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Joel Klein, Massage Therapist
Sports Massage Instructor, Body Therapy Center,
Palo Alto

Mountain View AXIS

Joel is currently accepting new clients. To schedule an appointment, call the Mountain View AXIS front desk at 650-229-1100.

• Certified Massage Therapist (Specialization in Sports Massage)
• Certified, Orthopedic Massage, Orthopedic Massage Education & Research Institute (OMERI)
  
• Certified, Active Release Techniques (ART); Upper and Lower Extremities and Spine.
• Certified, Active Release Techniques (ART); Long-Tract Nerve Entrapments. (Specifically for nerve impingement, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica-like symptoms)
• Nationally Certified in Massage and Bodywork
• Professional Member of ABMP

Sports massage is an excellent adjunct to personal training. It can help you recover more quickly from your workouts, as well as help to discover and deal with minor issues before they become major ones. Also, massage can be rehabilitative and help in the healing of injuries and overuse conditions, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Receiving massage can definitely enhance your fitness performance!


"Joel is a fabulous massage therapist. Sports-massage and deep tissue especially, but also the occasional 'I'm so stressed, I need help!' massage. Thank you Joel!" - Trish Williams

Massage Therapist Joel Klein began taking courses in massage over 15 years ago, while he was living in the LA area and working as a graphic designer.

What started as a hobby eventually turned into a complete career change, and now he enjoys a busy client schedule at AXIS and is teaching sports massage at an area massage institute.

“My approach to massage is as a problem solver," Joel explains. "The human body is complicated, and finding the source of aches and pains is a fascinating puzzle,” he says.

"Because of how the body is connected, it's not always the case that the problem is the area that hurts. It's very rewarding to be able to relieve a problem that has been with someone for a long time. I can’t tell you how many people live with everyday aches and pains that can be improved with massage,” he notes.

“It sounds like snake oil, but there are dozens of problems that can be resolved through massage sessions. For example, there are people who believe for years that they have sciatica, (a condition where the sciatic nerve becomes pinched by a disk) when actually they have a nerve compressed by tight piriformis muscles. The symptoms can be almost identical, but the latter can be corrected through massage.”

“It is cases like these that highlight the benefits of a regular massage program. Many people only think of getting a massage when they have pain, when the truth is regular massages can prevent injuries in the first place, by keeping muscles elongated and flexible. "

"Though you may not have pain now, if you exercise regularly, your muscles are constantly repairing minor tears. The body’s natural response is to heal tears as fast as possible, and sometimes the body can be too aggressive when it lays down scar tissue, like a kindergartner using globs of white glue to connect popsicle sticks. Muscles and nerves become attached to each other when they are supposed to be separated, forming adhesions that restrict proper muscle movement, eventually causing pain and stiffness,” he explains.

Massage therapists employ different approaches to break up these adhesions. Joel recently became A.R.T. (Active Release Techniques) certified, and has been applying his new skill to clients at AXIS.

“With active release, I hold the adhesion while the client ‘activates’ the muscle by going through motions and positions that encourage the adhesion to separate from surrounding tissue."

The procedure can be painful, but Joel tries to minimize discomfort by continually asking the client if the pressure is okay, and explaining what he is doing during the process.

“I don’t believe massage has to hurt to be effective,” he says. “If there is too much pain, the body will tighten up to protect itself, and then you don’t get anywhere.”

My Hobbies include...Flying sailplanes, bicycling, reading, traveling, cooking (and eating) and art.

My Hometown is...West Los Angeles

My Favorite Food is...Pizza