About Zach

I am a Licensed Massage Therapist specializing in Myofascial Release, Structural Integration and Neuromuscular Re-education with 16 years of hands on experience. I am also certified in Holistic Mental Health and a life coach. When warranted, I include Holistic Mental Health guidance and life coaching to assist you in releasing emotional attachments, pains and limitations in your life as well as teaching tools to move forward and tools that assist you in changing behaviors and thought patterns that are destructive to your life.

As you change physically, you are changing emotionally and internally as well. You are releasing the emotional attachment to injury / pain or experience. Perhaps you want to free yourself to experience life more fully. You can release issues, emotions, limitations, anxieties, fears that are locked in your soft tissues and muscles. You and I work together to relieve your pain, to change your structure and assist you in “fitting” into your own body. Focusing on your needs, strengths and the options available to you to help you help yourself are uppermost in importance.

Working with pain exceeds physical body work and/or drugs. Pain also has emotional content and attachment. Through the Myofascial and Wholistic Mental Health guidance Zach Saber performs, you are assisted in removing pain permanently; in removing the emotional attachment to the cause of the pain as well as to the result of the pain and you realize you are able to feel freer in your own body. Your part in this removal is essential. This work integrates your movement and your awareness, empowering you to release that which you are holding onto whether it is physical, mental or emotional. This empowerment takes on many forms in your life, improving your life in many other ways! Many forms of pains can be relieved with this work, many others become manageable.

The following is a list of physical forms of pain and their definitions as well as those terms used by allopathic medical professionals. Knowing what things mean can actually save you stress and decrease pain as well.

Know the Source of Your Pain

NEUROPATHIC PATH;
Also called nerve-injury pain, this kind of pain happens because of damage to some part of the nervous system, which includes the nerves, the spinal cord and the brain. For example, it can be caused by compression of a nerve, nerve damage, or injury to the brain or spinal cord. “If the pain is burning, feels like a dagger, or the feeling is associated with numbness or tingling, then it’s neuropathic pain” says Dr Schneider

RADICULAR PAIN;
This is a type of neuropathic pain where pressure on the nerve roots causes the pain to travel directly down the path of the nerve. “This implies that nerves in the neck or spine are being compressed or irritated and the pain shoots down the leg or arm’ says Dr Stanos. (DO, director of the Center for Pain Management at the Rehab Inst. of Chicago).

SOMATIC PAIN;
This kind of pain is caused by the stimulation of pain receptors on either the surface of the body or in the musculoskeletal tissues inside the body. The source of pain can be tissues such as the skin, muscle, tendons, bones and ligaments.

MYOFASICAL PAIN;
A type of somatic pain, Myofascial pain essentially describes muscle pain. It can include either a single muscle or a muscle group. “Some component of this pain involves the muscles, fascia or soft tissues. It’s a very common pain problem that is often overlooked.” says Dr Stanos.

VISCERAL PAIN;
This form of pain is related to the internal organs of the body’s main cavities such as the heart, lungs, bladder and other organs. “It’s a more vague kind of pain – sometimes we don’t know where it comes from” says Dr Schneider.

Medical Terminology;

Ablative surgery: Type of surgery performed on parts of the central or peripheral nervous system to help permanently alleviate pain by affecting the pathways of nerves.
Acupressure: Complementary medicine technique that uses pressure on certain points along the body to help with pain management.
Acupuncture: Complementary medicine technique using tiny needles inserted in the skin at certain points along the body to help manage pain.
Acute pain: Pain that can be extremely intense, but lasts for only a short period of time. Acute pain also has a diagnosable cause and gets better with treatment.
Adjuvant medication: Drug not primarily designed for or prescribed to help alleviate pain, but that has been found to help with pain management.
Allodynia: Term used to describe pain that occurs from a situation that doesn’t usually cause pain, like something barely touching your skin.
Analgesic: Medication specifically designed to manage or help prevent pain.
Anesthetic: Drug that causes numbness.
Antidepressant: Medication typically used to treat symptoms of depression, but also commonly prescribed to help manage chronic pain and some of its symptoms, such as insomnia.
Anxiolytics: Medications that help manage anxiety and are also used to manage pain by encouraging muscles to relax and thereby ease the pain.
Biofeedback: Complementary medicine technique that trains you to control your body’s unconscious processes like breathing and heart rate, which can help to alleviate pain.
Breakthrough pain: Pain that occurs suddenly or as a result of a particular activity.
Central nervous system (CNS): Body system that includes the brain and spinal cord; your doctor may mention your CNS when talking about how pain occurs or the cause of your chronic pain.
Chronic pain: Pain that continues over many months or even years, and may get worse with time. Chronic pain often persists long after an injury has healed; it may be minor or extreme.
Complementary medicine: Treatment that falls outside the standard medical approaches. Complementary medicine techniques for pain may include acupuncture, herbs, chiropractic care, and yoga.
Computed tomography (CT) scan: Diagnostic procedure, using X-ray technology and a computer, that may be used to help diagnose the source of your pain.
Fibromyalgia: Condition that causes pain all over the body, including muscle pain and stiffness; fatigue is another common symptom of this chronic pain condition.
Hyperalgesia: Term to describe excessive pain sensitivity.
Hyperpathia: Term to describe an excessive response to a pain trigger, and pain that continues after the pain trigger is gone.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): This diagnostic procedure, using magnetic fields, radio waves, and a computer, may be used to determine the source of pain.
Myofascial pain: Term to describe pain and soreness in the muscles. Also, describes unexplained pains and limited motions through joints in the body.
Nerve blocks: Pain management technique that involves injecting an anesthetic into the nerves to numb the area and help alleviate pain.
NSAIDs: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that help to reduce inflammation and manage pain; available in over-the-counter and prescription strengths.
Opioid: Medication class often prescribed to manage pain; drugs include codeine, morphine, fentanyl, and methadone.
Peripheral nervous system: This system includes the nerves all over the body that relay messages like pain to the CNS.
Peripheral neuropathy: Pain caused by damage to or an abnormality with the peripheral nervous system.
Pharmacotherapy: Medication-based therapy.
Psychological approaches: Techniques or therapies used instead of or in addition to medication to help you manage your pain; types of therapy include biofeedback, relaxation, stress management, and cognitive-behavioral therapy to manage the emotional triggers of pain.
Rehabilitation: Treatment plan, often exercise based, used to help you regain function or relieve pain caused by an illness or injury.
Reiki: Complementary medicine technique that uses gentle pressure from the hands to encourage “healing energy,” and is often used to treat both acute and chronic pain.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS): Pain management technique that uses small amounts of electricity delivered through electrodes placed on the skin.
Yoga: Complementary medicine technique that exercises the mind and body with meditation, postures, and breathing techniques that can help manage pain.