Helping People With Parkinson’s Reduce Pain, Rigidity and Movement Limitations
At Ricky Prevatte Massage, our goal is not simply to give someone with Parkinson’s a massage. Our goal is to identify the muscular and movement problems that are making daily life more difficult and develop an individualized approach to help that person move and feel better.
Ricky Prevatte has been practicing massage therapy since 1983 and has been developing and refining his approach to working with people with Parkinson’s symptoms since 2010.
Our Rock Hill location is centrally located for people traveling from Fort Mill, Rock Hill, York County, Lancaster County and Union County, South Carolina, as well as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area of North Carolina.
A Parkinson’s Protocol That Began in 2010
An important foundation for Ricky’s work began with studying the methods of world-renowned kinesiologist Aaron Mattes, developer of Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) and founder of StretchingUSA.
AIS taught Ricky a different way to think about flexibility and movement: instead of forcing a tight or rigid muscle into a prolonged stretch, work carefully and specifically with the body’s natural movement patterns.
Since 2010, Ricky has continued developing his own individualized Parkinson’s protocols by combining Active Isolated Stretching with decades of hands-on massage experience and additional techniques.
Today, a Parkinson’s session may incorporate:
Active Isolated Stretching
G5 vibration and percussion
Cupping therapy
Gentle muscle scraping/IASTM
Neuromuscular and myofascial techniques
Postural assessment and correction
Muscle activation and movement work
Magnesium calming cream
Individualized work for painful or rigid muscles
These techniques are selected according to the individual. There is no cookie-cutter Parkinson’s massage routine.
Our Three Priorities: Pain, Rigidity and Movement
A. Relieving Pain
Pain can make everything harder.
If a person hurts every time they stand, walk, turn over in bed or exercise, that pain can become another obstacle to staying active.
Our first priority is therefore straightforward:
Assess. Address. Reassess.
We identify the muscles and soft tissues contributing to the person’s discomfort, address those areas and then reassess movement and pain.
Our goal is to reduce muscular pain and discomfort so the individual has a better opportunity to remain active and participate in the activities that matter to them.
B. Reducing Rigidity
Rigidity is one of the major motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease.
This is an area where we have seen particularly encouraging responses in our own clients.
Instead of simply pushing harder against a rigid muscle, Ricky works gradually with the nervous and muscular systems using techniques such as G5 vibration and percussion, Active Isolated Stretching, cupping, gentle scraping and hands-on soft-tissue work.
Magnesium calming cream may also be incorporated to promote muscular relaxation and comfort, particularly when tight, uncomfortable muscles are interfering with relaxation or rest.
The objective is simple:
Help the body become less guarded, less restricted and easier to move.
C. Balance, Gait and Posture
Parkinson’s can affect gait, balance, posture, stride and the ability to initiate movement.
Ricky looks beyond the feet.
Forward-head posture, a stooped upper body, restricted hips, shortened muscles and other musculoskeletal problems can create additional challenges for someone who is already dealing with Parkinson’s-related movement difficulties.
We work to improve the musculoskeletal components that may be contributing to those limitations.
Ricky has worked with Parkinson’s clients experiencing problems with walking, balance, posture and the feeling that a foot is temporarily “stuck” when attempting to initiate movement.
We do not claim to cure Parkinson’s or eliminate neurologically caused gait disorders. Our purpose is to improve the muscular, postural and soft-tissue factors that we can address so the person has the best possible foundation for movement.
Massage and Exercise Should Work Together
This is one of the most important parts of our Parkinson’s philosophy.
We don’t want massage to replace exercise. We want our work to help make exercise more achievable.
Programs such as Rock Steady Boxing use non-contact boxing exercises to challenge strength, agility, endurance, coordination, footwork and overall physical ability.
We are also excited about programs serving the Parkinson’s community in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area, including Parkinson’s Power at The Ivy in Charlotte.
Ricky has been invited to The Ivy to demonstrate and explain the same three-part approach outlined here:
Reduce pain. Reduce rigidity. Improve the muscular and postural foundation for balance, gait and movement.
We sincerely thank the Parkinson’s programs, coaches, caregivers, patients and organizations that have welcomed Ricky and given him opportunities to share this work.
Our desire is to work alongside Parkinson’s exercise programs—not compete with them.
When someone is hurting less, moving more comfortably and experiencing less muscular restriction, our hope is that they can participate more successfully in cardiovascular exercise, boxing, strengthening, stretching and other activities recommended as part of living well with Parkinson’s.
A Totally Blind Massage Therapist — A Different Sense of Touch
There is another important difference at Ricky Prevatte Massage.
Ricky has been totally blind since birth.
Rather than relying primarily on visual observation during treatment, Ricky has spent decades developing his ability to assess the body through touch.
His hands are constantly comparing tissue tension, muscular restriction, movement and changes that occur during treatment.
For a complicated condition such as Parkinson’s, this means the session is never simply a predetermined sequence of massage strokes.
Feel the problem. Treat what you find. Reassess. Adapt.
That philosophy has guided Ricky’s work for decades.
More Than a Routine Massage
A person living with Parkinson’s does not need to be forced into a standard massage routine.
Some people cannot comfortably lie face down. Others may have difficulty turning over, getting on or off a treatment table, or remaining in one position.
We meet the individual where they are.
Treatment can be modified according to mobility, comfort and ability. Ricky’s practice also includes an ADA-accessible hydraulic treatment table to make positioning and access easier for people with mobility limitations.
Serving Parkinson’s Patients Across the Carolinas
Ricky Prevatte Massage welcomes people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers from:
Rock Hill • Fort Mill • York County • Lancaster County • Union County • Charlotte • Mecklenburg County and surrounding communities
Our Rock Hill location provides convenient access for people traveling from both South Carolina and the greater Charlotte area.
Let’s Help You Keep Moving
Parkinson’s may create challenges with pain, rigidity, posture and movement.
Our job is to determine which of those challenges we may be able to help.
The goal is not simply relaxation.
Reduce the pain.
Address the rigidity.
Improve movement where possible.
Help you stay active.
Because when we can help someone move more comfortably, we may also help make it easier for that person to continue doing the exercise, cardiovascular conditioning and activities that are so important to living with Parkinson’s.
Ricky Prevatte Massage
Medical & Sports Massage
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Ricky Prevatte, LMBT #12354
Practicing massage therapy since 1983. Developing specialized approaches for Parkinson’s symptoms since 2010.
Massage therapy is complementary care and is not a cure or replacement for medical treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Patients should continue working with their neurologist, physician, physical therapist and other healthcare professionals