Traction Pain Relief & Wellness

Today's post is a feature of a local massage therapist in Hampton, VA. Recently I was able to meet with Shawna Moffitt from Bodyworks Massage, LLC. Shawna's massage studio is located in downtown Hampton on West Queens Way among local businesses and urban restaurants. Shawna is originally from Colombus, Ohio and has been a Certified Massage Practitioner for 10 years. She moved to Hampton about 2 years ago for a slower pace of life and to be closer to the water. Upon entering the Bodyworks Massage, LLC studio I was promptly greeted by Reyna, Shawna's adorable Chihuahua. The studio offers a relaxing environment with an intimate treatment setting including soft music and low lighting. Shawna's treatment table is located on the other side of a divider from her desk to ensure privacy of her clients. During our time together we made the short walk through downtown Hampton from her studio to Glazed Doughnuts for coffee. I connected immediately with Shawna as she clearly h...

I know what you're thinking. "Of course I can!! Breathing happens automatically!!" And YOU'RE RIGHT...halfway Breathing is a function that is fortunately controlled by our body's autonomic nervous system. This means that we don't have to remind ourselves 20,000 times a day to inhale and exhale. Thank goodness! Because how else would we have time to focus on the other more exciting aspects of life like playing with our kids or taking a leisurely walk around the neighborhood HOWEVER, somewhere along the way many people develop postural faults that lead to inefficient and dysfunctional breathing.  Why does that matter? Dysfunctional breathing patterns will force your body to rely on other less efficient muscles to keep you alive.  Cue tension in the shoulders, neck, hips and low back and subsequent PAIN!! The only way to combat dysfunctional breathing patterns and subsequently reduce pain is to retrain our breath through the diaphragm (i.e. diaphragmat...

Pain, we will all eventually feel it at some point throughout our life, but the question is usually, why? What is the cause of pain and does it always mean there is damage? How exactly can you tell and what are the next steps to take? In this article, I will provide a large overview answering these questions. Although unpleasant, pain is extremely necessary for human survival. Pain signals that there needs to be change. Think of pain as the ‘check engine’ light in the body. The check engine light in a car doesn’t usually mean the car isn’t working. I’ve had a car drive with the check engine light on for months before. While it doesn’t mean the car isn’t working, it does mean that we need to find the cause of why the light is on, otherwise it can be fatal. In order to do this, we take our car to the mechanic. They run some tests on it and tell us exactly what the problem is, how much it will cost to fix, and how long it will take. Well, the body is no different. Or is it? T...