![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/11\/virginia_touhey_v-225x300.jpg\")
By Christine Graf<\/p>\nBy Christine Graf<\/p>\n
After graduating from the Swedish Institute, a massage therapy school in New York City, Albany native Virginia Touhey, embarked on a decades-long career as a massage therapist. The owner of Fascial Connections, Touhey has offices in Clifton Park and Saratoga.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got into this about 30 years ago just kind of by accident,\u201d she said. \u201cI had been working as a carpenter for about 10 years, and I was in between jobs. I heard about this massage school in New York City, so I went to check it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rest is history, and Touhey worked for Stratton Mountain Sports Center and the Crystal Spa in Saratoga before venturing out on her own. Although she started her career doing Swedish massage, she now specializes in myofascial release (MFR), a technique that involves the application of gentle, sustained pressure to myofascial connective tissue\u2014the tissue that wraps, connects, and supports muscles. By applying sustained pressure to trigger points in the connective tissue, MFR can help to reduce pain, release tightness, and improve circulation and mobility. MFR has been shown to be particularly effective in improving pain and physical function in patients with chronic lower back pain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n An Advanced Myofascial Release Therapist, Touhey was about five years into her career as a massage therapist when she received her MFR training from John Barnes, an internationally renowned physical therapist. A leading authority of MFR, Barnes has trained more than 100,000 therapists and physicians.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cA lot of times you will see on someone\u2019s business card or on their website that they do myofascial release, but that could mean they took a one-day class,\u201d said Touhey. \u201cI\u2019ve had about 150 hours of training, and I\u2019ve worked side-by-side with John Barnes.\u201d<\/p>\n Many of Touhey\u2019s clients suffer from pain, both acute and chronic. Common complaints include back pain, shoulder pain, and neck pain.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cI help people with their pain, and I work a lot on mobility,\u201d she said. \u201cI work in a similar way to other massage therapists. It\u2019s just that once I start working, I work to address the connective tissue.\u201d<\/p>\n Touhey said that people are surprised to learn that MFR can be used to treat a wide variety of health concerns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTMJ is a big one, and believe it or not, so is acid reflux. People don\u2019t understand that acid reflux can be from a stuck core.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Touhey, she also works with athletes, those with injuries or mobility issues.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone might say their leg is just not striking the ground well when they are running or that their shoulders are not rotating fully when they swing the golf club. It\u2019s usually an imbalance in their mobility, and I can improve their athletic ability by improving their mobility.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of Touhey\u2019s clients aren\u2019t suffering from an identifiable ailment, instead reporting that something in their body feels \u201cstuck\u201d and needs release. It is something she experienced herself many years ago when working in construction.<\/p>\n \u201cMy back felt stuck, and it needed to be released. It really needed to be opened up,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen people tell me they feel stuck, I\u2019m happy to unstick them and make them more mobile in their life.\u201d<\/p>\n Although some individuals experience noticeable results after just one 60-minute session, Touhey encourages people to have realistic expectations. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSometimes it is one and done, but a lot of times people will come in with a chronic situation that has flared up but that has been going on for a year,\u201d she said. \u201cYou aren\u2019t going to have one 60-minute session with me and say that it\u2019s been fixed. If someone really wants to get rid of their pain, I suggest that they start out by coming once a week for two or three weeks. I am also very adamant about giving them homework–things that they can do at home to myofascially stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to practicing MFR, Touhey is receiving training in lymphatic drainage massage. A specialized technique designed to stimulate the flow of lymph fluids through the body\u2019s lymphatic system, lymphatic drainage massage can aid in the removal of waste and toxins from tissues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn layman\u2019s terms, that will allow me to address issues with swelling. After a person has surgery, I would work on scar tissue connective-wise and on the swelling lymphatic-wise.\u201d<\/p>\n Touhey\u2019s offices are located a 6 Franklin Square in Saratoga Springs and 306 Grooms Road in Clifton Park.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Christine Graf After graduating from the Swedish Institute, a massage therapy school in New York City, Albany native Virginia Touhey, embarked on a decades-long career as a massage therapist. The owner of Fascial Connections, Touhey has offices in Clifton Park and Saratoga. \u201cI got into this about 30 years ago just kind of by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":40198,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellness"],"yoast_head":"\r\n