TestimonialsTorn Rotator Cuff Resolved Without Surgery I had the good fortune of finding Mary this year after having an MRI and was told I had a torn rotator cuff. I was scheduled for surgery April 6 and decided to postpone it due to work commitments. Mary told me she thought she could help me and made no promises. Much to my delight, it has been a miracle. I no longer wake up with pain during the night and I am able to perform all the functions with my arm and shoulder I had lost. I have had many massages from a variety of therapists. Mary is by far the best and I am grateful I will not be having the surgery. ~Margie S Heiler, Leadership and Team Coach, Linden, Virginia "Mary is skillful and well-trained. Her ability to seamlessly transition between the relaxation and therapeutic elements of massage allows her to address her clients' spoken and unspoken issues." ~ G. Cosper Scafidi Chair, Board of Directors Rolf Institute of Structural Integration "I was in an endless cycle of pain . . . " I came to see Mary Wilkerson, some time after my accident. I was a pedestrian hit by a truck, by a driver playing hooky from school. I suffered a traumatic brain injury and was banged up badly; my body was riddled with pain. I had been to Dr's, Physical Therapists, Chiropractors and finally onto Massage Therapy. This is where my real progress began. I was in an endless cycle of pain, until Mary came into my life. She is the reason that the pain permanently began to leave parts of my body. I have made great strides with Mary. When we met, I could barely move. My body was stuck and amuck with pain, just about everywhere was filled with knots and blockages. While some therapies worked some good along the way, the one thing that helped was Mary's massage therapy with her knowledge of the body, muscles, ligaments and such. I made more progress with Mary in 3 treatments that I made with a chiropractor in 12 sessions. That speaks volumes. I think that is due in part to her digging in to the muscles, getting to the source of the problem, the place of resistance and releasing it. I could go on and on, most likely using the wrong terminology; but the one thing I know , is this woman brought me out of severe pain. Now, I've continued to hurt my shoulder from time to time, which actually froze at one point. I saw Mary, while doing PT. The progress was phenomenal and then I ran out of sessions, leaving me to just PT. My shoulder got worse. I quit there and went back to Mary and progress began once again. Whether dealing with injury, stress or exhaustion, Mary is amazing and talented. She does a better job, in half the time that it takes other therapists to get anywhere. Mary deals with the true underlying problem. I can't say enough good about her. She is terrific! ~Judy C., Falls Church, VA On the Heels of Mt. Fuji For years I lived with leg pain at about a level 8 (on a scale of one to ten) in both legs. At times it was even intolerable. Over time I visited doctors who offered drugs and more tests but no answers. I was so used to my legs hurting that, when I was on vacation, I decided to climb Mt. Fuji regardless of the pain, since they hurt no matter what I did. One day when the pain was particularly bad, I discovered Mary Wilkerson via the internet and scheduled an appointment. I experienced relief from the very first visit and came for two more to finish the work. Mary's targeted soft-tissue techniques combined with her problem-solving approach revealed the origin of my pain was most likely my years of modeling in heeled shoes from age 8 to 16, perpetuated by wearing high heels regularly as an adult. Thanks to Mary's expertise, skilled hands, and recommendations, I am completely pain-free today. ~ Alianna G. (age 29), October 2008 Muscle Recovery When Pushed to the Limits January 2008 Have you ever faced a time when your body is repeatedly challenged and pushed to its physical limits? Various massage modalities, if appropriately applied, can help propel you towards success in your endeavors by enhancing muscle recovery. Recruits in the police academy regularly deal with such grueling physical tests and some have sought relief in appropriately applied restorative therapies from Mary. In the final throes of the physical training stage of their 6 month academy, now more than ever the repeated training demands can leave them bruised and extremely sore. Yet they have to be able to continue to fulfill their daily demands in order to graduate. Knowing the correct pressure and therapy to apply for any given area is crucial to an effective outcome. This is an example of results recruits experienced: "I was sooo sore after our PT yesterday! After my massage session last night I woke up today with NO soreness. I was able to go through the academy today as though I had never been sore yesterday." "It (the massage session) was awesome! I have not been able to find a massage therapist who knew how to use the right pressure. The pressure you gave was just right--strong enough in the right areas, and light enough in the others." Foot Therapy for Bunionette This testimonial written by Ada Miller Evans on February 8, 2008 On September 16, 2005, my primary care physician tentatively diagnosed my foot condition as a bunionette (bunion of the little toe) and sent me to a specialist, who confirmed via x-ray that I did indeed have a bunionette, the cause of which he declared "Bad genes," even though there was no such history of foot problems in my family and despite the fact that my foot problems had begun with my wearing a new pair of sneakers, the side seams of which rubbed against my little toe, especially on my right foot, which is bit larger than my left one. The foot specialist recommended surgery involving shattering my little toe and reconstructing it via a pin; this surgery would have sidelined me for at least a month, the sidelining including not driving as the bunionette was on my right foot. Being self-employed, such a long-term sidelining would have meant no income for the period of recovery – not to mention the pain involved. Prior to diagnosis, my pain levels were so high that I often could not wear any shoes nor walk any distance greater than a few blocks. I found myself teaching my classes in my bare feet, often with my foot propped up on a chair, just to get through my working day. Driving had also become problematic: using the car's accelerator and applying the brake with my right foot was becoming more and more painful, very nearly impossible to tolerate, even with megadoses of ibuprofen. In addition, my limp, caused by the excruciating pain, had become quite pronounced. As a result, I was walking in a lopsided manner, putting stress on my lower back. Thankfully, I knew of Mary Wilkerson of Vienna Massage Therapy! In the fall of 2005, over the period of a month, I had eight sessions with Mary, specifically devoted to the foot therapy protocol she has devised, drawing on the training she has received in medical massage. I admit that I was, at first, skeptical about the treatments; I simply did not believe that a medical massage therapist's 'foot therapy' sessions could cure my bunionette. Was I ever wrong! Upon concluding those eight treatments, my life returned to normal. Absolutely normal. For Thanksgiving vacation that year, we traveled to southern California for a vacation. I walked miles and miles, and with my shoes on. I have had no need to see a doctor again for my bunionette. I've had no recurrence of the bunionette. ~ Ada Miller Evans |