
Healthy Living
Mayer Fascia Wellness
Every Move You Make
By Linda Sutherland
Pain in the neck? Pain in the back? Pain in the shoulder? It could be tense muscles, which we all experience from time to time, or it could be your fascia. If you’ve never heard of the fascia, you’re not alone! This part of the body has received relatively little attention over the years, which is puzzling, since it plays a major role in every move that you make. What is it, how does it work, and what happens to us when it doesn’t work? Amy Mayer,OTD, OTR/L, RYT, MCT, the owner and founder of Mayer Fascia Wellness, is here to educate us about this crucial tissue and teach us how to care for it properly.
First, a bit about fascia. It is a three-dimensional web of connective tissue that surrounds and holds in place every organ, blood vessel, bone, muscle, and nerve fiber in the body. It is made up of strings of fibrous proteins, mostly collagen, and has 10 times as many sensory receptors as muscle tissue—it is more sensitive than skin.
This miraculous tissue is designed to stretch as we move, providing support to our internal structures, but it doesn’t always work properly. There are certain things that cause fascia to thicken and become “sticky.” When it dries up and tightens around muscles, it can limit mobility and cause painful knots to develop in different areas.
Next, a bit about Amy. She has been an occupational therapist since 1992 and has always been interested in myofascial release therapy. The combination of these two types of therapy can be extremely effective in relieving pain and restoring mobility.
Amy is an advanced level therapist and has over 200 hours of myofascial release training among her many certifications. She has earned her doctorate in occupational therapy and continues to explore traditional interventions for pain and discomfort as well as alternative interventions with a focus on the health and wellness of the fascial system. She taught occupational therapy at Creighton University for close to 20 years and is truly an advocate for a pain-free life.
And now, a bit about myofascial release therapy! Release treatments take place during a massage-like therapy session in which the therapist will use light manual pressure to stretch areas that feel rigid. The aim is to release tension in the fascia that puts pressure on the surrounding tissue, in order to improve muscle function and reduce pain. This manipulation of the identified fascial tension is relatively risk free, and the results are scientifically supported. Keeping your fascia healthy has many benefits. You will have better range of motion, will move more freely, and will experience less pain.
This approach makes so much sense to me! So many of us are scrunched over a computer or cell phone all day and most likely do not take the recommended stretching breaks. Standing up, moving around, and stretching all help the fascia stay supple. We tend to forget that stretching is very much essential to good health. Bad posture habits and repetitive movements can create a pain cycle that can be hard to break.
At Mayer Fascia Wellness, they want to break this pain cycle by helping us identify poor habits and replace them with positive habits that lessen the likelihood of pain returning. Last year, Amy expanded her practice to include Kaitlyn Rambo,OTD, OTR/L, PAMS, LSVT-BIG, who recently earned her doctorate in occupational therapy at Creighton University. Kaitlyn could not be more pleased to join the team!
As many of us know, traditional health care sometimes comes up short in recognizing the value of treatment modalities that don’t include medication or invasive procedures. At Mayer Fascia Wellness, Amy and Kaitlyn aren’t interested in finding a temporary fix. They want to address the root causes of discomfort to help their clients onto the path to a future without chronic pain. Their motto is Scientific-Simple-Sustainable—that is, they use scientifically-proven, simple strategies to create sustainable relief.
As a client at Mayer Fascia Wellness, you can expect one-on-one sessions with either Amy or Kaitlyn. You will experience physical relief from the hands-on treatment they provide. You will identify habits that are causing you pain and learn how to replace them with healthier habits. You will learn to take charge of your own body and create a more resilient version of yourself. Who doesn’t want that? Another option to one-on-one sessions is to register for their workshops. “Our workshops provide science-backed, sustainable techniques that work. We combine the science of the fascial system with gentle, easy to learn and apply myofascial techniques to help you ease tension and erase pain,” says Amy.
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Mayer Fascia Wellness has two locations in the Omaha area. Mayer Fascia Wellness West is located at 1314 North 205th Street, Suite B, in Elkhorn. Mayer Fascia Wellness East is located at 4060 Vinton Street, Suite 200, in Omaha. To learn more or make an appointment at either location, visit mayerwellness.com.
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Amy Mayer, Owner, and Kaitlyn Rambo