Clinical Massage Therapy — Not Spa Massage
There is a meaningful difference between massage therapy performed for relaxation and massage therapy performed as a clinical intervention. At Bray Chiropractic & Wellness in Glastonbury, massage therapy is the latter — a targeted, evidence-informed treatment approach applied to specific clinical presentations with the goal of reducing pain, restoring function, and supporting recovery.
Dr. Bray is a Licensed Massage Therapist with over a decade of clinical experience in orthopedic and rehabilitative massage. He opened his orthopedic massage and rehabilitation practice in 2013, worked alongside physicians, chiropractors, and physical therapists treating complex musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, and served as the Licensed Massage Therapist for the Hartford Athletic professional soccer team. He also taught massage therapy at the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy, instructing courses in orthopedic assessment, anatomy, and hands-on technique.
That background shapes how massage therapy is practiced at this office. Sessions are assessment-driven, clinically focused, and integrated with chiropractic care and rehabilitative exercise when appropriate.
What Makes Clinical Massage Therapy Different?
Clinical massage therapy differs from spa or relaxation massage in several important ways:
Assessment before treatment. Every session begins with an assessment of the presenting complaint, relevant history, and the structures involved. Treatment is directed at the specific tissues contributing to symptoms — not applied uniformly across the whole body.
Technique selection based on presentation. Different clinical presentations call for different techniques. Deep tissue work, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, neuromuscular techniques, and lymphatic approaches all have specific indications. The technique used at any given session is chosen based on what the clinical picture calls for — not based on patient preference alone.
Integration with the broader care plan. For patients receiving chiropractic or pelvic floor care at this practice, massage therapy is integrated into the overall treatment plan. Soft tissue restrictions that limit joint mobility, myofascial contributors to pelvic floor dysfunction, and tension patterns that are perpetuating chronic pain all benefit from coordinated chiropractic and soft tissue treatment delivered by the same provider in the same visit.
Education and self-care. Clinical massage sessions at this practice include guidance on home care strategies — breathing patterns, movement habits, and self-treatment techniques that extend the benefit of in-office treatment between sessions.
Conditions Treated With Massage Therapy
Clinical massage therapy at Bray Chiropractic & Wellness is effective for a wide range of musculoskeletal and soft tissue conditions, including:
-
Chronic muscle tension and myofascial pain
-
Low back pain with a significant soft tissue component
-
Neck pain and upper trapezius tension
-
Tension headaches with a muscular origin
-
Shoulder pain and rotator cuff-related soft tissue dysfunction
-
Hip flexor tightness and iliopsoas dysfunction
-
IT band syndrome and lateral hip tension
-
Trigger point pain — localized areas of muscle tension that refer pain to other regions
-
Scar tissue and fascial restrictions — including post-surgical scarring and cesarean section scars
-
Nervous system dysregulation — chronic tension patterns with a stress and autonomic component
-
Recovery support for athletes and active adults
-
Pelvic floor-related soft tissue dysfunction — for patients in pelvic floor care, soft tissue work in the surrounding hip, gluteal, and adductor regions is frequently a meaningful part of treatment
Massage Therapy Techniques Used at This Practice
Dr. Bray draws from a broad range of manual therapy techniques based on clinical training and over a decade of hands-on practice. Techniques used at Bray Chiropractic & Wellness include:
-
Deep tissue massage — sustained pressure into deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue for chronic tension and restricted mobility
-
Myofascial release — gentle sustained pressure into the fascial system to release restrictions and improve mobility
-
Trigger point therapy — targeted treatment of hyperirritable points in muscle tissue that refer pain to other areas
-
Neuromuscular technique — addressing the relationship between the nervous system and muscle tone
-
Circulatory and lymphatic techniques — supporting fluid movement and tissue recovery
-
Orthopedic massage — assessment-driven, condition-specific soft tissue treatment for musculoskeletal complaints
-
Intra-oral massage — for muscle-related TMJ dysfunction, Dr. Bray is one of the few Licensed Massage Therapists in the area trained in this specialized technique
The Chiropractic and Massage Combination
One of the more clinically significant aspects of care at Bray Chiropractic & Wellness is that chiropractic care and massage therapy are delivered by the same provider. This is uncommon. Most practices that offer both services have a separate LMT on staff — meaning soft tissue work and joint-based care are performed by different providers, often without full coordination between them.
When the same clinician performs both, the assessment informs both treatment approaches simultaneously. A restriction in soft tissue that is limiting joint mobility gets addressed in the same session as the joint itself. A pelvic floor patient whose hip external rotators are contributing to pelvic tension receives both the soft tissue work and the chiropractic treatment in a single visit. The result is a more complete and coordinated treatment than either approach alone can provide.
Massage Therapy Session Options
Massage therapy at Bray Chiropractic & Wellness is available as a standalone service or integrated with chiropractic or pelvic floor care:
​
-
60-minute session — $150
-
90-minute session — $200
Massage therapy is a self-pay service. HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
Massage Therapy in Glastonbury, CT
Patients looking for clinical massage therapy in Glastonbury, South Glastonbury, Hebron, Marlborough, East Hartford, Manchester, and the surrounding Hartford County area will find an experienced, assessment-driven approach at Bray Chiropractic & Wellness that goes well beyond what most massage practices offer.
No referral is required. New patients can schedule directly online or by calling or texting (203) 303-4760.