Ross Banerjee, RMT

A Trigger Point is a hypersensitive spot within a tight band of muscle that refers pain or other autonomic sensations to areas local or distant to the original point. Trigger points are commonly found in muscles that have been overworked, either due to excess contracting or excess stretching. In order to release a trigger point, depending upon its location and cause, I will use one of the following techniques:

    • ischemic compression, where I find the point and hold it until the pain goes away

    • stretch and hold, until the pain goes away

    • ice and stretch, usually only done in summer time

After a trigger point treatment, you should have diminished pain and increased range of motion. If I have done the treatment too deeply or for too long, you may experience discomfort afterwards for a few days. Generally this discomfort resolves itself and you may feel better than when you initially came.

It has been a further amendment to my philosophy that a good treatment should not be a painful treatment. Each position may take longer, and it may tire me out more, but in the end, you are the one who is most important in the equation. If you are happily out of pain, then I have done my job.

Fascia is the stuff that holds us together and gives us shape. For those who cook meat, like chicken, there is a thin, tough, transluscent material that covers the muscle of the chicken. This is the fascia. In a living creature, including humans, this material is a vital, continuous substance that surrounds all parts of the body: muscles, bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and organs. Every bit of fascia is connected; you won't have a bit of fascia just hanging out around your gall bladder. Just like the old song, "…the leg bone's connected to the hip bone…" "…the hip fascia's connected to the back and the abdominal fascia…"

When you move in a particular way all the time or if you stay in a single position for a long time, the fascia begins to bind to the underlying tissue, preventing comfortable, full range of motion. Myofascial Release seeks to unbind that fascia so you can have better, pain free range of motion.

K-Tape or Kinesio tape is a tape that is applied to your skin either after a treatment or as a stand-alone treatment. The tape is designed to accomplish a number of tasks, depending upon where and how it is applied. It can help increase or decrease range of motion; it can increase local lymphatic drainage; it can teach your body normal joint movements.

K-Tape is designed so that your normal range of motion will not be impaired, however, as it stretches, it will let you know, but stimulating the skin over a joint, that certain actions are more preferable than others. If you wish to ignore the stimulation, you can.

K-Tape is best applied on hairless, oilless skin. You can swim, shower, bathe, and exercise with it on. It can stay on your body for up to 5 days, at which point it will likely come off. The only request is that you do not blow-dry it, as the glue will stick even more tightly, making removal a rather unpleasant affair.

Your Temporomandiublar Joint (TMJ) or jaw is one of the most important joints in your body. Well, every joint is important, but without adequate functioning of your jaw, important things like eating, drinking, and communicating become difficult or impossible.

The muscles around the jaw have various functions: some work to close the jaw, some work to open the jaw, some work to move your jaw from side to side, some move your voice box around, some help with swallowing, some help with moving your head around, some help with breathing, some help with creating facial expressions. Each of these muscles can develop trigger points and / or myofascial restrictions and / or pain. 

You may have TMJ dysfunction: if you have had headaches inside or around your head, mouth, throat, or chest; if your jaw clicks; if you grind your teeth; if you sing; if you play clarinet or any other wind instrument; if you orate on television; if you have braces or have dental work.

Your head and face have many muscles and can hold tension, just like your body does. Think of all the facial contortions we put ourselves through, whether we're sucking on a lemon or undergoing job stress. Think of those forehead ridges that have grown over time. Those ridges are muscles and fascia that have been put into such a position for extended periods of time and can lead to facial, jaw, tooth, eye, ear, and head pain.

The Indie head massage starts with 15 minutes of dry massage to the upper torso (shoulders and up), neck, and head. It continues with 15 minutes of regular oil massage to the same areas. It finishes with 15 minutes of hot avocado oil being finger combed through your hair, and massaged into your scalp.

Indie head massage with hot oil will be the last thing you do before going home. While the oil feels fantastic, your head will be drenched in avocado oil. I have long curly hair and finding a good conditioner is a delight. The hot avocado oil was better than good in my hair. I can only hope it will be as good in your hair.

An Indie head massage will last 45 minutes and be charged exactly the same as a regular massage of a similar length.