We believe that the skeleton has its own self-defense system which automatically engages when the bone is impacted by a 'surprise' (eg - a stumped toe, getting blind-sided in rugby, car accidents, tripping over the tree root, rolling your ankle on uneven terrain, slipping on icy ground and falling hard onto your tail bone etc).

When we are surprised or shocked our sensory core becomes engaged and our breath becomes trapped. When this happens, the individuals balance and center of gravity shifts to accommodate for the impact to bone. The bone's periosteum and fascia (connective tissue sheath) spiral contracts around the impact site creating a flinch lock - this area becomes very heavy, filled with pressure, and the bone actually physically hardens. Our body then counterbalances this resulting in one's felt pain and changes to our structure.

You may see this in how someone walks or sits down 'lop-sided', your friends face being quite asymmetrical after years of rugby or martial arts, having one leg slightly longer than the other, changes to range of motion that you can feel during certain gym movements, or, someone sustaining an ankle injury first, but then complaining of back pain weeks later due to limping and change of flexibility/mobility of the ankle. Structure governs function. If your structure is compromised, your skeleton's general function will be hindered and lead to injury.

Short answer is: No! Everyone will benefit from ConTact C.A.R.E and leave feeling lighter, more aligned, have better movement in their joints, and feel more relaxed. It is important to note that flinch locks (pressure trapped in bone) do not leave the bone unless it is fractured or broken. That means every head knock, rolled ankle, scrape, or impact you have had since childbirth is still residing in your skeleton. Our body is like an 'onion', we are the sum of all previous injuries had since childbirth and they can 'stack' on top of each other. ConTact C.A.R.E practitioners are trained to locate and release these older injuries that are still affecting your skeleton, muscle, and the nervous system.

When a 'release' happens, you may feel blood following back to the area, the fascia unwinding, or relaxation and throbbing in other areas of the body. This modality is completely pain free. It is a hand on experience, but it will only feel like gentle pressure point work. You will be encouraged throughout the session to improve your general comfort where you can sit up, roll over, or stand up to get yourself into a more comfortable position. Some people also treat this session as a power nap!

I work with concussion recovery, whiplash, mountain biking and snow sport injuries, headaches and migraines, back, neck, wrist, and knee pain, athletic performance and skill enhancement, emotional shock, breathing disorders, depression, mobility and flexibility issues, or, other aches and pains that just 'won't go away', despite regular massage, physio, or chiro work.