Myofascial Release in Santa Cruz

Discovering the Healing Power of Myofascial Release in Santa Cruz:

A Path to Pain-Free Living

In the world of alternative therapies, one name shines brightly for its remarkable ability to alleviate pain and discomfort: Myofascial Release Therapy. Santa Cruz residents seeking relief will be thrilled to meet Jenny Call, CMT, an experienced practitioner trained in John Barnes Myofascial Release Therapy (JBMFR) with a decade of expertise. Jenny’s personal journey of triumph over debilitating accidents and her dedication to helping clients discover the root causes of their pain make her a trusted guide on the path to a pain-free life in Santa Cruz. In this SEO-optimized blog post, we explore the transformative world of JBMFR and how Jenny’s expertise can lead to a pain-free life in Santa Cruz.

Discovering the Healing Power of Myofascial Release in Santa Cruz: Jenny’s deep connection with Myofascial Release Therapy was sparked by her own challenging experiences. Following two life-altering accidents, she was burdened with a herniated disk in her lower back and three bulging disks in her neck, leading to debilitating sciatic pain. For over two years, Jenny sought a solution to her chronic pain, until she discovered the life-changing potential of John Barnes Myofascial Release Therapy.

Unraveling Holding Patterns with Myofascial Release in Santa Cruz: JBMFR operates on the principle that trauma and emotional stress can become stored within the fascial system—an intricate network of connective tissue surrounding our muscles, bones, and organs. Jenny’s skilled hands and expert guidance allowed her to gently release deep-seated holding patterns within her body. Through targeted and sustained pressure, JBMFR tapped into her body’s innate healing capabilities, leading to a remarkable transformation in her well-being.

Healing the Past, Creating a Pain-Free Future with Myofascial Release in Santa Cruz: Jenny’s JBMFR journey didn’t just address the physical consequences of her accidents; it also unveiled a surprising outcome. As she delved deeper into the healing process, Jenny discovered that unresolved childhood injuries had left lasting imprints on her body. JBMFR proved to be a powerful tool for addressing both immediate and long-held pain and trauma. The result? A pain-free life, free from the shackles of chronic discomfort, in Santa Cruz.

A Commitment to Client Well-being with Myofascial Release in Santa Cruz: Jenny’s personal transformation fuels her unwavering commitment to her clients. As a John Barnes trained Myofascial Release Therapist with over a decade of experience, she approaches each session in Santa Cruz with empathy, compassion, and a deep understanding of the fascial system’s untapped potential. Jenny’s mission is to guide her clients toward the root cause of their pain and discomfort, offering them the same life-changing benefits she experienced through JBMFR.

Myofascial Release Therapy has emerged as a groundbreaking approach to healing, empowering individuals to break free from pain and discomfort. In Santa Cruz, Jenny Call, CMT, stands as a testament to the transformative power of this modality. With her extensive expertise in JBMFR and a passion for helping others, Jenny strives to guide her clients on their unique journeys of healing and rediscovery. If you’re seeking a pain-free life in Santa Cruz, look no further than Jenny’s mastery of Myofascial Release Therapy. Together, you can unlock the potential for lasting relief and well-being in beautiful Santa Cruz.

---

Unlocking Pain Relief and Improved Mobility with Myofascial Release in Santa Cruz: An Interview with Jenny Call

In a world filled with various forms of therapy, one technique stands out for its profound impact on pain relief and improved mobility: myofascial release. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jenny Call, the owner and CEO of Santa Cruz Myofascial Release and Integrated Therapies, to learn more about this unique approach. Jenny, a certified massage therapist specializing in myofascial release, shared her journey and insights into the incredible benefits her clients experience. If you’re curious about myofascial release in Santa Cruz and seeking relief from pain or restricted movement, this interview is a must-read.

Myofascial Release and Integrated Therapies: A Gateway to Balance and Pain-Free Living

Jenny explained that myofascial release focuses on the connective tissue, known as fascia, which plays a crucial role in supporting our bodies. By working within this intricate network, myofascial release therapists like Jenny help restore balance, alleviate pain, and enhance overall health and mobility. As a certified massage therapist specializing in myofascial release, Jenny is dedicated to providing effective treatments that bring lasting results.

Discovering the Transformative Power of Myofascial Release

Jenny’s own journey into myofascial release began over 20 years ago when she witnessed its remarkable effects on her horse’s well-being. After experiencing her own injuries and witnessing the incredible transformation in her horse’s mobility and pain levels, Jenny sought out a myofascial release therapist for herself. The therapy worked wonders for her, eliminating her sciatic pain and back issues entirely.

Combining Passion and Entrepreneurship: From Doula Dreams to Myofascial Release

Driven by a desire to help others and build a sustainable business, Jenny embarked on a career as a myofascial release therapist. Inspired by her personal success and the positive impact it had on her clients, she embraced this transformative therapy as her life’s work. Today, with over a decade of experience, Jenny continues to refine her intuitive approach and bring relief to her clients.

The Most Rewarding and Challenging Aspects of Myofascial Release Therapy

For Jenny, the most rewarding aspect of her work lies in providing her clients with tangible results. Witnessing her clients’ pain diminish, their mobility improve, and their lives change for the better is the ultimate satisfaction. However, as an entrepreneur, Jenny acknowledges that navigating the business side of things can be challenging, diverting her focus from the hands-on work she loves.

A Personalized and Intuitive Approach to Myofascial Release

During the interview, Jenny emphasized her unique approach to myofascial release, which differs from a traditional academic or technical approach. Instead of focusing solely on muscle groups and attachment points, Jenny tunes into her clients’ bodies and communicates with their fascia intuitively. By starting where the client feels pain and then investigating related areas, Jenny crafts a personalized treatment plan tailored to each individual’s needs.

From Infancy to Adulthood: The Benefits of Early Myofascial Release

Jenny’s passion for her work extends to treating newborns and infants. By addressing restrictions early on, before they become more pronounced, she believes it’s possible to mitigate future injuries and discomfort. While not a lifelong cure, myofascial release treatments in infancy can significantly impact a child’s well-being and set them on a path to healthier movement patterns.

Aiming for Long-Term Relief and Reduced Dependence

Jenny’s ultimate goal is to empower her clients to achieve long-term pain relief and reduced dependence on therapy. She doesn’t want her clients to rely on their treatments indefinitely but rather equip them with the tools and knowledge to maintain their own well-being. Jenny shared that she educates her clients about self-care techniques, such as gentle stretching, proper body mechanics, and mindfulness practices, that can complement their myofascial release treatments.

Collaboration and Holistic Care: Working with Other Healthcare Professionals

Recognizing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, Jenny values collaboration with other healthcare professionals. She emphasized the benefits of integrating myofascial release with other modalities, such as physical therapy, chiropractic care, and acupuncture. By working together, practitioners can provide comprehensive care and address various aspects of their clients’ well-being.

The Impact of Myofascial Release on Mental and Emotional Health

Jenny highlighted that myofascial release not only addresses physical pain but also has a significant impact on mental and emotional health. As the fascia holds emotional and traumatic imprints, releasing the tension and restrictions within the fascial system can lead to emotional release and a sense of overall well-being. Jenny’s clients often report feeling lighter, more grounded, and emotionally balanced after their sessions.

Promoting Awareness and Accessibility of Myofascial Release

In her commitment to making myofascial release accessible to a wider audience, Jenny actively promotes awareness of the therapy’s benefits. She conducts workshops, presentations, and community events to educate people about myofascial release and its potential to transform lives. Jenny also offers flexible payment options, discounts, and sliding-scale fees to ensure that individuals from various socioeconomic backgrounds can benefit from her services.

The Future of Myofascial Release in Santa Cruz and Beyond

Looking ahead, Jenny envisions a future where myofascial release becomes an integral part of mainstream healthcare. She hopes for greater recognition and acceptance of this therapy’s effectiveness in treating a wide range of conditions, from chronic pain to post-surgical rehabilitation. Jenny plans to expand her practice and continue training and mentoring new myofascial release therapists to meet the growing demand.

Conclusion

My conversation with Jenny Call shed light on the transformative power of myofascial release and its potential to unlock pain relief and improved mobility. Through her intuitive approach and dedication to personalized care, Jenny has become a beacon of hope for those seeking lasting solutions for their physical and emotional well-being. With her passion, expertise, and commitment to accessibility, Jenny is making strides in bringing the benefits of myofascial release to the Santa Cruz community and beyond.

If you’re seeking effective myofascial release in Santa Cruz, look no further than Jenny Call. With her expertise and passion for holistic healing, Jenny is dedicated to providing exceptional care and support to her clients. Whether you’re experiencing chronic pain, recovering from an injury, or simply seeking to enhance your overall well-being, Jenny’s personalized approach and commitment to your health journey will leave you feeling empowered and revitalized. Reach out to Jenny Call today and take the first step towards a healthier, more balanced life.

---

Myofascial Release in Santa Cruz Interview Transcript:

• I’m super jazzed to be here today with Jenny Call, who is the owner and CEO of myofa–
• Santa Cruz Myofascial Release and Integrated Therapies.
• I’m gonna say it
• It’s kind of a mouthful.
• Santa Cruz Myofascial Release and Integrated Therapies.
• Yes.
• Nailed it.
• Yay!
• Woo! So Jenny, what exactly is Myofascial Release and Integrated Therapies? What do you do on a daily basis with your, do you call ’em patients?
• I call them clients.
• Clients.
• I’m not a doctor, I’m not a physical therapist. I am a certified massage therapist who specializes in myofascial release. So, I just say I’m a myofascial release therapist.
• Okay, what is that?
• That’s a great question. So myo, I guess technically means muscle, and fascia is the connective tissue that essentially holds our body together. So, I’m the therapist that works within the connective tissue to help bring our bodies back into balance and out of pain, and improving overall health and mobility.
• How did you get into this specialty?
• Oh, yeah. So, that’s a good story. 20 something years ago I discovered myofascial release, and actually I had horses at the time. And so I discovered myofascial release after my horse first got treated before I did, but I had a couple of pretty decent accidents. I was thrown off a horse in the middle of an intersection. And then the following year I was in a pedestrian accident, and I was hit by a car crossing the street, and I had minor injuries, fortunately, had a herniated disc in my L4, L5 and then I had three bulging discs in my neck.
• Ah!
• So, I was working in research at the time, I was working for a pharmaceutical company, and I was severely limited as to what I could do. So, I was put on medical leave after about six months of being on severe work restrictions. And I ended up moving down to Santa Cruz, and I bought my first horse. And he was definitely not like, he was this cute, spunky little chestnut, but he had this really deep sway back. And I ended up, after I purchased him, I moved him to a boarding facility in Watsonville, and I had someone come up to me and ask me if she could start, if she could do body work on my horse. And I had never, I had never had a massage. I had never had any acupuncture. I had chiropractic–
• You personally?
• Me personally.
• And what about for your horse?
• He got it first!
• That seems unfair.
• My critters come first like–
• Okay, okay.
• But so she had, she had started to treat him, and she had done about four treatments on him, and his back filled in, and his head and neck dropped down. Like he was just this completely different horse, and he was moving differently, and he was always really spicy, but you could tell like he wasn’t in pain.
• Wow.
• And I just, I looked at her and I’m like, so what you did for him, can you do for me? And that was my first experience. That was my first myofascial therapist.
• Did she say, she said she could, she could do both? She does horses and humans?
• Yeah, so, she was starting to work on horses and she had a really long established practice of working with, working with people. So, I started working with her. I was with her, I believe, I was with her for a couple of years, but I was working with her on this particular issue for about six to eight weeks.
• Okay.
• And I would go in like twice a week.
• Okay.
• And she, the work that she did completely resolved me of any pain and discomfort.
• That’s insane.
• And 20 something years later, I have no sciatic pain, I have no back issues.
• Wow.
• So, that was my first experience with myofascial release. And then fast forward a couple of years through marriage, kids, divorce, I needed to figure out something that I could do on my own schedule to accommodate the times that I have my kids, but then also create a business that would help to sustain us. And I wanted to be a birth and postpartum doula, but as most of us know, babies don’t come on the schedule at all.
• Ever.
• Ever.
• Nope.
• So–
• First lesson in parenthood.
• Yeah. I have both of my kids at night. So, having a two year old and a four year old was not going to work.
• Yeah.
• In pursuing it.
• Can’t just leave them.
• No. So then I was thinking, well, what could I do to, what are other doulas and other birth workers doing to supplement their, their work? And I saw that a lot of them were, you know, teaching yoga, acupuncture, massage. And I thought, well, you know, I could do something like that, but I don’t wanna do regular massage. And then I thought about, well, what if I did myofascial release?
• Because it changed your life and your horse’s life, so it seems like the right path to take.
• Yeah.
• Yeah.
• And here we are 12 years later.
• Wow, so what do you think is the most rewarding part of your job?
• So, I think the most rewarding thing for me was having the support to be able to build this business, but then for my clients, it’s being able to provide them with a service that actually gives them the results that they want and need.
• That’s really cool. And what do you think is the most challenging part of your business?
• Being a business owner.
• Oh, yeah.
• And doing all the things, like not decorating.
• Right.
• That I need to do to like just get through the day-to-day stuff.
• Yeah, it’s interesting, because businesses are usually comprised of actually like artists or artistry, somebody who specializes in a specific unique talent. But then the component of actually facilitating a functional business is a totally different set of tools, skills, mindset, abilities. And to like integrate both is a challenge I’ve noticed, and seems to be like across the board. Like you either have one skill set or the other, and then to blend them is really challenging which is why a lot of artists have business partners.
• I was not prepared for all the business stuff–
• I don’t think anybody is.
• At all.
• What about the paperwork? Isn’t that fun?
• Oh, yeah. Fortunately with my practice, I actually don’t do any intake forms.
• Oh, that’s good.
• So I keep it to a minimum, but yeah, it’s, I am very grateful that I have other, other therapists and other tenants here in the building that do help with a lot of the things that I fall short on.
• [Shemeika] Yeah.
• Case in point, you’ll see that some of the doors have name tags on them. They did that.
• We could get you one.
• [Jenny] I could do that.
• [Shemeika] Yeah.
• [Jenny] I could actually do that.
• That would be like a pretty simple little like–
• Yeah. Yeah.
• I think they even have ’em on the internet.
• Oh! The innerwebs?
• Yeah.
• Wow.
• Have you ever had a case where a client comes in and you thought, oh geez, I’m not gonna be able to help them the way that I want to, and then the outcome was more favorable than you expected?
• Yeah, one client in particular who probably came to see me and worked with me for the better part of five years, he was a retired pipe fitter. And so he had been in the industry for over, you know, 30 something years. And he had a lot of chronic issues, and I honestly thought, I don’t think I can help this guy. But he was insistent that the work that we were doing was helping. And he came in, started out at three times a week for probably the first two years, went down to twice a week, and then scaled back to once a week. And that’s probably more of an extreme case. I don’t see a lot of those clients in my practice right now. But it took so long, because everything in his body was just so tight. It just took so long to see any progress. He was feeling the progress. I wasn’t feeling it as much as he was. But then we’d have those moments where something would shift and move and it’s like, you weren’t able to do that a month ago.
• [Shemeika] Wow.
• Yeah, it does happen. And fortunately, most of the clients that come in to see me don’t necessarily have that level of dysfunction.
• Yeah, that seems like an extreme case.
• Yeah, that’s an extreme case.
• Is the objective for them to stop seeing you at some point?
• Yes!
• So it’s not like, a casual massage where it just feels good.
• No.
• Your muscles are sore. Like the objective is to actually like get you to–
• Yes.
• The outpatient point.
• Yeah. In fact, I tell a lot of people this is the worst business model ever, because I really wanna work myself out of seeing clients, but they just keep coming back in. So, my goal with my work is to do as much work as we can in the beginning, so that it gets them off the table and out, and not feeling like they need to come back. Unless it’s like a maintenance type of thing where we can have them come in once every two to three months.
• You’re like, come in, I’ll heal you, and you won’t need to learn anything.
• I like to do the hands-on stuff.
• Yeah.
• I am not an academic person. So, there are a number of therapists who can rattle off like what muscle group they’re working on and where the insertion and the attachment points are. If that’s who you want, I have people to refer you to. That is not my specialty.
• Okay, fair enough.
• I work more intuitively.
• Yeah.
• So I, I just communicate with the body a little bit differently. With a new patient or new client, I do a 15 minute visual and verbal intake. So, we talk about what’s going on, what’s bringing them in. I have them take their shoes off, so I can look at their body and see how their body is balanced in space. That gives me an idea of where I, how to get them positioned on the table. I always start where they’re feeling the most pain or discomfort. But the key is, is that where you’re feeling the pain or discomfort may not be where that is originating. So, I study under John Barnes and John always says, “Start where they’re feeling the pain or discomfort, look elsewhere for the cause.” So, because our body is this insane interconnected web of connected tissue, everything in our body is connected. So, like you were talking about, I think it’s your upper traps or something that’s bothering you. That’s where I would start with the work. And then I would also probably wanna see what’s going on in your pelvis and, you know, maybe other areas, because there’s no, there’s no one way to go about treating someone. It’s trying to figure out what the right combination is and, you know, different positions, and do I need to do more tractioning or like more focus point work. So it’s not a, there’s no structure to the treatment. It’s, and what I ask clients that are coming back in, “Okay, how’s your body feeling today?” And then they’ll, they’ll tell me, “Well, something else is going on.” So, this is where we’re gonna start today. I really like working on newborns and infants before they start to move. And then–
• What kind treat–
• I do have–
• How does that treatment work?
• Oh, it’s awesome.
• How does that look?
• It’s awesome.
• Like, I can’t communicate with you yet, clearly.
• They can though.
• They can?
• They can. Yeah. So, when there’s a restriction going on in the body, there’s a couple of things that happen. Usually there’s a temperature increase or decrease, so temperature change. The capillaries will often burst. So there, it’s called vasomotor dilation, so it looks like redness.
• Yeah.
• So the indication of difference of heat, redness, oftentimes, like if you get little muscle twitches, or you know, things like that that are happening, it’s kind of an indication that something’s just not functioning properly.
• Yeah.
• So if you tune into what’s going on in the body, even though some people can’t verbalize it, we still know where to start. So, yeah. I love working on babies. Like do it when they’re young.
• Wow.
• So that they don’t have time to accumulate all the–
• Have you seen like, okay, you need a baby, work on a baby. Have you seen the progress over the course of their life or like later, like as a teenager, they, like you remeet them or, you’ve been in it for 12 years?
• Yeah.
• Okay.
• Well, both of my daughters were treated after they were born.
• Okay.
• And I do treat them sometimes when they let me or when they ask me. But it’s usually like at nine o’clock at night.
• You’re like, I’m exhausted.
• I’m done.
• Yeah.
• By that time, so.
• Make an appointment. My office hours are 9:00 to 3:00. Even having been adjusted or what do you call, worked on as a baby.
• Yeah.
• You’re gonna still re-injure and–
• Yeah, so it’s not, it won’t cure you for all of the injuries that you’re gonna have throughout the course of your life.
• That’s too bad! That would be the worst business model.
• That would be, oh! Oh, but just, yeah.
• Like work on a baby and they’re good for set for life.
• Treat something when it happens and don’t leave it. Just don’t ignore it. When you’re in pain, deal with it.
• [Shemeika] Yeah.
• So, yeah, I think that’s the biggest lesson. I always recommend, if people are to, get checked out by your primary care doctor. Oftentimes they will tell you it looks like it’s soft tissue injury, and there are many different courses of therapy that you can pursue. This is one of them. I don’t take insurance, so that’s probably something that other people need to know. But, so all of this is done out of pocket. I do, I do take some HSA and FSA cards for payments. So, that’s an option. It is kind of a trip when you, when people tell me that they, their doctor recommended that they get myofascial work, and then they go online. And they Google “myofascial release Santa Cruz,” and I’m usually the first one that pops up.
• [Shemeika] Maybe that.
• Yeah. Yeah. So that’s generally, internet search I guess is how most people find me. And then I do have my hands in a couple of different networking groups, and I did have a suggestion.
• Okay.
• If you have a minute, and are willing to lay on the table.
• I was hoping you would offer me a massage.
• All right. And I always ask for consent before I touch anybody, so I apologize. May I touch you?
• Yes.
• Thank you.
• Please do.
• Okay. So, and if anything we’re doing is beyond your level of therapeutic discomfort, please tell me to back off or stop. That’s the other thing. I have had so many people come in and tell me that they have either been re-injured by body work or have had body work that’s just been too deep, and it blows me away that people didn’t know they could tell their therapist to lighten up or–
• Wow.
• Or, you know, lighten their touch or you know, change positions.
• Right.
• Communicate.
• Yes.
• They didn’t know they could communicate with their therapists, that’s–
• They have to be their own advocate.
• They do. And I can feel what I feel, but if they’re feeling something different, then I need to know that. So, please communicate with me.
• That feels good.
• Good. Is it this spot right in here?
• Yeah, you found it already.
• That’s a good one.
• And it goes all the way to the left side of my neck, wow.
• Okay.
• You found it just like that’s the spot. Jenny, you are a magician!
• With this work, I normally work with skin on skin with no creams or oils. I don’t want to use oils, because I need to be able to feel where the restrictions are. I also need to be able to get a good grip sometimes. So if I’m all lubed up, that ain’t gonna work very good.
• Yeah.
• You will find, like, I stay in certain positions for an extended amount of time, because it takes at least 90 seconds to 2 minutes for your connective tissue to start to soften. And then beyond that, it’s additional time for it to move and to start to unwind itself from the position that it’s got itself locked up in. So, all of my treatments are 90 minutes, and then the first one is 1 hour and 45 minutes, because we do the 15 minute intake prior to, but they’re longer treatments. And that’s why is because I just need more time. Movement is also something that’s really encouraged in this treatment. So, if you feel like you need to move, just move. I’ll go with you. I promise I won’t let you fall off. I don’t know if you can feel that movement. That movement is not generated by me, by the way.
• I can’t feel that. Me? I’m doing it?
• Yeah.
• My body’s doing it?
• Your body’s doing it.
• Is it healing itself?
• It’s unwinding itself. And unwinding is good. We want that.
• I do feel it. It’s like a little pulsing.
• Yeah. That’s you, that’s not me.
• You’re not moving your finger like that?
• Uh-uh.
• Wow, that’s weird.
• Yeah. I’m just going with it.
• My body is just weird.
• Your body’s amazing. Our bodies know how to heal themselves when we get out of our own way and allow that to happen. So, when people leave the treatments, there’s two things that I always recommend that they’re feeling pain and discomfort in specific areas. I always recommend heat and hydration. Heat keeps your body softening and opening and encourages movement. And then hydration, when your connective tissue is in a frozen locked up state, it’s very dehydrated, and it’s not able to really take in and absorb any nutrients. And so as we start to work on those areas that are dehydrated and frozen, we start to get them warmed up and moving. You’re gonna wanna renourish them. So, sticking with clear fluids like water, herbal tea, bone broth, not vodka, somebody asked me that. Give yourself at least 24 hours–
• That’ll loosen you up.
• That’ll loosen you up. Exactly.
• Tequila?
• Non-alcoholic–
• Got it.
• Beverages.
• Got it.
• And then heat of course, like hot tub. Oh, what I wouldn’t do to have a hot tub. You know–
• Maybe in your new bath.
• Bath, yeah. Even just, you know, using a heating pad, because that’ll keep your connective tissue softening and moving. And that’s really what you want. I tell people the treatment really begins once you get off the table, and your body has to figure out how to integrate into a three dimensional space again.
• Well, then I don’t want it to begin.
• Yeah, so just see how it feels over the next couple of hours and, and see, you know, what, what comes up. And there’s also, not for everyone, but some people do have an emotional connection to physical pain.
• Ah.
• So, there can also be big emotions that come up. Not always, but just, you know, I just, I kind of give people a forewarning. I’m not equipped to handle that, but I can refer to other people who are. But if there are emotional things that come up, do whatever you need to do to move through it.
• Yeah.
• And address it.
• Don’t drink the vodka.
• Don’t don’t drink the vodka. Don’t keep stifling it, because that which you resist persists.
• Yes.
• Right?
• Yes.
• And then you can feel amazing. You could feel like you can go run a marathon, or you can feel like you just got hit by a train. Anything and everything in between is totally normal.
• I feel really loose right now.
• Yeah, that’s great.
• And like a little bit lightheaded too.
• Yeah, that’s normal.
• Loosely lightheaded.
• Yeah.
• There you have it. Jenny Call, beautiful practice of Myofascial Release and Integrated Therapies.
• Perfect.
• In Santa Cruz.
• I forgot, Santa Cruz next time.
• Thank you.
• Check her out.