Restorative Bodyworks

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Restorative Bodyworks

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Licensed Massage Therapist
Certified Personal Trainer
Human Movement Specialist (corrective exercise)
Swedish - Deep Tissue - Myofascial Release - Cupping - Stretching - Thai Massage - Movement Assessments and Optimization - Fitness Programming

02/27/2026

It’s no secret that I hate running. Most forms of cardio feel tedious and boring to me and I have a real hard time motivating to do it. But cardio is important for health and performance so it’s important to find a version you enjoy. For me, that’s bag work. I’m not a trained fighter so don’t hate on my technique. It’s only to get the heart rate up and move some energy through my body. Not that I wouldn’t love to train someday but fight gyms are kinda expensive and I’m getting a little old to be getting punched in the face for fun. Workout done, on to the chores. Feeling good 🤩

02/25/2026

That snow last week brought in a lot of patients with sore legs and hips. Better to be sore from doing something fun than from working too hard though!
Nothing like a nice leg massage to help you recover and get back on the mountain before springtime hits. What do you think Flagstaff? Was that it? Or do we have more snow coming?!

02/22/2026

There’s such great diversity in the practice of cupping therapy. Cupping can be used for lymphatic drainage, as energetic medicine stimulating acupressure points, and for aesthetic purposes to induce inflammation plumping up the skin. My own practice has evolved over the years but myofascial therapeutic techniques have always been my central focus. As such, most of the cupping I do is also from a myofascial perspective. Here’s a few classic myofascial techniques adapted for the use of cupping.
- Glide cupping is similar to the myofascial technique “skin rolling”
- Dynamic cupping works similarly to a myofascial pin & stretch or active release
- Trigger point cupping is a great, efficient variation of the most well studied and reliable of myofascial techniques, ischemic compression
The research is lacking when it comes to cupping therapy but seeing as how this 5,000+ year old modality is still being used and expanded on, that’s good enough for me. The research will come eventually and tell us practitioners what we already know. 😉

02/20/2026

Trying to edit some videos this morning and Niccolo suggested I just post our massage video we made together awhile back. So a quick fresh edit and here we go to play in the snow! ⛄️
I’ve got another little healer in the house for sure! ❤️

02/18/2026

Almost a decade ago, my lovely wife and I were hiking and exploring the Lake Tahoe area when I started to get some serious pain in my right knee. Not wanting the adventures to end, I went hopefully to a sports massage clinic in town where I experienced cupping therapy for the first time. I had just enrolled in massage school and didn’t really know what to expect from this “new” modality, but I’m an adventurous type. The therapist I worked with was very skilled and knowledgeable about what she practiced. The relief I got from the cupping and deep tissue work allowed me to continue to gratefully enjoy Tahoe. When we got home, I ordered a cupping set and began to experiment with them on myself at first and later friends and classmates. After massage school I interned at an Ayurvedic school where I was introduced to the energetic application of placing cups along meridian lines to affect the health of our organs as well as a lymphatic application of gliding the cups across the skin to promote healthy circulation and lymph flow. I’m so grateful to that one therapist that originally exposed me to the magic of cupping! Such a great bodywork tool!

02/17/2026

I think most people would be surprised how much of our symptoms and conditions are mental in nature. That’s not to gaslight you into thinking that your pain or dysfunctions aren’t real because they’re “just in your head”. It’s simply an acknowledgment of how powerful a thing the mind is. Indeed the very essence of reality itself is a mental creation and modern science has just barely scratched the surface of this revelation.

As a massage therapist, I work on soft tissue restrictions, not by forcing the tissues to do what I want but by effectively communicating with the nervous system. The fascia is a matrix for communication between the brain and the reactive tissues in our bodies. So every action that occurs within our muscles, organs, etc originates in the mind. All illness is mental illness. Tell that to your doctor next time they tell you that your labs or imaging are inconclusive! Ha! 😂

02/16/2026

There is plenty of scientific evidence to show that manual therapy is effective for treating pain. But you don’t need studies to tell you what your body innately knows. Massages feel great! Do what makes you feel good! 😊

02/14/2026

Happy Valentines Day!! ❤️
Maybe give your loved one a little shoulder rub today. Or you can always snag them a gift card for a massage on the website.

02/13/2026

If you have pain pressing overhead or difficulty reaching for things up high, it’s likely a scapula mobility issue. Being able to extend your arms over your head is a basic function of the shoulder joint and you shouldn’t have to compromise with that. If you need some help with your shoulder mobility, I got you!

02/11/2026

I’m going to keep bringing it up so you don’t forget take better care of your feet! In my experience, most pain and dysfunction found elsewhere in the body can be traced back to the integrity of the foot and ankle joints.
They are your foundation. The foot is off and it screws up the ankle. The ankle to the knee, the knee to the hip…pelvis… low back… all the way to that pesky knot in your shoulder. Now offering corrective bodywork sessions in addition to the great massages you already love! ❤️

02/08/2026

So this is a little glimpse into what one of my new offerings, a corrective bodywork session might look like. This isn’t a massage. This is bodyWORK. It will typically follow the same steps, though the work itself will depend on the individual.
1) Movement Assessment (Overhead Squat)
2) Myofascial Release of overactive synergists
3) Active stretching of adaptively shortened muscles
4) Activation of underactive muscles
5) Strengthening techniques
6) Re-assessment
This whole session took about an hour. I set aside 90 minutes for the appointment because depending on the dysfunction identified, it could take longer than an hour.
The myofascial release work is sped up 20x and it still looks slow. That’s how big change is made.
In addition to offering this in office, I’d like to start offering it remotely as well. For the time, anyone that wants to send me your overhead squat videos, I will send you back my assessment and strategies so I can practice identifying the dysfunction on video instead of in person.

02/07/2026

The trigger points in the forearm extensors, especially right up there where the forearm meets the elbow, are some of the most intense feeling points anywhere in the body. And almost every body I work on has active trigger points here. I can’t say “why” for everyone but I know when I spend too much time scrolling on my phone, it lights these points up! It’s really an awkward position to hold your hand in for extended periods of time. But you won’t always feel the pain at the elbow because trigger points refer pain elsewhere. It can feel like tendinitis in the wrist and through the middle and ring fingers. The referred pain can be so intense that you’ll swear you injured your hand. A little hot stone to loosen things up, followed by some steady, firm pressure, and your hands will feel like new. Great work for and 😂

Address

Flagstaff, AZ

Website

https://www.matthewtcmt.com/, https://www.acaciafruitwellness.com/schedule

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