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Ozero Massage & Wellness, Statesville, NC (2026)

07/30/2026

I hope you’re doing well.
I’m now offering a beautiful fusion of neuromuscular/ lymphatic drainage customized massage and Swe-Thailand stretching or machine vacuum cupping if needed, Reiki, and yoga/pilates fusion classes/ rehabilitation after injuries and surgeries. Whatever you need for your well-being.
It builds perfectly on the work you’ve already enjoyed with me.
Small, welcoming groups or in person. First session is easy and pressure-free.
Just reply or text “Yes” or let me know if you have questions.
All sessions will take place in Statesville at my beautiful property.

11/23/2021

🔈WHAT IS T4 SYNDROME?

T4 syndrome, also known as Upper Thoracic Syndrome refers to the pain in the upper back and is a much under-recognized or diagnosed condition. The spinal cord is divided into 5 segments: Cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccyx. The cervical segment has 7 segments (C1-C7), the thoracic has 12 segments (T1-T12), the lumbar has 5 segments (L1-L5), the sacral also has 5 segments which are fused (S1-S5), the coccyx has only 1 segment.

T4 syndrome typically indicates pain in the 4th vertebrae of the thoracic segment of the spine. T4 syndrome is 3-4 times more common in females than in males.

💡 The Typical Symptoms of T4 Syndrome or Upper Thoracic Syndrome Include:

➡️ Diffused pain in arms
➡️ Paraesthesia in whole arm or the fore-arm
➡️ Extreme hot or cold temperatures of hand
➡️ Heavy feeling in the upper extremities
➡️ Non-dermatomal pains or aches in the forearm or arm
➡️ A crushing or tight band like pain
➡️ Recurrent complain of discontinuous pain in and around the scapular region or posterior thoracic pain
➡️ Sensations like tingling of pins or needles or numbness of the arm.

💡 What Can Cause T4 Syndrome or Upper Thoracic Syndrome?

The reason for the development of T4 syndrome depends on injury to the T4 segment of the spinal cord due to repeated bending, arching, lifting or twisting type of movement thus causing injury to the facet joints in that area. It can also be caused due to poor posture like protruding the head forward while sitting or standing, and slouching. It is common in people with cervical lordosis or cervico-thoracic kyphosis.

Women are more prone to develop the syndrome due to their structural differences from men. As the breasts develop, there is an increase in the amount of weight in the frontal part and to maintain that many would bend a little forward. The heavier the breast, the chances are more to develop T4 syndrome in women.

Treatment for T4 Syndrome or Upper Thoracic Syndrome
The treatment of T4 Syndrome solely depends on physiotherapy. An experienced physiotherapist will provide manual therapy with an impairment based approach. The sessions would start with manual therapy and slowly would progress to home exercise. The sessions would include some or combinations of the following techniques:

➡️ Joint manipulation and mobilization of the thoracic and cervical spine
➡️ Soft tissue massage
➡️ Taping or bracing
➡️ Electrotherapy viz., ultrasound or laser
➡️ Dry needling
➡️ Training in Pilates
➡️ Postural correction
➡️ Stretching
➡️ Exercises for flexibility and stabilization of the core

11/05/2021

Sports, motivation and massage: an interview with Michael Phelps
/Massage Therapy Journal/

10/22/2021

🔊 SCIATICA

WHAT IS SCIATICA?

💡 Sciatica is the result of a neurological problem in the back or an entrapped nerve in the pelvis or buttock. There are a set of neurological symptoms such as:

➡️ Pain (intense pain in the buttock)
➡️ Lumbosacral radicular leg pain
➡️ Numbness
➡️ Muscular weakness
➡️ Gait dysfunction
➡️ Sensory impairment
➡️ Sensory disturbance
➡️ Hot and cold or tinglings or burning sensations in the legs
➡️ Reflex impairment
➡️ Paresthesias or dysesthesias and oedema in the lower extremity that can be caused by the irritation of the sciatic nerves (the lumbar nerve L4 and L5 and the sacral nerves S1,S2 and S3)

CAUSES OF PAIN

💡 Pain is a result of irritation of the sciatic nerve. it can be constant or intermittend. The pain may be worsened by certain movements like coughing or sneezing (these movements increase the intra abdominal pressure). Sitting, bending, prolonged standing or rising from a sitting position can aggravate or increase the pain.

PAIN PATTERNS

💡 In regards to relief the pain, the supine position decreases the pressure on the herniated disc and will subsequently decrease pain. Pain is located along the distribution of the nerve and can be felt in the back, buttocks, knee and leg. It only radiates to one side of the leg and can result in reduced power, reflexes and sensation in the nerve root. Also gait dysfunction (toe walking, foot drop and knee buckling), paresthesias or dysesthesias are frequent neurological symptoms.

SYMPTOMS BASED ON NERVE COMPRESSION

💡 Sciatica can be caused by the compression or irritation of nerve L4, L5, S1, S2 and S3. The sciatica symptoms depend on which nerve is compressed or irritated.

◾ L4: When the L4 nerve is compressed or irritated the patient feels pain, tingling and numbnessiIn the thigh. The patient also feels weak when straightening the leg and may have a diminished knee jerk reflex.

◾ L5: When the L5 nerve is compressed or irritated the pain, tingling and numbness may extend to the foot and big toes.

◾ S1: When the S1 nerve is compressed or irritated the patient feels pain, tingling and numbness on the outer part of the foot. The patient also experiences weakness when elevating the heel off the ground and standing on tiptoes. The ankle jerk reflex may be diminished.

source: B.W Koes, M.W Van Tulder, W.C Peul. Diagnosis and treatment of sciatica. BMJ.

09/07/2021

💛
Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones.

But no. Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food. You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal.

A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety and has tended the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts, Mead said."
Be civilized.

09/02/2021

🔈 LEVATOR SCAPULAE MUSCLE RELATED NECK PAIN

The Levator Scapulae muscles are located on either side of the neck. They originate on the four upper vertebrae of the cervical spine (neck) and insert, or attach, to the scapula, also known as the shoulder blade at the superior, medial border. These two muscles are involved in elevation, downward rotation and abduction of the scapulae. They are also involved in flexion and extension of the cervical spine(neck), turning of the neck slightly left and right, along with side bending of the neck left and right.

When you wake up in the morning with a crick in your neck, feel a burning pain on the top inner corner of your shoulder blade, or have trouble turning your head to look behind you while driving etc., the culprit may be a Levator Scapula muscle in spasm. The pain can be described as a throbbing, ache, or tightness, and usually presents from the top inner corner of the shoulder blade up along the neck.

🔒 What Causes Levator Scapula Spasm / Trigger Points?

A trigger point is a tight area within muscle tissue that causes pain in that area and/or other parts of the body. The trigger points are shown above as two dark red circles, with the pain referral area also shaded in. Muscle spasm is a tightening of a muscle usually, due to overuse or overstress. It can in itself cause pain and loss of mobility. The following events and activities are likely to activate, or reactivate, tension / pain and trigger points in the levator scapulae.

- whiplash from an automobile accident
- sleeping on the stomach with the head turned/or sleeping in an odd position
- chilling of the muscle during sleep from an air conditioner or draft from an open window
- working at a computer with the head turned for long periods
- holding a phone between the shoulder and ear
- carrying a heavy bag with a shoulder strap
- use of crutches that are too tall and elevate the shoulder
- emotional and mental stress
- Working with your arms raised above your head for prolonged periods of time can also irritate the Levator Scapula. To help reduce neck pain, stabilize your shoulder blade when you raise your arm.
- poor posture with a forward head position puts this muscle under continuous strain causing overuse.

Usually the condition settles after a few days if it is only a once off. Proper hands-on deep tissue massage and dry needling, when used together, can be great to settle the condition either in the short term, or if the condition has become more chronic. Also for the long term, correcting posture, stretching and strengthening of the upper back(particularly middle / lower traps, serratus posterior, rhomboids etc.) and the neck muscles(specifically the posterior neck muscles) can help prevent the condition from returning.

Posture is key to a healthy neck and spine. Try and sit up straight on a comfortable supportive chair, when at work or at home, allowing the shoulders to relax by using the arm rests of the chair. When at a computer, pull the screen close and try to get it up to eye level (say using books underneath it), so your head doesn’t have to be coming forward. The same applies when driving a car. Pull the seat in close to the steering wheel(within reason),and try to position yourself so the shoulders are relaxed and the head isn’t jutting forward. Activities like reading in bed, playing computer games for hours etc. can really tighten up the levator muscles and are a disaster for thoracic and cervical posture in the long term.

07/26/2021

🔈 WHAT DO YOUR FEET TELL YOU?

👣 The feet tell you a lot about what’s happening above them, at rest and during movement.

↪️ The posture (position) your feet are in is the result of what’s happening upstream. Your foot position is intimately related to how well you control the position of your pelvis and how well your hips are able to function as a result of this.

➡️ The stability, strength, and control of your hips and pelvic musculature determines whether you can maintain control of every joint beneath them, and therefore maintain the desired position of your joints at rest and during movement.

🔑 It comes down to having control over your joints, and attaining/maintaining the desired joint positions as you move.

👣 The feet can grant your body a huge amount of stability IF they are in a good position. If you can use your hips and pelvic control to get your feet where you want them, then they have a huge amount of intrinsic muscles that can work to your advantage. But the feet need to be in a desirable position (posture) in order to work optimally.

🔑 All of this can be worked on and changed. The body changes and adapts to what you expose it to. Learning to control your body requires attention and focus at the start, but is essential for overall musculoskeletal/joint health.

06/30/2021

🔈 WHY ARE THE PSOAS MUSCLES CONSTANTLY CONTRACTED DURING PROLONGED PERIODS OF STRESS?

Whether you run, bike, dance, practice yoga, or just hang out on your couch, your psoas muscles are involved. That’s because your psoas muscles are the primary connectors between your torso and your legs. They affect your posture and help to stabilise your spine.

The psoas muscles are made of both slow and fast twitching muscles. Because they are major flexors, weak psoas muscles can cause many of the surrounding muscles to compensate and become overused. That is why a tight or overstretched psoas muscle could be the cause of many or your aches and pains, including low back and pelvic pain.

👩‍🔬 ANATOMY

Structurally, your psoas muscles are the deepest muscles in your core. They attach from your 12th thoracic vertebrae to your 5 lumbar vertebrae, through your pelvis and then finally attach to your femurs. In fact, they are the only muscles that connect your spine to your legs.

Your psoas muscles allow you to bend your hips and legs towards your chest, for example when you are going up stairs. They also help to move your leg forward when you walk or run.

Your psoas muscles are the muscles that flex your trunk forward when bend over to pick up something from the floor. They also stabilize your trunk and spine during movement and sitting.

👩‍🔬 THE PSOAS AND FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE

The psoas muscles support your internal organs and work like hydraulic pumps allowing blood and lymph to be pushed in and out of your cells.

Your psoas muscles are vital not only to your structural well-being, but also to your psychological well-being because of their connection to your breath.

Here’s why: there are two tendons for the diaphragm (called the crura) that extend down and connect to the spine alongside where the psoas muscles attach. One of the ligaments (the medial arcuate) wraps around the top of each psoas. Also, the diaphragm and the psoas muscles are connected through fascia that also connects the other hip muscles.

These connections between the psoas muscle and the diaphragm literally connect your ability to walk and breathe, and also how you respond to fear and excitement. That’s because, when you are startled or under stress, your psoas contracts.

In other words, your psoas has a direct influence on your fight or flight response!

During prolonged periods of stress, your psoas is constantly contracted. The same contraction occurs when you:

➡️ sit for long periods of time
➡️ engage in excessive running or walking
➡️ sleep in the fetal position
➡️ do a lot of sit-ups

💡 Here are some tips for getting your psoas back in balance:

✔️ Avoid sitting for extended periods
✔️ Add support to your car seat
✔️ Try Resistance Flexibility exercises
✔️ Get a professional massage
✔️ Release stress and past traumas
✔️ Stretch

💡 HOW TO STRETCH

Roller Psoas Stretch
Use a foam roller for this passive, relaxing stretch that lengthens your psoas, one of your deep hip flexors.

1. Place the roller perpendicular to your spine and lie with your sacrum (the back of your pelvis) — not your spine — on the roller.
2. Pull your left knee toward your chest, keeping your right heel on the ground. You should feel a stretch on the front of your right hip.
3. To increase the stretch, reach your right arm over your head and open your left knee slightly out to the left.
Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs. Repeat as needed.

05/03/2021

Why You Need to Get Mom a Mmassage Gift Certificate this Mother's Day...

You love your mom, right? You want to use Mother’s Day to show her just how much you care and appreciate everything she does for you. So, you don’t want to be giving her gifts that scream ‘no effort’- you want to put a little thought into what will make her happy.

You could just buy chocolate – but come on, she can buy that for herself and she’s probably on a diet anyway. When you buy your mom chocolates for Mother’s Day, what you’re really doing is hoping she’ll eat a few of the, say “I can’t have any more, I’ll get fat” and pass you the box to finish. That’s crafty, but not the best gift for the most important woman in your life.

Really, Mom wants to be spoiled and pampered on Mother’s Day. And let’s be honest here, she also needs a break from you. Give your Mom what she really wants for a change – leave chocolates in the store and invest in a gift certificate from Where Soul Meets Body instead. That way, she’ll be a happy Mom, a relaxed Mom, and you will get a shot at being the favorite child for a while…🙌😉

04/01/2021

🔈 LOW BACK PAIN EXERCISES

Exercises that stretch and strengthen the muscles of your abdomen and spine can help prevent back problems. Strong back and abdominal muscles help you keep good posture, with your spine in its correct position.

If your muscles are tight, take a warm shower or bath before doing the exercises. Exercise on a rug or mat. Wear loose clothing. Don’t wear shoes. Stop doing any exercise that causes pain until you have talked with your healthcare provider.

Ask your provider or physical therapist to help you develop an exercise program. Ask your provider how many times a week you need to do the exercises. Remember to start slowly.

These exercises are intended only as suggestions. Be sure to check with your provider before starting the exercises.

✅ Quadruped arm and leg raise

Get down on your hands and knees. Pull in your belly button and tighten your abdominal muscles to stiffen your spine. While keeping your abdominals tight, raise one arm and the opposite leg away from you. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Lower your arm and leg slowly and change sides. Do this 10 times on each side.

✅ Gluteal stretch

Lie on your back with both knees bent. Rest your right ankle over the knee of your left leg. Grasp the thigh of the left leg and pull toward your chest. You will feel a stretch along the buttocks and possibly along the outside of your hip. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Then repeat the exercise with your left ankle over your right knee. Do the exercise 3 times with each leg.

✅ Pelvic tilt

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Pull your belly button in towards your spine and push your lower back into the floor, flattening your back. Hold this position for 15 seconds, then relax. Repeat 5 to 10 times.

✅ Partial curl

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Draw in your abdomen and tighten your stomach muscles. With your hands stretched out in front of you, curl your upper body forward until your shoulders clear the floor. Hold this position for 3 seconds. Don't hold your breath. It helps to breathe out as you lift your shoulders. Relax back to the floor. Repeat 10 times. Build to 2 sets of 15. To challenge yourself, clasp your hands behind your head and keep your elbows out to your sides.

✅ Extension exercise

* Lie face down on the floor for 5 minutes. If this hurts too much, lie face down with a pillow under your stomach. This should relieve your leg or back pain. When you can lie on your stomach for 5 minutes without a pillow, you can continue with Part B of this exercise.

* After lying on your stomach for 5 minutes, prop yourself up on your elbows for another 5 minutes. If you can do this without having more leg or buttock pain, you can start doing part C of this exercise.

* Lie on your stomach with your hands under your shoulders. Then press down on your hands and extend your elbows while keeping your hips flat on the floor. Hold for 1 second and lower yourself to the floor. Do 3 to 5 sets of 10 repetitions. Rest for 1 minute between sets. You should have no pain in your legs when you do this, but it is normal to feel some pain in your lower back. Do this exercise several times a day.

✅ Cat and camel

Get down on your hands and knees. Let your stomach sag, allowing your back to curve downward. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Then arch your back and hold for 5 seconds. Do 2 sets of 15.

🚫 EXERCISES TO AVOID

It’s best to avoid the following exercises because they strain the lower back:

Exercises in which you lie on your back and raise and lower both legs together

Full sit-ups or sit-ups with straight legs

Hip twists

Ozero Massage & Wellness

07/30/2026

11/23/2021

11/05/2021

10/22/2021

09/07/2021

09/02/2021

07/26/2021

06/30/2021

05/03/2021

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