Therapy AsRx

04/10/2026

Learning horsemanship has been humbling in a way I didn’t expect. It’s about awareness of your body, your tension, your breath, your intention. Horses don’t respond to what you say, they respond to what you are.

You’re standing next to a 1,000-pound animal that mirrors your nervous system in real time. They feel the hesitation, the overthinking, the subtle bracing you didn’t even realize you were holding.

What I’m learning is that horsemanship is less about control and more about communication. Less about forcing an outcome and more about creating clarity and trust. The smallest shift like softening your posture, committing to a cue, regulating your breath change everything.

When it clicks, even for a moment, it feels like a conversation without words 🤠💖

02/03/2025

Edema, or swelling, occurs when excess fluid accumulates in the body’s tissues. Causes include injury, surgery, medical conditions and prolonged inactivity. Managing edema is crucial for comfort and recovery, and one effective method is edema taping.

Benefits of Edema Taping

1. **Reduction of Swelling**: The tape helps to lift the skin slightly, allowing for better drainage of lymphatic fluid, which can reduce swelling.

2. **Enhanced Blood Circulation**: By providing support to the muscles and tissues, edema taping can promote better blood flow, aiding in recovery.

3. **Pain Relief**: The support offered by the tape can alleviate discomfort and provide stability to the affected area.

While edema taping can be beneficial, it’s important to consult a healthcare professional if you experience severe swelling, pain, or if the edema does not improve with treatment. Underlying medical conditions may require specific interventions

01/20/2025

Shoulder mobility is crucial for overall function and performance, whether you’re an athlete or a fitness enthusiast. One often-overlooked aspect of improving shoulder mobility lies in the connection between the diaphragm, intrapelvic pressure, and the upper body.

The diaphragm is not just a muscle for breathing; it plays a significant role in stabilizing the core and maintaining proper pressure within the abdomen and pelvis. When the diaphragm functions optimally, it helps facilitate a balanced intra-abdominal pressure, which can positively affect the shoulders and upper body.

Combining diaphragm release techniques with strategies to manage intrapelvic/intraabdominal pressure creates a holistic approach to enhancing shoulder mobility. As you work on your breathing and core stability, you may find that your shoulder range of motion improves significantly.

Significant improvements in posture, scapular protraction/retraction after using relaxation and breathing techniques, hot stones, and nerve flossing.

The after portion shows better recruitment of the lats, release of the rhomboids and traps, and proper elevation/depression patterns for the clavicle.

01/19/2025

Well, that was fun 🥳🏒🥅⛸️

As athletes push their bodies to the limit during training and competition, recovery becomes a critical component of their regimen.

Massage therapy offers a host of benefits specifically tailored to the needs of hockey players. It aids in muscle recovery, reduces tension, improves circulation, and enhances overall performance. Massage therapy offers a calming effect, helping players relax and clear their minds. By incorporating massage therapy into their training regimen, hockey players can enhance their performance.

With reduced muscle tension, improved circulation, and increased flexibility, players can execute their skills more effectively, leading to better performance during games.

11/27/2023

Getting massage therapy from the VA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) is possible. Veterans should discuss this with their primary care provider within the VA system. The primary care provider can then evaluate the veteran's needs and determine if massage therapy is an appropriate treatment option. It's often part of a broader approach to care and may be available based on individual circumstances and the VA's resources. The VA will find a provider for you or you can request treatment from

The Flow State
EUN HWA DILL, LMT – NPI #1437859634
Mechanotherapist
Located at Crossfit Rife
5741 Bayside Rd
Virginia Beach, VA 23455

Massage therapy can offer various benefits, such as:

• Pain Management: Massage can alleviate chronic pain, including musculoskeletal issues common among veterans.

• Stress Reduction: It can aid in reducing stress, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD by promoting relaxation and lowering cortisol levels.

• Improved Sleep: Regular massage can enhance sleep quality, which is often disrupted in veterans with PTSD or other conditions.

• Range of Motion and Mobility: It can help improve flexibility, range of motion, and overall mobility, especially for those dealing with physical injuries or limitations.

• Mental Health Support: Massage may contribute to improved mental health by easing depression symptoms and promoting a sense of well-being.

• Complementary Therapy: When combined with other treatments, massage can enhance the effectiveness of overall care plans for veterans.

Always consult healthcare providers or specialists to ensure the appropriateness and safety of integrating massage therapy into a veteran's treatment plan.

09/01/2023

UNCLENCH!!

Notice if you're clenching your jaw, your shoulders, or your sphincter right now..if so, you may be experiencing muscle armoring.
Muscle armoring is chronic tension or rigidity that develops in the musculature of the body in response to long-term emotional or psychological stress.
You're constantly bracing your body for impact, and this isn't your fault! It's an AUTONOMIC, physiological reaction to the amount of stress and trauma you've been through.

Muscular armoring creates physical and emotional blockages, preventing you from fully expressing yourself and leads to a range of physical and psychological conditions like:

◦ Chronic pain (especially in your neck, back, and shoulders)

◦ Bad posture (you're always slouched or hunched)

◦ Digestive issues (constipation, bloating, IBS)

◦ Chronic fatigue

◦ Anxiety (tension and stress held in your body lead to feelings of anxiety and worry)

◦ Depression (long-term tension can make you feel emotionally numb and exhausted)

◦ Difficulty expressing emotion (you tend to suppress your emotions)

◦ Low self esteem (you feel physically and emotionally closed off)

Stress is important for life, health, and healing. Where stress can become negative is when the load becomes too great, and our body does not have the ability to properly handle and rebound from the stress.
So sometimes improving chronic pain isn't about removing stress, it's about building resiliency to stress

08/28/2023

SUBOCCIPITAL RELEASE

This technique helps to soften the fascia and muscle tissue in the suboccipital area, which helps to open up the area between the C1 (Atlas) and C2 (Axis) vertebrae at the top of the neck and the base of the skull, aka the occipital bone.
In other words, this technique helps to improve your head posture, release neck and throat tension.

BUT THERE’S MORE……

This part of the body is also one of the 6 major compression points of the vagus nerve aka the queen of the parasympathetic nervous system). Therefore it's also a very effective technique to decompress/free this very important nerve in our body, which helps to provide better blood flow to our brain and brainstem, reduce stress, and to put us into a more ventral vagal* (aka social engagement) state of being

07/31/2023

Your Breath is Your Brain's Remote Control | Crystal Goh

"These findings show a system where our in-breath is like a remote control for our brains: by breathing in through our nose we are directly affecting the electrical signals in the "smell" regions, which indirectly controls the electrical signals of our memory and emotional brain centers. In this way, we can control and optimize brain function using our in-breath, to have faster, more accurate emotional discrimination and recognition, as well as gain better memory. So taking a breath in through our nose can control our brain signals and lead to improved emotional and memory processing, but what about the out-breath?

As mentioned earlier, slow, steady breathing activates the calming part of our nervous system, and slows our heart rate, reducing feelings of anxiety and stress. So while the in-breath specifically alters our cognition, the act of slow, deep breathing, whether the inhalation or exhalation, is beneficial for our nervous system when we wish to be more still. In fact, mindful breathing emphasizes not only the breathing component, but also the mental component of paying attention and becoming aware of mind, body and breath together.

By observing in a non-judgemental manner, without forcing ourselves to "get to" some special state, we are in fact then able to watch our minds and feel our bodies more clearly."

07/31/2023

Stop by and say hi 🥰

If you plan to join us in person at the Main Event WOD in Virginia Beach, there are free gifts for all registered athletes. Thanks to our many supporters for providing these great gifts:
*2 Free tickets to the Tides, Sunday, Sept.10th game vs Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins AAA team) courtesy of MaxMedia
*Free massages from Therapy AsRx
*$20 gift card from Born Primitive
*20% off coupon from RokFit
*$25 e-gift card from O2 Hydration
*Free samples from Contraband Fitness
*Free samples from 80/20 Juice Bar
*Free samples and coupons from Clean Eatz
Register today: https://ow.ly/jYBF50PmTz7

Also, athletes will sweat to these sounds
*Listen to Astro DJ while working out
*Max Media radio will be on-site pumping tunes to help you through the sandbag run again
*mOcean band starting at 12PM

07/06/2023

See you there 🤩

The 31Heroes WOD (workout of the day) was specifically designed to remember the fallen heroes of August 6, 2011 and honor their legacy of sacrifice. The 9th annual 31Heroes WOD will take place simultaneously across the globe, in your local gym or a location of your choosing, on August 7, 2021..

10/14/2022

I was struggling to keep my elbows up on the first one. -MS

Having a connection to your breathing makes it easier to move from the core so you can be explosive. We used a band to create a very specific weight belt so she could feel bracing versus just holding breath. This is good for anyone with neck, shoulder and back pain. The body is synergistic therefore the solution is not always as simple as releasing specific muscles.

10/07/2022

POV tells you not to do it with your neck but you’re doing your best 😬 He’s right but you need to feel something different in your body to choose something different. We released her diaphragm and worked on her ring finger and pinky