Assessment

At Essential Bodywork and Massage Therapy we utilize manual therapy and movement to create postural awareness, correct dysfunctional patterns and move into freedom from pain and limitations in mobility.  Your needs are thoroughly assessed to create a treatment strategy designed for your individual needs. Your pain symptoms are a start, but they don’t tell the whole story. For that reason we analyze your everyday life: your environment, habits, exercise routine, posture. What makes you - you. Taking this time allows us to better understand your situation so we are able to achieve faster, more effective and longer lasting results. Depending on your needs and condition, evaluation will involve any combination of the following:

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• Functional screening- provides information on how the body moves during specific motions such as walking, bending, twisting, lunging or squatting to identify improper movement patterns

• Postural assessment -.helps to identify how you carry your body in a static, standing or sitting position. 

• Muscle testing - evaluates muscle ability to activate under light resistance. Testing results help to identify possible muscle compensations that have become habit over time

• Range of motion testing - identifies the range of motion of the joint

• Orthopedic testing – helps to determine if the source of pain exceeds the boundaries of massage therapy and requires medical attention

•  Palpation - identifies muscle tone and texture of the skin, fascia, and any scar tissue

•  Breathing screen – identifies breathing patterns and possible dysfunctions that may contribute to impaired motor control and balance

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“If breathing is not normalized, no other movement pattern can be” - Karel Lewit