Testimonials"Working With Mary Has Changed My Life" I will never go back to life before regular massage therapy. I thought constant pain in my lower back and aches and pains elsewhere were just part of middle-age. Working with Mary has changed my life, through both stress-relieving massage and medical massage. I'm a lot nicer to my family because her relaxation massages keep my body more limber, enable me to go about my daily activities without pain, and restore my sense of well-being. When my lower back has gone out, or when I've gotten tendonitis from too much working out, Mary's medical massage techniques have restored healthy function to my back, knees and elbows more quickly than my usual approach (just wait it out and hope it gets better). Mary is a top-notch professional, has a wide range of experience and continuing education, and is very responsive to my requests, whether it's working with my shifting schedule or developing a variety of approaches to healing cranky muscles. Massage therapy for me is no longer "a luxury"--it's a basic part of keeping myself healthy--for me and for my family. ~ Cathy Diaz, March 26, 2008 "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 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 |