• Pregnancy Massage (Prenatal, Labor and Postpartum)
Massage Therapy has long been recognized as an effective means of stress relief. Massage Therapy can also help with many of the aches and pains that pregnant women experience as their body and center of gravity changes during the course of their pregnancy.

Benefits of prenatal massage include:

- emotional support
- nurturing touch
- relaxation and decreased insomnia
- neck and back pain relief caused by muscle imbalance and weakness
- preparing the muscles used during childbirth
- reduced swelling in hands and feet
- lessened sciatic pain
- fewer calf cramps

The Certified Prenatal Massage Therapists at Gritman Medical Center have extensive training and experience working with mothers-to-be and new mothers, and collaborate closely with the physicians and nursing staff of Gritman’s Family Birth Center.

• Orthopedic & Sports Massage
Conditions such as adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), carpal tunnel syndrome, whiplash injuries, rotator cuff injuries, piriformis syndrome (sciatica), shin splints, plantar fasciitis, achilles tendinitis, ITB friction syndrome and many others are experienced by athletes and non-athletes alike.

Orthopedic Massage, unlike other forms of specialized Massage Therapy, is not a specific technique but is the integration of several manual therapies that have proved to be effective in the correction of soft tissue dysfunction or minor musculoskeletal disorders.

• Soft Tissue Release (STR)
STR has an extremely simple concept: the application of gliding pressure to a muscle, while taking the muscle through a passive, rhythmic stretch. STR effectively and safely creates elongation of affected muscle tissue, thereby restoring normal, pain-free function.

• Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT)
Neuromuscular Therapy is treatment specific massage therapy. It attempts to address soft tissue dysfunction through analysis of postural distortion, biomechanical dysfunction and soft tissue causes of patterns presenting pain conditions. NMT sessions typically have a specific treatment goal focused on pain remediation, increased range of motion or structural change.

• Myofascial Release (MFR)
Myofascial Release utilizes gentle hands-on strokes that are meant to stretch, loosen, soften and lengthen soft tissues. The strokes are applied with gentle pressure, and held long enough for the stretch to have its full effect. The same stretch may be performed more than once by the Therapist until a release is felt, particularly tension caused by scar tissue or adhesions.

• Passive Release Technique (PRT)
First identified by Lawrence H. Jones D.O. in 1954, PRT is an indirect technique where the body (part) is moved into a position of greatest “ease”. It employs palpation of specific tender points to identify and monitor the lesion causing the discomfort. By holding the body part in a position of ease for a minimum of ninety seconds, the pain-spasm cycle is interrupted, allowing the normalization of tissue function.

• Muscle Energy Technique (MET)
There are several techniques which may be called muscle energy techniques including reciprocal inhibition, and post-isometric relaxation. The principle of reciprocal inhibition explains that muscles on one side of a joint will always relax to accommodate the contraction of muscles on the other side of that joint. These techniques are commonly applied in order to lengthen shortened, inhibited or spastic muscles.

• Lymphatic Facilitation (LF)
Lymphatic Facilitation is a manual modality that can be utilized during the acute phase of injury rehabilitation. The intent of LF is to assist the lymphatic system in its removal of excess fluids (secondary edema) during the inflammatory process. The strokes employed are light enough so that they do not cause pain or disrupt the tissue being repaired. The efficacy and rate of healing afforded by LF techniques helps reduce pain early during the acute phase, and allows rehabilitation to progress at an accelerated rate.

• Swedish / Relaxation Massage
Traditional Swedish massage is the most commonly offered and best known type of massage therapy. It was introduced by physiologist, Per Henrik Ling, in Stockholm, Sweden in the year 1812. This massage technique involves the use of hands, forearms or elbows to manipulate the superficial layers of the muscles to improve mental and physical health. Active or passive movement of the joints may also be part of the massage. The benefits of Swedish massage include mental and physical relaxation, decreased stress and muscle tension, and improved range of motion.