Melinda graduated from the prestigious Cortiva Institute in 2013 and has been helping people in the greater Boston area achieve their self care goals ever since. She holds an Orthopedic Massage certificate as well as an Associates in Science as a Physical Therapy Assistant. She applies this science based background to her massage treatments, while providing an overall improvement in client relaxation and harmony. She is happy to help you “work some knots out” and give you some tips to help maintain balance and well being.

Orthopedic massage therapy is a particular kind of results oriented massage, focused on soft-tissue injury rehabilitation. Goals for an orthopedic massage session typically include decreasing pain, increasing range of motion, and preparing the body to return to normal daily routines and active hobbies, by restoring balance to muscles and joints of the body. The pain a client who seeks orthopedic massage may feel can be post-surgical, from an acute or chronic injury, or an over use or repetitive stress issue. Other conditions that can be improved by orthopedic massage include carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, whiplash, tendinitis, and plantar fasciitis. Orthopedic massage therapists must possess an extensive understanding of anatomy and how misalignment of the soft tissues can affect the musculoskeletal system and lead to pain and injury.

Melinda also provides cupping therapy. Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine, in which a therapist puts special cups on your skin to create suction. They may leave the cup there for a few seconds or a few minutes. Cupping therapy might be trendy now, but it’s not new. It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy in 1,550 B.C. Cups may be made of bamboo, glass, ceramic, or silicone. The first three kinds of cups are applied with suction created by fire or a pump, but increasingly more common is the use of silicone cups, that do not require fire. The suction is more easily created, and modified, by squeezing the cup and releasing, as it is applied to the skin.

People get a cupping massage for many purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation, and, as a type of deep-tissue massage, to release deep seated muscle tension. The suction in the cups causes the skin and superficial muscle layer to be lightly drawn into the cup. Cupping is much like the inverse of massage – rather than applying pressure to muscles, it uses gentle pressure to pull them upward. For most people, this is a particularly relaxing and relieving sensation. 

Benefits of cupping:

1. Increase blood circulation, which helps the body remove metabolic wastes, restore lymphatic circulation, and remove edema (excess fluid), which can help reduce the appearance of scarring

2. Cupping promotes deep relaxation throughout the body

Just like regular massage, the benefits of cupping increase over time, so consider coming in for regular monthly sessions to maximize the benefits of any treatment.