal of helping people learn to self-regulate.
3. Help with PTSD.
Manual Lymph Drainage is a medical massage technique, its most serious implementation being post-surgical lymphedema.
Although I have the full training for it, I only use it to release lymph congestion in the skull and heal sinusitis.
In my experience, that happens between just 2 and 8 sessions of MLD.
The implementation is soft, pleasurable, deeply relaxing.
Results can last for years.
Read more about treating sinusitis with the MLD.
Advanced sports massage that respects the autonomic defensive function of the body.
Less aggressive, more effective.
Using the Functional Muscle Manipulation technique during sports massage, we go deeper without pain and we enhance body-mind connection. Better mechanics, less trauma, better healing.
You also learn a breathing technique that you will want to keep for life.