Deep Tissue Massage
Slow, specific pressure into the deeper layers that hold chronic tension, warmed up to rather than forced.
Pain relief in Chico
Massage for pain
Massage for pain
relief in Chico
Neck and shoulders, low back, hips and legs, headaches. Where the pain is, how long it has been there and what makes it worse decides where the hour goes.
The approach
Find where it
Find where it
actually lives.
Pain is rarely only where it hurts. A neck that aches by the end of the day can be held tight by the upper back and chest; a sore low back can be driven by tight hips. The first part of every session is a conversation about exactly that: where it hurts, since when, and what sets it off.
Google's summary of this practice's reviews picks out injuries, muscle tightness, neck pain, leg pain and migraines as topics clients mention.
“My belief is that a person who continues to put their body through its natural full range of motion consistently will be able to stay pain free.”
Neck & shoulders
Neck and shoulder pain
The most common complaint on the table. Hours at a desk or on a phone pull the head forward and the shoulders up, and the muscles between the neck and the shoulder blades end up working all day to hold it there.
The work usually covers more than the neck: the upper back, the chest and the shoulder blades, where much of the tension is anchored. Deep tissue and myofascial release do most of it.
Stiffness after a collision is its own case, covered on the accident recovery page.
See a doctor first for pain that runs down the arm with numbness or weakness, or neck pain that follows a fall or an impact.
Low back
Low back pain and sciatica
A low back that has been complaining for months is often surrounded by tight hips, glutes and hamstrings that pull on it, so the session usually covers the whole region, not just the sore spot.
Pain that travels from the low back into the buttock and down the leg is often called sciatica. Tight muscles deep in the hip, such as the piriformis, can be part of that picture, and that tissue is something massage can work on.
Get medical help straight away for numbness or weakness in the leg, any change in bladder or bowel control, or pain that is steadily getting worse. That is not a job for massage.
Hips & legs
Hip and leg pain
“A trail running friend referred me to him to work out some temperamental and nagging pain in my right hip and leg, and I have been seeing him for several months leading up to and after a big race.”
Hips that flare after long runs, hip flexors shortened by a day of sitting, hamstrings and calves that never quite loosen. These are common complaints from runners and cyclists, and from anyone whose job keeps them on their feet or in a chair.
Steady, specific work through the glutes, hips and the length of the leg is the core of it, timed around training where that applies. See sports massage for race build-ups and recovery.
Headaches
Tension headaches and migraines
Tension that starts in the shoulders often climbs into the neck and the base of the skull, and many people feel it as a headache that wraps around the head. Working the upper back, the neck and the small muscles under the skull is a regular part of sessions for people who get them.
Migraines come up in clients' reviews too. Massage is not a migraine treatment in the medical sense, but easing the muscle tension around the head and neck is something many people with migraines find helpful between episodes.
If you clench your jaw, or have been told you have TMJ problems, mention it. The jaw muscles are part of the same chain as the neck and shoulders.
A sudden, severe headache, or one that comes with confusion, vision changes or weakness, needs emergency care, not massage.
The tools
How the work gets done
Every session is tailored, and most draw on more than one of these.
Sports Massage
For training blocks, race build-ups and the weeks after: the legs, hips and shoulders that do the work.
Myofascial Release
Sustained work on the connective tissue that wraps every muscle, for areas that feel stuck rather than sore.
Cupping Therapy
Suction that lifts tissue instead of pressing it, worked into a massage when an area calls for it.
Pricing
Choose a length.
Thirty or forty-five minutes suits one specific problem. Sixty minutes and up leaves time for the area and everything around it.
7.25% sales tax is added at checkout. No deposit, and no membership.
Reviews
What clients say
5.0 stars across 91 Google reviews.
“Isaac with Kinetic Freedom is an excellent massage therapist. He takes his time and is very attuned to his clients' needs. The environment is calm and relaxing, and his work is effective without being too rough. Highly recommend.”
“I've been going to Isaac for a long time now, and he is so attentive and very much an expert in his field, very knowledgeable and very charismatic and definitely listens to what I have to say. I always come out feeling a lot better body wise, which helps since I've been pretty achy after an accident.”
“I've been seeing Isaac for years. He has a very connected touch, I appreciate his ability to find tension in my body and release it. He starts about softer and warms the muscles up to get in deeper. I feel all floaty after my massages. I highly recommend him!”
Been in already? Leave a review
Questions
Massage for pain, answered
For pain that comes from muscle tension, many people find regular massage makes a real difference. It is not a cure, and it is not a substitute for a diagnosis, but as part of a plan that includes staying active and seeing your doctor, it helps a lot of people.
Where it hurts, how long it has been going on, what makes it better or worse, anything a doctor or physical therapist has told you, and any medication you take. The more specific you are, the better the hour gets spent.
In Isaac's own words: “Lower time frames can be beneficial for targeted and specific work for designated areas of pain and problems.” For pain in more than one place, 60 minutes or longer gives time to work the area and everything around it.
Pain after a fall or an impact; pain with numbness, tingling or weakness; pain that wakes you at night or keeps getting worse; or anything that comes with fever or unexplained weight loss. Get those checked first. Massage can come after, once you know what you are dealing with.
No. Isaac is a Certified Massage Therapist, not a physical therapist or chiropractor, and he does not diagnose. Massage works on the soft tissue, and many clients use it alongside physical therapy or chiropractic care.
Book
Tell Isaac
Tell Isaac
what hurts.
Book a length and describe the problem at the intake. Monday – Friday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, at 580 Manzanita Ave, Suite 5.
or call (530) 715-1180