Advanced Medical Massage
                     Advanced Medical Massage             

Frequently Asked Questions

In this section, we provide answers to the most commonly asked questions about advanced medical massage therapy. We hope you enjoy the information and share it with others. If you do not find what you are looking for, don't hesitate to get in touch. We especially welcome phone calls. Be sure to leave a message to screen out an abundance of robocalls. We will call you back as soon as possible; at least within the next business day. 

How can we determine if I'm responding well to treatment? 
In the typical medical massage protocol, the body will show progress by session three.

What if my primary area of concern is better, but new areas of pain manifest? 
This is typically attributed to the Gate Control Theory of Pain. In laymen's terms, the brain is limited in the amount of information it can process. Once the most prominent pain is eliminated, the brain is now free to discern other areas. 

Science buffs may like a more detailed explanation as presented in Dr. Ross Turchaninov's article on the topic: https://www.scienceofmassage.com/2014/08/how-massage-therapy-heals-the-body-part-iv/

Payment Questions
What forms of payment do you accept?

Local checks, all major credit cards, or cash payments that are exact. We don't keep change in the office. 

The first payment covers the first session only. (Intake, evaluation, exploratory therapeutic massage.) Once your customized medical massage program is developed, the price of your medical massage program will be estimated according to your personal needs. 

For private pay clients, we provide a substantial discount when the full program is paid in advance. Most programs last two weeks. Only complicated conditions, like some cases of scoliosis or arthritis typically extend past two weeks. 

How much do you charge? 
Client care is 100% customized. Different conditions have different protocols and participation in self-care can greatly reduce your costs. We provide a complimentary 20-minute getting-to-know-you consult.* That will allow us to discuss your personal requirements with a general understanding. You will have the opportunity to better understand the medical massage treatments and lifestyle support programs that deliver life-changing relief for so many.  

Even people with ongoing conditions like scoliosis will require less frequency in their maintenance. We are committed to helping you achieve the most autonomy possible. True maintenance means you are pain and tension free at the start of your maintenance session. Review our scoliosis tab for an example of the quality support we offer for all irreversible conditions. 

Most conditions are resolved within six treatments. This helps you save time as well as money in the long-run.  

Do you provide a payment plan?
Interest-free for 15 or 21-month options are available for those who qualify. 

Does medical insurance cover medical massage? 
Some health savings accounts cover medical massage even without a script from a physician. Some medical insurance policies cover massage in limited circumstances or through their flex plans. Contact your third-party payer for details. 

Self-Pay for Medical Massage vs Co-pay for other medical options covered by medical insurance: Total cost less with self-pay for advanced medical massage is often less than the total cost of co-pays. Our holistic approach and ability to give you the full time necessary to reach your goals as quickly as possible. 

Frequently, massage clinicians can resolve pain issues more quickly than care providers who take insurance as we are able to treat clients with treatment protocols dictated by our assessment of soft tissues rather than mandates set by third-party payers.

Example, Dr. Barry Kaplan received physical therapy and surgery for plantar fasciitis without resolving pain. He had suffered for two years; medical massage resolved the pain in two weeks! If he had started 
with advanced medical massages, he would have saved a lot of time and money. 

Why is it that most medical insurance companies do not cover medical massage?
The massage industry in the USA does not have a national standardization process in place. We are one of the few that provide quick and stable relief. 


* Complimentary 20-minute discovery calls are given prior to the initial office visit. It provides general information common to the condition in question. Calls do NOT include full health histories and/or clinical evaluations.  

* A complimentary discussion is required before scheduling to screen whether we can serve you well. Some health conditions are contraindicated for massages.

We always seek the best interests of clients even if that means a medical massage program is not indicated at that time. This is how we maintain a 99.99% success rate. 

First appointment:


What I should bring with me?

Ideally, you should come wearing athletic and comfortable clothing.  If applicable, get a prescription from your doctor for massage therapy and bring along any x-rays and/or medical reports you have. The more we know about your diagnosis, the better we can serve you. For example, if you have a bulging disc, which disc and what size bulge?

Please print and complete the health history form and bring it with you. This ensures you have all your health information handy at time of completion. It’s two pages ending with information and a signature section. You may also print and complete the body awareness chart--three pages total. Click here to access forms when you scroll down to the bottom of the page. Please call us if you need to make other arrangements. 

How can I get the most from appointments?
Be sure to hydrate well--especially before and after treatments. Even if you think you hydrate well, please read the hydration article listed on our Boosters & Self-Care page.

Add at least 30 – 60  minutes to the end of your first appointment to allow for margin for processing your intake and customized care. At RBT, we recognized the body has its own time for release, so we always allow time for optimal relief. Each visit, be prepared to give your body the additional time it may need to reach your health goals. 

Customized sessions typically provide an option to extend at the cost per minute. We discern muscle release indicators dictating treatment protocols as the session proceeds.

When appropriate, your therapist will give you a choice of continuing the detailed treatment targeting specific stubborn restrictions allowing a fuller release. Or general protocols which will give partial release and keep within the exact treatment time scheduled.

First-time sessions are more likely to need time extensions. The body responds more quickly once it becomes accustomed to treatments with timely follow-up sessions. This will allow shorter sessions. Most hands-on soft tissue manipulation sessions are 1 - 1.5 hours during the initial short break series. We integrate a variety of soft tissue manipulation techniques allowing dramatic changes with minimal discomfort. 

For medical massage clients, the first visit starts with an intake, evaluation, and therapeutic massage aimed at establishing a personalized clinical profile.

Your individual clinical profile provides information needed from which to customize your personal treatment plan. It's designed to deliver the quickest most stable relief by building clinical power layer by layer. Some first-time visits will require additional time for further evaluation of more complex conditions.

Rarely does the first massage provide adequate relief. The goal is an information-gathering and introduction. From there, we develop you treatment plan.

 

Office Location and Access
Please text your therapist when you are parking so we will be on the lookout for you. We are typically running perfectly on time. You will be received at your appointment’s start time. If you arrive early, there may be a wait in your car.   


How is my modesty protected?
We care for all our clients with the utmost professionalism. We always use proper draping techniques for the best interest of clients and therapists.

What if I must cancel/reschedule my appointment?
We understand that unpredictable circumstances can arise. We require 48 hours notice on your first visit due to the large block of time and the pre-appointment preparations associated with a first visit. 

Standard visits require at least 24 hours cancelation notice. If you have a situation where you are unsure of your schedule, we will work with you to accommodate when you let us know at the time of scheduling. 

Cancel with adequate notice, to avoid paying the full amount of your visit. Phone calls (no texts or emails) are required for cancelations. 

Why aren't prices listed on this website?
Every treatment plan is customized. On request, we provide a brief complimentary consultation to address your questions. As you describe your treatment goals, we can outline a typical treatment plan and investment required for your particular care plan. 

May I get treated without an appointment? 

Treatments are by appointment only. If you schedule an hour, you get a full hour of treatment. This different from most clinics and spas; they typically consider an hour session is a 40 - 50 minute treatment. Please remember to allow an additional 15 minutes to accommodate updating the clinician on your progress and to receive self-care tips or reviews each session. 

How does medical massage fit with physical therapy?
"Which came first – the chicken or the egg? This is the never-ending story of the relationship between Medical Massage and Physical Therapy (PT). Put another way, what is a typical collaborative schedule for multidisciplinary patient care for somatic pain?


Often, a visit to a primary care physician ends up with pain medication and muscle relaxant prescriptions. The next step is PT.

 

A minority of PTs have already realized that the correct application of manual therapy and medical massage techniques is a powerful,  and often crucial, tool of somatic rehabilitation. They may apply these time-consuming therapies themselves or hire a correctly trained massage therapist.

 

However, for the majority of PTs the treatment protocol is a combination of exercises, ice/hot application, and various electric therapies. If conducted at all, massage is a very small part of the session.

 

In clinical reality, the egg is the application of medical massage. This precisely targeted manipulation of soft tissue layers allows the practitioner to rehabilitate soft tissues.

 

Physical therapy [rehab exercises] are the chicken which must used later [in the process] to stabilize the clinical effect achieved by medical massage. During this time other modalities such as electric therapy and ice/hot application can be used as supportive therapy." (Dr. Ross Turchaninov, Introduction to Science of Massage article Medical Massage VS. Physical Therapy)

How logical! Massage helps to restore muscles and other soft tissue. Until they are restored to optimal functioning, they are not ready for effective exercise programs.

 

Too often we get people who have been to the PT, but find the exercises too painful to endure. After their pain is resolved, then they can do exercises to stablize the relief of the massage treatments. We are happy to refer patients out to physical therapists who work with us to avoid traumatizing soft tissues in the healing process.

 

What is Fascia?
How does it contribute to chronic pain? It's a common question because it's a common problem that can cause pain, neuropathy, and joint damage. 

 

At Restored by Touch, we use gentle techniques to target every layer of soft tissue. This eliminates the harmful changes in the soft tissue resulting from trauma, chronic overload or irritation nerves.

 

Most people interpret these changes as tight muscles. Problems in the soft tissue can cause irreversible problems if left untreated. A few examples include torn muscles, stress fractures of bones, tendonitis and bone spurs. 

 

Some common conditions include plantar fasciitis (PF) and shin splints (SS). The origin of PF is NOT where the pain is felt. It's typically a simple fix when treated early. It comes from further up the body towards the head. Thus the importance of evaluating tissues to determine which areas are involved. 

 

Shin splints are one example of how the tissue pulls away from the bones. It's common for runners, but with good self-care, it's totally avoidable. If caught early, it's easily reversible.

 

Spine & Posture 

Unexplained Chronic Pain
Muscle Imbalances
Scoliosis 
Pinched Nerves
Herniations
Osteoarthritis 

 

Cervical (neck)

Chronic pain resulting from: Migraine Type Headaches (80% resolve completely)
Whiplash
Forward head posture

Shoulder Pain

Hand Pain

Lumbar Related (lower back)

Unexplained chronic Pain
Sprains

Sciatica

Osteoarthritis (Yes, knees)

Plantar Faciitis

Foot Drop Gait

 

Physician Trained 

Board Certified 

Contact

407-610-7435

Click here to email.

Making Time

Monday - Friday

12 pm - 8 pm
By Appointment Only

 

Massage and Wellness Restored by Touch MM26405
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