'Therapy on the Rocks' the western Myofascial Release Treatment Center would like to spotlight one of our therapists, Mya Rueda, PT, DPT.
Mya was born and raised in Alaska. She moved to Arizona and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Anatomy/Biology at Grand Canyon University. She then went on to earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree from Arizona School of Health Sciences, (a branch of A.T. Stills University). Her work experience includes orthopedics, aquatics, and equine assisted therapy. Mya has worked with all age groups from pediatrics to geriatrics, with a wide range of diagnoses, in a variety of settings.
Robert Maggio, PT, Director
‘Therapy on the Rocks’
“I was first introduced to myofascial release while working
in a traditional out patient orthopedic setting. My colleague was treating a patient that had a plateau with traditional therapy so several of us were called in to “hold a limb” and “follow the motion.” The patient then went into an unwinding which replicated the fall down a flight of stairs
that had caused her injuries. This very stoic, professional businesswoman also had a significant emotional release. I was curious about what I had witnessed because it was unlike anything that I had ever seen. The next day the patient returned verbalizing and demonstrating astonishing gains. This made me want to understand the process even more but my boss made it very clear that she only did that type of treatment when she had to and did not want to discuss it further. While I understood that what I had observed was out of the ordinary I also knew that the benefits that the patient reported were also out of the ordinary. I was intrigued.”
“Years later I attended a seminar taught by a well known physical therapist. The method that he was discussing sounded somewhat like what I had seen but the demonstrations that he gave did not. I wasn’t really sure what he was teaching and I wasn’t really sure what I had observed years earlier so I asked him if he could explain to me the difference between unwinding and what he was doing. I sometimes ask the wrong questions to the wrong person at exactly the wrong time. He exploded. I triggered such a strong response that, although it was negative against myofascial release, I knew that I had to find out who this John Barnes man was and what technique he might be doing to make this therapist so upset.”
“It was these two powerful experiences that led me to take one of John’s classes. I arrived as a physical therapist, looking for tools to put into my traditional therapy toolbox, to help my patients. I even braved the crowd and went on stage in my sports bra and shorts (the horror) to learn a technique for one of my patients. As John worked on me I remember thinking what a great therapist he was, I could feel my body moving but knew that I wasn’t doing it so he must be, but he was so subtle. Then my eyes started doing REM. Now that’s weird, I thought, how is he making my eyes do REM? I can’t even make that happen myself. For the rest of the seminar I felt like I was both in a cognitive fog and my senses were clearer than they had ever been, at the same time. When I would work on others, I could feel things I hadn’t before and amazing things would occur. The next day I realized that the pains in my jaw and hip, that I had learned to live with and ignore, were gone. I am a ‘I have to see it to believe it’ type of girl. I felt changes in myself that I hadn’t even realized needed to be changed. I was hooked.”
“I came looking to help others what I got instead was like a giant slap technique to my own body followed by a new lens through which to view the world.”
“On the drive home from that first seminar I knew that I had found my purpose. The gift of that is beyond words. Thank you, John. I did not know how easily things would fall into place now that I was on the right path.”
“I was so excited about this life altering experience. I started thinking about the people in my life that I could help. I wasn’t sure of how to articulate what I had learned but I knew that I had to share it. One of the people that came to mind was my neighbor. I’m not sure why she popped into my short list of people to share this with. I barely knew her and rarely ever saw her. Now how was I going to articulate what I had learned? When I drove into my driveway she was standing there wanting to talk to me. I started to tell her about my experience and she, without knowing anything about myofascial release, was immediately excited and knew exactly what I was talking about. Her cancer was terminal and she had just finished the last experimental study that she could participate in. She allowed me to treat her and, although I was new at this work, I was able to facilitate phenomenal changes. For example, she reported feeling connected to her abdominal region, which she had disassociated with when first diagnosed with cancer in that area. Her energy level changed allowing her to be able to do her ADL’s and even take an important trip she otherwise would not have been able to make. She was able to do more of her activities of daily living with more ease. This was just the beginning.”
“I was so excited about this new work but not sure how effective it would be in the traditional physical therapy setting that I was working in. I worked in a very busy practice in which the many therapists performed manual therapy on tables surrounding a large gym full of activity and people. The strangest thing happened, myofascial release continued to work. My patients immediately noticed a difference in my manual techniques without me saying a word. Their results also spoke for the work.”
“Prior to taking John’s seminars I had wanted to start my own practice in order to be able to provide high quality, one-on-one patient care. But I felt like I was missing something. This new found knowledge in JFB Myofascial release and John’s encouraging words were all that I needed to take the plunge. So I did. During courses John often says that if you are willing to start your own practice with this work you should be prepared for it to take off. And it did.”
“During one of my frequent visits to Sedona I thought about how much I would love for myself and my family to live in Sedona. Growing up in Alaska, I wished for my children to also be raised around trees and play in the dirt. Despite the many reasons that could never happen, I put it out there I then returned to the real world. My husband laughed at my ‘let’s move to Sedona’ idea. I did the opposite of what I would usually have done and did not push the issue.”
“I was so busy with my business, too busy. I could feel that a shift was about to occur. I just wasn’t sure how it would transpire. I thought that it would come in the form of making some major changes such as renting larger space and hiring more help. I wasn’t sure of the best way to proceed. I asked for help.”
“The opportunity at Therapy on the Rocks presented itself again. This time, my husband’s laughter did not last as long; he took pause and listened to my reasoning, then applied for a job in the region. Things fell into place in such a way that it was blatantly obvious that moving to Sedona was the correct path for us.”
“I love being a member of the ‘Therapy on the Rocks’ team. I bring with me my own experiences, my education, and my passion for this work. I am honored to be working side by side with the leading professionals and most talented therapists in my field. I am grateful to the patients that allow me to play a role in their transformations.”
Mya Rueda, PT, DPT
Myofascial Release Treatment Center in Paoli, Pennsylvania will be offering a special FREE
presentation to Nurse Practitioners in the Delaware Valley Area in the spring of 2010!
Myofascial Release Treatment Center in Paoli, Pennsylvania will be offering a special FREE
presentation to Nurse Practitioners in the Delaware Valley Area in the spring of 2010!
This special presentation may help you identify why your difficult patients are not responding to
treatment, Myofascial restrictions may be blocking their recovery. We will teach you how to treat
your patients with Myofascial Release to eliminate their pain, headaches, and reduce the symptoms
of fibromyalgia, and when it is appropriate to refer your patients for our specialized help. The
presentation will take place on Saturday, March 27, 2010 from 9:00AM – 1:00PM at our Eastern
Myofascial Release Treatment Center, 222 West Lancaster Avenue, Paoli, PA 19301.
We welcome all Nurse Practitioners to attend this informative event. Please RSVP by February 26,
2010 to Valerie@myofascialrelease.com or 1-800-327-2425 x 13.
Myofascial Release Treatment Center in Paoli Presents In-Services to Local Doctors
Several of our Physical Therapists recently provided free-in-services to local physicians and nurses
demonstrating and lecturing on the benefits of Myofascial Release. Hands-on instruction, brief
treatments and a PowerPoint presentation all contributed to successful in-services with the ultimate
benefit being an increased in awareness of Myofascial Release in the Philadelphia area and an increase
in patient referrals to our Center.
in a traditional out patient orthopedic setting. My colleague was treating a patient that had a plateau with traditional therapy so several of us were called in to “hold a limb” and “follow the motion.” The patient then went into an unwinding which replicated the fall down a flight of stairs
that had caused her injuries. This very stoic, professional businesswoman also had a significant emotional release. I was curious about what I had witnessed because it was unlike anything that I had ever seen. The next day the patient returned verbalizing and demonstrating astonishing gains. This made me want to understand the process even more but my boss made it very clear that she only did that type of treatment when she had to and did not want to discuss it further. While I understood that what I had observed was out of the ordinary I also knew that the benefits that the patient reported were also out of the ordinary. I was intrigued.”
