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FAQs

Will my modesty be respected?
Absolutely! You will be covered with a sheet and blanket at the beginning of the massage. Only the areas being worked will be uncovered while that area is being worked. That area will then be covered again (draped) and the next area will be uncovered. Working on the gluteus, when needed, is normally done through the sheets. Breasts and genitals are never exposed. If you are not comfortable with the work that is being done, let your therapist know. This is your body that is being worked on with your permission.

What is therapeutic massage?
Therapeutic massage is the use of massage techniques to achieve a specific goal. This may include stress reduction, pain reduction, or mobility improvement of a specific area or muscle.

Why ask for a Certified Massage Therapist?
Anyone can “give a massage.”  But a Certified Massage Therapist has been to school to study massage techniques, anatomy, and physiology. In Wisconsin, a Certified Massage Therapist successfully complete a minum 600 classroom hours of training and must pass both state and national exams to prove proficiency.  Make sure your therapist is Certified in your state. Some states require no class room training at all. Training requirements vary by state from zero to 1,000 hours for State Certification.   In Wisconsin, untill the law changes, hopefully later this year, ANYONE can do massage and call it massage therapy and charge for their work with no training at all. They just cannot say they are a Certified Massage Therapist. That is why we are changing the law. This is also why most insurance companies will not cover massage therapy.

Does therapeutic massage hurt?
There is no need for therapeutic massage to hurt. When the muscle experiences pain, it will contract or tighten to get away from the pain. The purpose of therapeutic massage is to get the tight muscles to relax.

What is deep tissue massage?
Too many people confuse deep tissue massage with the same massage using deeper pressure. Within the body, the muscles lie in different layers running different directions with different functions. Deep tissue massage employs massage techniques to reach the deeper layers of tissue, which may be causing a problem.

How does therapeutic massage reduce pain?
Muscles frequently get too tight. When this happens, they become painful. Frequently, as in many cases of sciatic pain, when the muscle tightens, it presses down on a nerve, thereby causing nerve pain. Therapeutic massage encourages these muscles to relax. As the muscles relax, they become less painful. In the case of tight muscles pressing down on the nerves, as the muscle relaxes it no longer presses on the nerve and the pain goes away.

Is your work covered by Insurance?  In most cases no, but check with your benefits administrator. In many cases the insurance companies will require proof that I am a Certified Massage Therapist with a Therapeutic reason for my work.  This is one of the reasons I was on the committee drafting a bill requlating the training required to do massage.

Would your work be covered my my Flexible Spending Medical Account?  In most cases yes, but again check with your benefits administrator first.  I will be more than happy to provide a receipt for you to submit for reimbursement. 

Don’t chiropractors and massage therapists work against each other?  
No. Actually, they should work together. The muscles attach to the skeleton. When the skeleton is misaligned, muscles must move differently than the way they were originally designed to move. Think of the muscles as tent strings, and the spine as a tent pole. When the tent strings are too tight, they pull the tent pole over. Relax the tent string and the tent pole can be correctly positioned. Also, there can be a nerve impingement due to spinal misalignment, which can keep the signal for the muscle to relax from reaching its destination. From the other side, the muscles can be so tight that they pull the spine out of alignment or are holding the spine so tight that the chiropractic adjustment cannot hold. By relaxing the muscles before the adjustment is attempted, the chiropractic adjustments are frequently made easier and hold better. Frequently the best approach is to have the massage therapist relax the muscle so the chiropractor can do the adjustment, then work with a fitness trainer to strengthen the muscles so they can correctly support the spine.

I was in a car accident over 10 years ago. Can anything be done this long after the fact?
In most cases, the answer is yes. The muscles and fascia frequently tighten in an accident and just don’t ever relax without help. I have worked with numerous clients who have received much relief from pain due to an accident that occurred over 20 years ago.

I have been told that my pelvis is misaligned. Can therapeutic massage help?
In many cases the answer is yes.  Many muscles attach either directly or indirectly to the pelvis. If these muscles become abnormally tight, the muscles can pull the pelvis out of alignment. By releasing these tight muscles, the pelvis can fall into correct alignment.  In many cases the combination of therapies that works best is therapeutic massage and chiropractic adjustment. Ask your massage therapist if they do this work or consult with your chiropractor.

 Do you also do Relaxation Massages? 

Of course. Life can be very stressful. When the stress builds too far, that frequently causes the problems that I address later in a more Clinical Thearapeutic session.  Think of your "Relaxation Massage", as preventive care.

I do not have a perfect body.  I am afraid I would be embarassed.  Nobody has a perfect body, and lets be real, this is Wisconsin.   You will be with a trained, professional Massage Therapist.  I have worked with people excited to be under 310 pounds again.  I have worked with all shapes sizes and colors as well as many people with disfigurements.  The true question becomes, would you like or do you need a massage?

What should I expect during my first session?
Plan to arrive 20 minutes early for your first session. A medical history form will need to be filled out. Since each session is custom tailored to your needs, time will be spent finding out if you are looking for relaxation, specific therapy work or a combinati on of each. If this is the first massage you have ever received, time will be spent discussing how you will be draped and how to get ready for your massage.

Why do I need to fill out a medical history form?
There are certain conditions that would indicate that you should not have a massage. Other medical conditions need to be worked with. For example, since one of the benefits of massage is to help reduce blood pressure, if you are on medications because of low blood pressure, you may need a different type of massage so that your blood pressure does not fall too low and put you at medical risk. Other reasons are to alert the therapist of any injuries that he or she may need to be aware of in order to avoid them or assist you with them.

Will I need to take all of my clothes off?
No. You will be asked to undress to your comfort level. Generally speaking, it is easier to not have to work around bra straps and jewelry, but adaptations are easily made to accommodate your comfort zone. Women will be asked to leave their underpants on during the session.

Joel Siefert - Certified Massage Therapist

Business:
608-288-7827

Cell:
608-669-4849

Location:

6810 Watts Road
Madison, WI 53719

Other times may be available with advanced schedueling so feel free to call and ask.