My Philosophy … Focused. Grounded. Balanced.
Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the LORD. He is like a tree planted by streams of water; which yields its fruit in season. Whatever he does prospers. ~ Psalms 1:1-3
At Collective Balance, Denise doesn’t just massage you and send you on your merry way. She helps you to understand WHY your body feels the way it feels. She offers guidance, education, and resources and has found that by combining massage therapy with neurologically-based chiropractic, wholesome nutrition, consistent exercise, and positive mindfulness, we can collectively bring balance to our bodies. Denise offers a hands-on approach through orthopedic massage techniques by circulating a fresh supply of blood and oxygen to repair and restore soft tissue within the muscles, fascia, and joints, thereby increasing flexibility and range of motion.
At Collective Balance, Denise has worked with hundreds of clients who experience the following conditions and symptoms:
- Dysfunction of Neck, Shoulders, Hips, Knees, Feet
- Pain, Numbness, Tingling
- Limited Range of Motion
- Headaches / TMJ
- Frozen Shoulder / Rotator Cuff / Shoulder Impingement
- Carpal Tunnel / Trigger Fingers
- Sciatica / Sacral Iliac Joint
- Plantar Fasciaitis
Denise incorporates a combination of techniques into each personalized session based on what she FEELS the body needs that day. Techniques include Swedish, Deep Tissue, Myofascial, Muscle Release, Orthopedic Massage, Active Isolated Stretching, and Myoskeletal Alignment Technique. Throughout the session, clients are encouraged to provide verbal feedback and actively participate in several techniques, both of which aid in awakening the mind-body connection. Denise has developed a strong intuition in LISTENING to the client’s body to determine which techniques will be most effective for that session. Afterward, Denise and the client discuss changes that occurred during the session; recommend stretches, postural awareness, or other lifestyle changes; then determine a plan for future sessions.
Advanced Orthopedic Training
Soon after graduating from massage school, Denise continued her advanced training with Repetitive Use Injury Therapy by Michael Young and Orthopedic Massage Therapy by James Waslaski.
Both of these techniques incorporate a two-second stretch philosophy.
Jim and Phil Wharton, authors of The Wharton’s Stretch Book, said it best … “Muscles can elongate, when they’re healthy, up to 1.6 times their length, but they generally don’t react well to that much stretching. If you stretch a muscle too quickly or too far, it automatically and ballistically recoils to protect itself from ripping. This compensation, called a “myotatic reflex” kicks in at three seconds.” They also said … “Muscles work in pairs. When one muscle contracts, its counterpart relaxes. Based on our research and experience, we believe that repeating two-second stretches promotes circulation and increases range of motion.”
Denise has been incorporating this philosophy into her massage practice since the beginning and has seen tremendous results in how effectively her clients’ bodies find a new healthier balance.
Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques
In 2018, Denise began yet another journey toward becoming a better version of herself. This part of the journey focused on 200+ credit hours of Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques (MAT) taught by Erik Dalton, PhD.
Within her orthopedic massage practice, she found that when we become aware of and take responsibility for how we carry our bodies, we begin to heal naturally and our pain melts away. The teachings of Erik resonate with Denise because of his focus on postural awareness and the brain-body connection.
Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques involve the active participation of the client during the session, which neurologically retrains the brain in communicating with the body to break dysfunctional patterns. As Denise began to utilize MAT with her clients, both she and her clients began to notice not only the rebalancing of postural compensations but also the elimination of pain.
A year later, Denise is proud to announce that she has not only completed the education and training to earn the graduate degree of Master Myoskeletal Therapist (MMT), but she is also the only practitioner in the Pittsburgh area with this unique skillset.
Prenatal Massage Therapy
Massage therapy during pregnancy can help to alleviate the many discomforts associated with momma’s changing body. And massage therapy after pregnancy is just as important in maintaining healthy posture when breast feeding and when carrying awkwardly bulky infant carriers. During the massage session, Denise will incorporate a variety of techniques to lengthen contracted muscles and to improve flexibility.
