Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from a "normal" massage?
While Heidi is a licensed massage therapist, her skills and experience are not limited to a general well-being massage. Heidi is also a licensed acupuncturist and certified manual trigger point therapist and the two modalities can be integrated along with "focused massage" to provide powerful treatment of myofascial pain.
Will it hurt?
By definition, when we are working on trigger points either manually or needling, we are working with hyper-irritable soft-tissue, so it can be uncomfortable. Often patients value the strong sensation and report that it "hurts so good" or is "really getting to the heart of the problem".
Everyone responds differently to treatment and everyone has a different tolerance to stimulus. Heidi keeps in communication with the patient in order to determine the appropriate intensity or dosage of the treatment. After treatment, it is normal to have a degree of soreness for 24-48hrs. While Heidi aims to keep post treatment soreness at a minimum, it is impossible to always predict the outcome of treatment. The application or heat or topical analgesics are often recommended to help sooth the post-treatment soreness and if soreness persists for more than 24-48hrs please report your experience to Heidi so she can adjust the treatment plan accordingly.
Do I have to do needling?
No, if the patient has a phobia of needles, is not comfortable with the idea of needling, or doesn't tolerate the needling for any reason, there is no pressure to incorporate dry needling or acupuncture?
Coming soon:
How do I know if I need a manual therapy or dry needling?
In any needling treatment, Heidi also uses some manual therapy in order assess and identify areas of disfunction.
What's the difference between acupuncture and dry needling?
While Heidi is a licensed massage therapist, her skills and experience are not limited to a general well-being massage. Heidi is also a licensed acupuncturist and certified manual trigger point therapist and the two modalities can be integrated along with "focused massage" to provide powerful treatment of myofascial pain.
Will it hurt?
By definition, when we are working on trigger points either manually or needling, we are working with hyper-irritable soft-tissue, so it can be uncomfortable. Often patients value the strong sensation and report that it "hurts so good" or is "really getting to the heart of the problem".
Everyone responds differently to treatment and everyone has a different tolerance to stimulus. Heidi keeps in communication with the patient in order to determine the appropriate intensity or dosage of the treatment. After treatment, it is normal to have a degree of soreness for 24-48hrs. While Heidi aims to keep post treatment soreness at a minimum, it is impossible to always predict the outcome of treatment. The application or heat or topical analgesics are often recommended to help sooth the post-treatment soreness and if soreness persists for more than 24-48hrs please report your experience to Heidi so she can adjust the treatment plan accordingly.
Do I have to do needling?
No, if the patient has a phobia of needles, is not comfortable with the idea of needling, or doesn't tolerate the needling for any reason, there is no pressure to incorporate dry needling or acupuncture?
Coming soon:
How do I know if I need a manual therapy or dry needling?
In any needling treatment, Heidi also uses some manual therapy in order assess and identify areas of disfunction.
What's the difference between acupuncture and dry needling?