If you are experiencing chronic pain or recovering from an injury, clinical bodywork can be a very effective addition to your health care regimen. The convenience of our old-fashioned housecall (yes, we work in your home) will make A Healing Touch Clinical Bodywork a welcome aspect of your recovery.

What to Expect: A Different Kind of Massage Therapy

Clinical Bodywork or Medical Massage is scientifically based manual therapy to aid in recovery for strains, sprains, tendonitis, and other soft tissue injuries. It is used to find and treat the cause of pain and to restore normal tissue function. By decreasing excess neurological activity, decreasing spasm and restoring proper muscle tone and length it aids soft-tissue (muscle and fascia) recovery.

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As a result, normal blood flow is restored allowing adequate nutrients to reach the injured area supporting the healing process. Ultimately, this restores the balance and movement of the musculoskeletal system allowing energy efficient movement. As the body works and moves more efficiently all physiological activities improve.  

If you have been injured or you have a condition for which massage is deemed medically necessary, your doctor may give you a prescription for our services. We will be happy to work with your primary care physician (medical or osteopathic) or other health care practitioner (naturopath, physical therapist or chiropractor) in providing medical massage care.

If you have not seen a physician, but believe this treatment may be helpful to you, please tell us when making your appointment. We’ll want to make sure that your condition is not contraindicated for therapy.

For medical massage therapy we’ll ask that you wear loose-fitting comfortable pants or shorts and a cotton T-shirt. You will remain clothed for these sessions. We need you to be able to get up and move around to determine how the treatment is working.

Your First Appointment
At your first appointment we’ll ask you to complete a confidential health history. We will then discuss your reason for seeking treatment and your expected outcome. Please feel free to ask questions at anytime during your session. We believe that the more informed you are the more successful your treatment outcome.

We will perform a thorough orthopedic assessment to evaluate your movement patterns relating to your presenting condition.  We will evaluate your current body positioning to determine biomechanical and musculoskeletal dysfunction as well as soft tissue pathologies that may cause these patterns. Understanding how your body moves and works helps us uncover the reason you
are in pain.

Your therapist will then develop a treatment plan based on this knowledge. Your treatment plan will be designed to suit your unique needs based on the analysis of your body and understanding of your problem. Our goal is always to return your body to a state of pain-free movement.

After the assessment, treatment will be administered on a comfortably padded massage table. During treatment we will ask you to participate by giving us feedback as to pressure and comfort. We may also ask you to move—actively using the muscles we are working.

As your session is completed we will send you home with homework (exercises, breath work, stretching and hydrotherapy) to further your recovery between sessions.

Medical massage treatment is not a one-shot, quick fix!  It involves progressive steps or stages of manual therapy and commitment. A series of four to six sessions within a two to four week period will usually provide very favorable results.  Assessment for further treatment or maintenance massage will be made at the end of the treatment series.

Medical Massage is an Effective Treatment for:
•    whiplash
•    neck pain
•    back pain, low-, mid-, upper-
•    tendonitis, tenosynovitis, and other tendon injuries
•    myofascial pain
•    sprain/strain
•    fibromyalgia/fibrositis
•    trigger points (tender, tightened tissue)
•    osteoarthritis
•    repetitive strain injuries
•    athletic injuries
•    post-injury rehabilitation
•    sciatica
•    carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
•    thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) (especially when musculoskeletal issues cause the problem)
•    temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD or TMD)
•    tension headaches
•    migraines
•    edema

Medical Massage Rates

Medical massage is billed at a higher rate due to a number of factors including, but not limited to, more detailed documentation, and collaboration with other healthcare providers and insurance carriers. Our medical massage rates are based on an analysis of usual, customary, and reasonable (UCR) charges for the Phoenix area and of RVU (relative value unit) pricing. Those current rates are $55.25 per 15-minute unit for CPT code 97124 (massage), $52 for 97140 (manual therapy techniques), $56.55 for 97110 (therapeutic exercise), $65.65 for 97112 (neuromuscular re-education), and $11.70 for 97010 (hot and cold pack application). While a typical medical massage therapy session could run well over $200.00 our normal charge is between $90.00 and $150.00 per session.  

If requested, a copy of records will be sent to your primary care physician. At this time, A Healing Touch Clinical Bodywork is not accepting insurance assignment. Payment is required at time of service. Upon request an itemized bill will be provided for you to submit to your insurance carrier for reimbursement. Please note that most insurance carriers will require a doctor’s prescription or letter of referral as “medically necessary” to pay for these services.