Rockwall Medical Massage

Cover Photo
by The Teal
Album

“It’s amazing how much fluid builds up after
surgeries that can be lessened with lymph drainage. I’ve often had clients
with knee surgeries come in and literally have to adjust their knee brace
after a single session because so much swelling was
reduced!”

– Leigh

What Is Medical Massage?

A medical massage is performed by an advanced
licensed massage therapist who treats health conditions diagnosed by a
doctor. These therapists undergo specialized training, gaining a deeper understanding
of the body’s system. This allows them to work closely with doctors to
facilitate recovery. The effectiveness of medical massage therapy (MMT) has
made a strong impression thus the field is undergoing rapid
growth.

I spent some time with the staff at Rockwall
Medical Massage (RMM) just before Christmas. I interviewed the therapists,
heard stories about their work, saw them interact with customers, and even
got a few treatments myself. I needed to see for myself, right? What did I
learn? In short —a lot. I now understand the body and healing in a whole new
way. And I’m more hopeful about my own complex and challenging healing
path.

MMT is a therapy that accounts for the unique
needs of each patient. It’s much more than a relaxing massage (though I did
fall asleep during one of the sessions). It is carried out by therapists with
a deeper understanding of how the body systems work. Its various approaches
look to address the root issues of the problem. I was able to talk about my
diagnosis and felt understood. MMT is tailored to the customer’s history and
current needs. It’s personal. Some people can’t handle deep tissue, while
others have a toxic burden that must be addressed before significant healing
can begin. Some people (like me) are sensitive and require an incremental
approach. Some need only a slight tweak and their issue is
resolved.

An area of therapy that I found particularly
fascinating was lymphatic drainage. Most people aren’t aware of what our
lymphatic system does. We know the doctor checks our lymph nodes in our neck
when we’re sick. That’s about it. But the lymphatic system, like the vascular
system, runs the entire body. Failures of the lymphatic system can wreak
havoc on the way our body functions. It plays a vital role in our
wellness.

Dani, one of the senior therapists at RMM,
told me about one of her customers who’d had breast surgery on her right
side. Doctors removed her lymph nodes. She explained that during surgery the
lymphatic vessels were cut at the incision points. That severing, plus the
scar tissue, forced the vessels to reroute. “Usually, they’ll go over the
upper back to the other armpit or over the shoulder to the clavicle.” Dani
went on to share that this rerouting takes time. While it’s happening, you
are functioning sub optimally. Lymphatic draining can expedite this
process.

This made me wonder if this has been a barrier
to my own healing. The lymphatic system is part of our adaptive immune
systems and helps destroy and expel invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and
even cancer cells. A properly functioning lymphatic system controls many
functions including swelling, fluid circulation, and “taking out the
trash.”

“Lymphatic draining is beneficial for such a
wide variety of ailments because it frees up the body to do its own healing.
We hear it all the time. People are surprised at how much healing can be
initiated with just one session,” says Anna.

“My dog trainer was having meniscus issues,”
said Amy. “She went to PT and was in a lot of pain. She had to begin using a
cane. Her doctor essentially said that her lifestyle was like that now — she
just had to walk with a cane. I worked on her over five sessions and can
report that she is pain and

cane free!”

An increasing number of us are battling with
cancers, autoimmune diseases, and a host of COVID-related troubles. Can
lymphatic draining be one of the puzzle pieces to our healing? Amy shares
another one of her best memories.

“A fellow distance runner calls me and says
he can’t run five miles without knee pain. He is due to run a 100-mile race
in one week.” She spends an hour working on him using a combination of
disciplines. She finds that he has IT band and quad tightness and adhesions
(AKA “knots”). Then the week goes by and she doesn’t hear anything. She
follows up. He sends her a picture of the belt he won for finishing the race
within 24 hours.

The team at RMM loves what they do. Work
isn’t just work —it’s their hobby, their purpose, their passion. They engage
in “trading” where they cross-educate one another. When a client books, the
office staff is trained to do their best to match up customers with the
therapist that can best help them. Sometimes the customer will be best served
utilizing the talents of two therapists.

“I remember when I first started and a senior
therapist worked on my neck,” said one of those team members, Leigh. “She
didn’t give me a set of steps —she taught me to release muscles in the front
of the neck to take pressure off the back of the neck. My clients benefit not
just from what I know, but the decades of experience of the entire RMM
team.”

Anna has created an environment that fosters
learning and self-improvement. “I created this business by accident,” she
said. “I love what I do, and there were others like me wanting to focus on
what they were trained to do. But we needed a facility, a place where people
could come to heal. Fourteen years later, we are still serving Rockwall. I’ve
been incredibly fortunate to have the staff that I have and the career that I
have. I get to spend my days in good company helping people live with less
pain and less inconvenience.”