Harvard Therapeutic Massage

You need to be kneaded!

There are two basic kinds of massage used at Harvard Therapeutic Massage: relaxation, and pain relief. All of our therapists work "with" the client instead of  "on" the client. Each session is created for the individual client and can include facets of both kinds of treatment depending on the client's needs.

Relaxation: Traditional massage therapy is the systematic manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. Using oils or lotion, the therapist combines the following techniques: gliding, kneading, compression, stretching, and rocking, to design an individualized massage. We call this a relaxation treatment because it creates a state of general well-being and physical ease.

Pain-Relief Therapy: Muscles that are chronically contracted create areas of tenderness that are sometimes called "trigger points." The muscle, because it is contracted, is shut down. The fresh blood can't get in and the waste can't get out.  This irritates the surrounding nerves and causes pain and tenderness. Pain relief therapy focuses on these tender areas to soften the muscle, restore normal circulation and flush the waste out.

All of our therapists provide the above two treatments. Listed below are specific treatments that individual therapists have training in. One can refer to individual Therapist's description for their expertise.

CFTE   Clinical Flexibility and Therapeutic Exercise is a safe, dynamic approach to restoring range of motion and to maximize the body's flexibily. It uses active isolated and assisted stretching.  The goal is to open shortened muscle, to push out toxins and increase circulation. Also to educate clients to do stretches at home.

Clinical Injury Massage combines a number of modalities to isolate, treat and restore proper movement to injured limbs. Myofacial Release, active resisted stretching, trigger point therapy, cross fiber friction, and PNF stretching are all used to zero in on the specific points of distress, relieve the restriction and restore full movement. A powerful coordinated approach, it looks for the structural causes of pain, not just where it has appeared. This method has been developed and promoted by Stuart Taws and Aaron Mattes among others, from work with Olympic and professional athletes around the world. They have taken sports massage to the next level! 

Cross Fiber Frictioning focuses on treatment of soft tissue sprains and strains.  When a muscle, tendon or ligament is overused or injured it can fray like a rope.  The body sends mending fiber to the area which fills and glues the fray.  Unfortunately the fiber is indiscriminant and adheres to other surfaces which can restrict  movement. Cross fiber frictioning aligns the fiber with that of the mending soft tissue and releases the unwanted adhesions.

Myofacial Release  interacts with the facial wrappings of the body.  Fascia covers every muscle group, lines body cavities, and wraps the body just under the skin, somewhat like a mummy. Tight fascia can restrict or skew muscle movement and cause diffuse areas of discomfort or pain.  Myofacial Release works to free up tight fascia so that muscles have all their freedom of movement available. It includes skin rolling, facial teasing, and other noninvasive techniques. While not a deep tissue approach, its effects can be quite substantial. 

On-Site Massage is given with the client fully clothed and does not require the use of oils.  The average session lasts fifteen minutes and is given either in a chair especially designed for this purpose or on a massage table. This work is beneficial for people who perform repetitive tasks at their jobs, and is intended to be done at the work site. 

Pre-natal Massage is focused on the specific muscular needs of pregnancy caused by the change in posture, length of ligaments, tension, and weight. The massage can include myofascial technique, circulatory work, acupressure, reflexology, and other techniques.  Pre-natal massage decreases neck, back and joint pain; relieves muscle spasms and cramps, and sooths nerves.  Special attention is made to body support and draping.

Reiki uses a universal 'life force' energy, which can be accessed by practitioners to induce a healing effect. The energy flows through the practitioner's hands whenever the hands are placed on, or held near a potential recipient,  The energy involved in a Reiki treatment is 'from the Universe,' rather than the personal energy of the practitioner.  Reiki is  a holistic therapy which brings about healing on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.  Healing may occur in any or all of these domains in a single treatment, without any conscious direction needed by either the practitioner or the recipient.

In a typical whole-body Reiki treatment, the practitioner asks the recipient to lie down, usually on a massage table, and relax. Loose, comfortable clothing is usually worn during the treatment. The practitioner might take a few moments to enter a calm or meditative state of mind and mentally prepare for the treatment, which is usually carried out without any unnecessary talking. The treatment proceeds with the practitioner placing his hands on the recipient in various positions. The hands are usually kept still for 3 to 5 minutes before moving to the next position. Overall, the hand positions usually give a general coverage of the head, the front and back of the torso, the knees and feet. Between 12 and 20 positions are used, with the whole treatment lasting 45 to 90 minutes.

Sports Massage is for the athlete who wants to stay as finely trained as possible without going over the edge.  The massage includes assisted/resisted stretching and is focused on the muscles of the specific sport.  The results are: less soreness after a workout or event, and thereby a faster recovery time; an avoidance of injury due to more supple muscles; a better performance due to increased range of motion - such as a longer stride; and a faster injury recovery.  Both the competition athlete and the "week-end warrior" can appreciate these benefits.

Trager Approach is a movement modality, sometimes called meditation in motion.  Through very gentle and rhythmic movements such as rocking, stretching, vibration, traction, and shaking of the body, the therapist provides an environment of movement without effort, thus encouraging the client to relax from the inside out.  The therapist approaches each session with an open mind, asking questions such as "what could be lighter, more open? what might moving more freely feel like?". The session is characterized by this gentle questioning quality of being, of having no set agenda, no checklist of moves to get to. Trager is great for clients who prefer to remain clothed or who are quite sensitive to pressure, as it does not require oils or lotions to work, nor even direct contact with bare skin.  Sourced by Milton Trager, MD, the Trager Approach has been practiced in many countries throughout the world for decades.

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280 Ayer Road, rear

Harvard, MA  01451

978-772-0903