Introducing: Kristine Breganio - Licences Massage Therapist
Greetings, all!
Kristine Breganio here, Licensed Massage Therapist and new addition to the team at Precision training. Some of you may have already met me in your classes or training at the gym and I am excited to get to work with you in your fitness journeys. Since completing the massage program at Harper College over four years ago, I have developed a keen interest in using manual therapy to help my clients reduce pain, recover from or prevent injuries, and maintain or regain function and flexibility. While I have clinical experience both in chiropractic and physical therapy settings, I have had more successful outcomes using a holistic approach with massage--working on whole regions rather than spot treating a problem area. When I finished my fitness assessment here at Precision, I could see that I found a place that follows a similar philosophy.
Before becoming a massage therapist I worked for six years as a customer service agent in the Logistics industry. I wasn’t an active person by any means, but I started to suffer from aches and pains, mostly from sitting for eight plus hours a day at the computer. I found that strengthening my upper back and shoulder muscles relieved the neck pain and headaches that plagued me constantly. Furthermore, I was unhappy with the work. I hated being micromanaged, having to deal with office politics, and the stress. I decided I needed a career change, but I didn’t know where to start. I started researching other career paths, took some personality tests and even started taking classes to prepare me for…
Occupational Therapy.
However, I had no previous experience in health science. I wanted to dip my toe in first and really take some time learning about the human body and how it works. I took the Intro to Massage Therapy seminar at Harper, and decided to enroll in the program. Taking a hands-on approach to learning about the muscles helped the anatomy really stick for me, and I liked the problem solving and experimentative aspect of applying my knowledge to address a client’s concerns.
In addition to pain management, injury prevention and recovery, massage therapy has many other benefits. It can help to improve circulation of both blood and lymph, helping the body with its immune response. Massage can activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, helping the recipient feel more relaxed and less stressed. The parasympathetic nervous system is in charge of your body’s “rest and digest” response, so when you are less stressed, your body can focus on performing these functions that are important to your well-being. Another benefit is reduced muscle tension, which can lead to improved posture and increased flexibility. There are countless benefits, and to me as a therapist, there is no greater feeling than helping to improve function in my client’s body, which I hope I can do for you when we work together.
Currently, I have experience with deep tissue, trigger point therapy, Swedish and Hawaiian Lomi-Lomi techniques, as well as assisted stretching, sports massage, and Thai-Shiatsu. I am hoping to add cupping and more instrument assisted techniques in the future to better serve you. If you have any questions about my work, don’t hesitate to ask me or try out an intro session! My work is usually therapeutic, meaning I will employ a variety of techniques to address your tissues and tailor the session to your needs. I have already gotten to work on the trainers and a few of the members, and I can tell you all are a hard working bunch. I can’t wait to meet more of you and help you feel and perform your best!