What Makes You a Medical Fitness Facility?
Facility Name: Dynamic Touch Massage Experts
Owner: Kathy Flippin
Location: Orange County, CA – Costa Mesa and Laguna Niguel
Website: www.dynamictouchmassage.com
MFN Member Since: the beginning!
Owner Kathy Flippin
How did you hear about MFN?
Lisa Dougherty (MFN founder) and I are friends, and we naturally became brainstorming partners 4 years ago! Because so many people are living with arthritis, heart disease, cancer and diabetes, I instantly saw the place that MFN can have in the marketplace for consumers, especially baby boomers. There are millions of people who need more sophisticated practitioners to provide them with massage and fitness training. And there are many practitioners with those skills; they just need a way to be found. MFN is what will make these connections possible.
What types of classes or services does your facility offer to help those with chronic disease/medical conditions or who need pre & postnatal care?
Massage Therapy for prenatal, cancer, sports, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other medically sensitive individuals
What sets you apart from other facilities like yours in your community?
Very few therapists know how to keep a client safe and still address muscle issues. Often, when a therapist doesn’t know how to address a client’s needs, they will tell the client “you shouldn’t have a massage with that condition”, instead they should say “I don’t have the skills to give you a massage with that condition”. It is correct that many people should not have Swedish or deep tissue massage. But everyone can always be touched within safety guidelines. We’re trained to know what spots to avoid, where to work firm or gently, and how to position a client around painful areas.
How many fitness, wellness and allied healthcare professionals do you have working at your facility? Tell us about their education and specialties.
We have around 10 expert therapists on our team. Each has their own unique combination of training, including Orthopedic Massage, High Risk Prenatal, Burn Scar Therapy, Lymphatic Drainage, and Oncology Massage (for those in treatment and in survivorship), and too many more to list!
Please share a success story from someone who has received services from a professional at your facility.
“Patty is very knowledgeable and kind! She gave me pre-natal massages right up until the week before I gave birth and I always felt so much better. I had seen two prior masseuses for pre-natal massage and the experience with both was lackluster – as though they were afraid to do much massage in case something went wrong. I truly appreciate Patty’s expertise, excellent massage with the perfect pressure, as well as her kind and gentle manner. Thanks!!” –Annie G.
Does your business support any community activities in your area and if so, what are they and why?
Our therapists donate their time in various ways. For example, Denise does hand and foot massage for patients during their chemotherapy infusions. Patty and her Golden Retriever, Maggie, work as a therapy dog team visiting medical and rehabilitative facilities in and around Orange County. Also, our group always donates gift certificates to local charities for fundraising. One of our favorites is Challenged Athlete’s Foundation- we are so inspired by their message of focusing on what we CAN do, rather than dwelling on what we CAN’T do.
What would you like to see change/develop/emerge in the future of healthcare and the fitness / allied healthcare industry?
I would like to see massage therapy have two recognized tracks for licensure: One for Spa Massage (recreational relaxation) and one for Medical Massage (therapeutic and wellness care). At this point, most governing bodies in the US are regulating at a Spa Massage education level. By having an additional license category for Medical massage with higher education requirements, as they have in Canada, consumers would be able to more consistently find the type of care they need, and may lead to better insurance reimbursement practices.
And what is your business doing to make this happen?
We try to bring awareness of the massage regulatory process whenever possible by participating in city, county and state regulatory meetings to represent our industry. We would like to guide the establishment of massage regulations that protect the consumers, make enforcement easier, and allow business owners to operate without undue burden.
View Dynamic Touch Massage’s MFN Facility page >>
