Maura’s awesome.  Between playing sports and working a desk job, I deal with tons of muscle strain and tension, but Maura can work magic in just one or 2 sessions.  Her use of deep pressure isvery effective without being painful like some massages I’ve had, and she is incredible at pinpointing and relieving my muscle spasms with a combination of stretches and bodywork that feel great both during and after the massage.  I feel comfortable on her table and
completely confident that I’m in good hands.

-J.M.

Maura is very attentive – always sure to ask if her methods are suiting my needs. I love how she is open to trying new methods that she has learned in order to provide the most effective massage. I always leave thinking “Wow.  That is just what I needed!” And I can really feel the difference her massages provide!

-M.C.

Maura is by far the best massage therapist I have seen.  In particular, she is great at listening to  and responding to my unique needs.  I’ve seen her for an especially troublesome and painful shoulder muscle issue that would not respond to other treatments (Advil, ice, heat, etc.).  After an hour of work, Maura had significantly eased the pain in my shoulder and had me back on the playing field the very next day!  I highly recommend her.

-E.K.

I’ve been familiar with Maura Driscoll’s skill as a massage therapist since before her graduation from the Massage Therapy Institute in Cambridge, MA. Since then, I’ve noticed her skills increase substantially. Her solid knowledge of physiology, love of sports and her complementary career as physical trainer,  makes her a great match for any athlete looking for help with preparation or recovery. Maura’s technique and use of leverage are bolstered by her strength which allows her to work deeper than most other therapists. In the last few years, I’ve noticed that her knowledge of deep technique as well as pressure points and other
massage disciplines has made her a much more well-rounded therapist. I look forward to having her work on me in the future.

-E.G.

I used to go to Boston Body Worker and thought they were good….Until they canceled a massage on me the week before I was going to run a marathon! And they could not get me in until it was too late.  In the long run I am soooo glad this happened, as I found Massage Therapy of Boston! The first time Sarah worked on me, I immediately felt better, and knew I was in good hands.  I recently came in and saw Maura, who is new to Massage Therapy of Boston. She is just as good as Sarah!!! My knee has been popping for 4 months due to a muscle imbalance from running. I have tried self physical therapy and stretching but nothing seemed to work. I went to Maura, and two days later the popping stopped!!!! I am sooooo happy. It was just what I needed to loosen up my hips and IT bands to center my knee cap again.  I fully recommend this establishment!!!

-S.B.

Massage Therapy of Boston is very excited to welcome Maura Driscoll to its team!

Maura Driscoll is a 2004 graduate of the Muscular Therapy Institute’s extensive 900 hour training program and a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist.  She is also an ACE certified Personal Trainer and NASM certified Corrective Exercise Specialist. She has her BS in Biology from Drew University where she minored in both Chemistry and Philosophy and was a member of the field hockey and lacrosse teams.  After graduating, she served in the US Peace Corps in Botswana as a science and math teacher for 3 years.  She also coached track and softball at the school in the rural village of Molalatau.

Maura enjoys giving focused massage treatments – helping clients relieve chronic muscle soreness and pain. She incorporates elements of Sports Massage, Deep Tissue, Myofascial Release, and Trigger Point Therapy into her treatments. Maura is certified in Pre- and Post-natal Massage as well. She has a strong knowledge of anatomy and has enjoyed sharing her knowledge as an Instructor at the Cortiva Institute in Watertown.

Having worked in a variety of settings including health clubs and maternity centers, Maura comes to Massage Therapy of Boston with excitement to work in a clinical setting where she can help clients correct muscle and soft tissue restrictions in order to alleviate chronic and acute pain, soreness, and dysfunction.

Maura is a New England native, born and raised in Portsmouth, NH.  She plays women’s flag football and enjoys running.

Massage Therapy of Boston is currently looking for a skilled, personable therapist to join our team.  We are looking for someone who is smart, professional, and has a genuine love of helping others.  Our practice is very different than a spa.  We specialize in working with people in pain and with those who are rehabilitating through injury.  Since our clients often ask that we work at the deepest of pressures, we are looking for a therapist who is comfortable working deeply and site-specifically.

Requirements for this position include:

• Highly adept in the following modalities: Deep Tissue, Sports Massage, Myofascial Release, and Trigger Point Therapy
• Strong understanding of anatomy and kinesiology
• 500+ hours of massage training
• Massachusetts State Certified and professional liability insurance
• Comfortable working deeply and with specific injuries
• Skilled at rebooking clients before they leave the session
• Ability to complete SOAP notes in a timely manner after every session

If you meet all of the above requirements and have a love of helping others, please email your resume and a brief statement about why you’re interested in this position to

info@massagetherapyofboston.com.  We kindly ask for no phone calls, please.  Thank you for your interest!

Local Boston mom, Nicole Witkov, has started Boston Babies to assist all you urban-dwelling moms and dads.  Boston Babies is a great online resource that strives to make raising a baby in the city fun!  A particularly helpful section in Nicole’s blog is a page called “Activities” where she has gathered a large assortment of city-based activities to do with your kids, anything from infant swim classes to mommy boot camps.

Boston Babies is truly a great resource for all you moms and dads out there.   Check it out and thanks for reading!

Massage Therapy of Boston is currently looking for a skilled, personable therapist to join our team.  We are looking for someone who is smart, professional, and has a genuine love of helping others.  Our practice is very different than a spa.  We specialize in working with people in pain and with those who are rehabilitating through injury.  Since our clients often ask that we work at the deepest of pressures, we are looking for a therapist who is comfortable working deeply and site-specifically.

Requirements for this position include:

-Highly adept in the following modalities: Deep Tissue, Sports Massage, Myofascial Release, and Trigger Point Therapy

-Strong understanding of anatomy and kinesiology

-500+ hours of massage training

-Massachusetts State Certified and professional liability insurance

-Comfortable working deeply and with specific injuries

-Skilled at rebooking clients before they leave the session

-Ability to complete SOAP notes in a timely manner after every session

If you meet all of the above requirements and have a love of helping others, please email your resume and a brief statement about why you’re interested in this position to info@massagetherapyofboston.com.  We kindly ask for no phone calls, please.  Thank you for your interest!

While chiropractic care, physical therapy, and massage therapy remain the more “popular” modes of treatment among football players, this new article shows that acupuncture is gaining headway. 

Lisa Ripi, a sought-after acupuncturist, travels the country treating famous NFL stars who say they feel significantly more flexible and in less pain after her work.  Regrettably, Ripi’s clients feel it might still be some time before acupuncture becomes a regular form of treatment for all professional teams.  Some teams still don’t even have a team massage therapist or nutrionist.  However, both Ripi and the players interviewed are confident that teams will head in the direction of alternative forms of therapy, as oftentimes it is only those types of therapies that bring these players relief. 

You can read this very interesting article here: Acupuncturist Lisa Ripi

I really enjoyed the article “Regimens: Massage Benefits are More than Just Skin Deep” in The New York Times a couple weeks ago.  Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA conducted a study on healthy adults receiving massage and discovered positive biological changes after just one session.  Volunteers experienced a decreased level of cortisol, a stress hormone, in their blood and saliva as well as a decreased levels of arginine vasopressin, a hormone which can lead to increased levels of cortisol.  Researchers also found an increase in the number of white blood cells, being essential for healthy immune system functioning. 

Please read more about this study here:

Massage Benefits are More than Skin Deep

To all my faithful blog readers, I apologize for my long absence.  I had a rather crazy summer, but am back to my diligent blogging! 

Thanks to Jim P. for sending me this very fascinating article from the New York Times.  “The Men Who Stare at Screens” discusses how research is now showing that, even with regular excercise, large amounts of time spent sitting at work still increases chances of heart disease.  Sadly, workers who spent their lunch hours diligently sweating at the gym, failed to counteract the ill effects of sitting all day.  When muscles are unused for long periods of time, they change in subtle fashion and, as a result, your chance of heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases is increased.

Researchers suggest looking for subtle ways to decrease your physical inactivity, such as standing up, pacing around the office, changing a light bulb while watching TV, etc.  You can read the full article here:

NY Times: The Men Who Stare at Screens 

There was an extremely fascinating piece on the “Morning Edition” of NPR today.  The item was about Julie Treible, a woman who contracted a common cold and then lost her ability to speak for an entire six weeks.  Every time she tried to speak, she would get dizzy.  She took to communicating with her family by writing on a whiteboard and she felt so left out of her daily activities because no one could hear her or understand her. 

Treible’s issue, called functional dysphonia, is apparently fairly common.  Functional dysphonia is caused when the muscles that control the vocal cords tighten up and lock.  In the case of Treible, her vocal cords were stuck in an open position so when air passed from her lungs, it passed over but not across the vocal cords so no sound could be made.  There are cases of people going without the ability to talk for 2-3 years!

Treible makes a visit to Claudio Milstein, a voice specialist.  Milstein performs a series of soft tissue manipulations in order to loosen up the muscles in her throat around the voice box, as well as in the neck and shoulders.  Milstein also has Treible move her head in certain directions and instructs her to make certain noises like “eeeee” and “ooooo”.  Amazingly within only 7 minutes of massaging Treible’s throat, Milstein is able to release the vocal cords and allow Treible to speak again.  While Treible’s voice is still a bit raspy, the difference is remarkable.  Milstein gives her a set of vocal exercises to do several times a day for the next week to strengthen her vocal cords and to help them stay relaxed.  He says that while Treible’s voice is still a bit raspy now, most of his patients have a full and permanent recovery.

 To listen to this extremely fascinating item, please visit NPR Throat Massage. 

When the body is no longer able to cool itself through sweating, heat stress or heat exhaustion can occur and, in more extreme instances, heat stroke.  Some factors contributing to heat exhaustion are direct exposure to sun, limited air movement, physical exertion often combined with poor physical shape, and an inability to tolerate warm climates.

Knowing the signs of heat exhaustion is very important.  If you feel faint or dizzy, experience weakness, have an upset stomach or are vomiting, or are irritable and foggy-headed, you may be suffering from heat exhaustion.  If your skin is dry and you are not sweating, you feel like you are losing consciousness, or are having seizures or convulsions, you may be suffering from heat stroke and should seek immediate medical attention. 

The best way to prevent heat-related illnesses is to block out direct sunlight, use fans or air conditioners, rest regularly, wear lightweight clothing, avoid alcohol and caffeine, and drink water regularly.  In the recent hot temperatures, be sure you are taking care of yourself.  For more information, visit OSHA Reference Card.