Therapy Modalities
Bomi develops a unique treatment plan for each client based on their condition and therapeutic goals. He strives to create a professional, safe, and nurturing environment. These are his primary therapy modalities.
Hendrickson Method Orthopedic Massage
Hendrickson Method Orthopedic Massage is a transformative, results-oriented manual therapy for muscles and other soft tissues developed by Tom Hendrickson DC. Over a 40-year career spanning work as a massage therapist, chiropractor, and teacher, Hendrickson developed the Hendrickson Method and founded the Hendrickson Method Institute in Berkeley, California. In 2003 he wrote the landmark textbook “Massage for Orthopedic Conditions”, now published in five languages. Bomi received hands-on training with Tom Hendrickson during his two-year course of study leading to his certification as a Hendrickson Method practitioner.
​
Hendrickson Method combines elements of eastern principles of Tai Chi and internal healing energy with western principles of massage, physical therapy, and chiropractic care. Practitioners seek to understand the client’s condition, identify the parts of the body requiring treatment, and create and implement a treatment plan to restore neuromuscular function. The core protocols are ‘wave mobilization’, drawing on the practitioners’ internal healing energy, ‘joint mobilization’, focusing on joint health and movement, and ‘muscle energy techniques’, in which the client contracts and relaxes specific muscles to engage the neuromuscular system.
​
Hendrickson Method provides lasting results for clients who have not found relief from other treatments. It alleviates acute and chronic pain, and goes beyond symptom relief to identify root causes and provide treatment of muscle and joint pain. It improves neuromuscular function by engaging the client’s neuromuscular system in active stretches and resisted exercises. For clients with injuries, it rehabilitates and restores muscle function and movement. For clients with restricted joints, it targets the muscle insertion and attachment points, which increases the flow of synovial fluid in the joints and promotes healthy joint and cartilage function. Hendrickson Method also lengthens and softens muscles and ligaments, loosens muscles to increase flexibility and range of motion, and promotes healthy tissue by increasing flow of blood and lymphatic fluids and stimulating cell production.
Neuromuscular Massage
Neuromuscular massage helps to alleviate acute and chronic muscle and nervous system disorders, including poor circulation, nerve compression, postural problems, repetitive stress issues, and trigger points. Muscles that are contracted or “tensed up” have limited movement, blood flow, oxygen, and nutrients. Specific neuromuscular massage techniques are used to break up these tensed areas and let the muscles receive the proper amount of blood and oxygen. Neuromuscular massage increases blood circulation, flexibility, and energy levels, reduces toxin levels in the body, and promotes balance in the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
Sports Massage
Sports Massage uses deep transverse and longitudinal frictional strokes and stretching techniques to prevent and break down adhesions and rehabilitate soft tissue dysfunction. Stretching techniques include Static Stretching, PNF Stretching (defined below) and Active Isolated Stretching (AIS). Sports Massage is a highly effective treatment for tight and constricted muscles, muscle soreness and pain, acute injuries, and chronic conditions. Sports Massage helps competitive and recreational athletes enhance their performance by promoting the healthy functioning of muscles and connective tissue, increasing range of motion, and improving energy levels, and muscular movement.
Myofascial Release Therapy
Myofascial Release is a manual therapy technique that uses sustained pressure into restrictions in the fascia of the muscle to relieve pain and restore muscular health and movement. The word “myofascial" is derived from the Greek words "myo", which means muscle, and "fascia", the thin layer of connective tissue that interpenetrates every muscle, bone, nerve, artery, vein, organ, and cell in the body. Adhesions and scar tissue are broken down using hands-on techniques, resulting in reduced pain, increased mobility, and improved strength.
PNF Stretching
PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) Stretching is an advanced form of flexibility training that involves both the stretching and contraction of the muscle group being targeted. PNF Stretching is a very effective form of rehabilitation, and is also excellent for targeting specific muscle groups to increase flexibility, range of movement, and muscular strength.
​
Contract-Relax PNF is a variation in which the therapist asks the patient to fire the tight muscle isometrically against the therapist's hand for up to 10 seconds. The patient then relaxes and the therapist lengthens the muscle and applies a stretch at the newly-found end range.
Trigger Point Therapy
Trigger Point Therapy is a manual therapy technique that involves applying pressure to tender muscle tissue in order to relieve pain and dysfunction in other parts of the body. Trigger Point reduces swelling and stiffness from neuromuscular pain, increases range of motion, relieves tension, and improves circulation, flexibility, and coordination.
Pre-Natal Massage
Pre-Natal Massage can significantly enhance wellbeing and reduce painful symptoms during pregnancy. Pre-natal massage reduces stress-related hormones such as norepinephrine and cortisol, and increases mental wellbeing hormones such as dopamine and serotonin.
​
Swelling and pain in the joints, also called ‘Edema’, can be eased by pre-natal massage. Edema is often caused by reduced circulation and increased pressure on the major blood vessels by the heavy uterus. Pre-natal massage stimulates soft tissues, reduces collection of fluids in swollen joints, and improves the removal of tissue waste carried by the body’s lymph system.
​
Pre-natal massage can also significantly reduce sciatic nerve pain, which is common during pregnancy. Other benefits include reduced back pain, improved circulation, reduce swelling, reduce muscle tension and headaches, reduce stress and anxiety, and improved oxygenation of soft tissues and muscles.
TMJ Treatment
TMJ treatment reduces inflammation and soreness in the temporomandibular joint, a joint that connects the lower jawbone to the rest of the skull and nearby tissues. TMJ disorder can be caused by an injury, stress, teeth grinding, or other factors.
​
TMJ disorders are painful and debilitating because the TMJ joint is used for many daily activities, including chewing, talking and yawning. Eating, drinking, and talking can all be painful. Many TMJ sufferers experience headaches. Repeated clenching or grinding of the jaw leads to an overactive temporalis muscle, creating pain and tension in the temples. The resulting headache can radiate outwards and make the head feel like it is in a ‘vice-like grip.’
TMJ treatment can relieve many of these symptoms. Among the benefits are relaxation of the muscle tissue, reduced inflammation and nerve compression, improved range of motion, and increased blood circulation.
Neuro Massage
Neuro Massage incorporates massage techniques to relax the nervous systems in the body, with the goal of making changes in the state of neural networks (pain thresholds, muscular tension levels, organ function, and emotional state). The subtle and gentle strokes of Neuro Massage activate the electrical energy of the nervous system to promote calming and relaxation of nervous conditions.
Post-Surgery Massage
Post-Surgery Massage consists of a combination of modalities, including orthopedic massage, deep tissue, myofascial release, and cross-fiber friction. Pressure and intensity of massage must be light at first and only increased over time. It is recommended to begin massage sessions four to six weeks after surgery, when scar tissue is forming but is still pliable. A release from the doctor or surgeon may be needed to ensure that massage is introduced at the right time in the recovery process.
Post-Surgery Massage is scientifically proven to help clients in their recovery by reducing pain, trauma, and scarring, improving mobility and flexibility of tissue and joints, and helping to avoid adhesions, guarding, reduced range of motion, and contractures (shortening and hardening of soft tissues).