Michele’s ability to find the root of the problem and then immediately get to work in it is stunning.  After multiple traumatic injuries to my neck and back, and subsequent visits to all varieties of orthopedic specialists, neurosurgeons, chiropractors, and physical and massage therapists, I had lost hope of ever  feeling really good again.  After two visits however, she managed to relieve my acid reflux-like symptoms and mid-back pain that had plagued me since my first traumas. She then began the process of unwinding my “hopeless” neck and upper back through her multiple manual therapy techniques and the body rolling home exercises she assigned.  During our sessions, she talked to me about my habitual thinking that I was unable to get well and helped me unwind that as well.  Gradually, I got better, until one day, incredibly, I was ready to go off on my own.

Michèle Masset has been a source of abundant healing to me in my journey of recovery. She has an enormous fund of knowledge about the body and the intricate interactions and relationships of the neuromuscular system that gives her an ability to identify the site and cause of pain and/or dysfunction. After she identifies the problem, she creates an individual treatment plan that could include manual physical therapy, acupuncture, visceral manipulation, shiatsu therapy, Gyrotonic® therapy and Yamuna® Body Rolling (or all of the above). She designs home treatment plans to complement the patient’s clinical treatment sessions. Michèle has a compassionate personality but expects her patients to be proactive in their own recovery. I feel that she is a truly gifted healer and therapist who has had the most influence and impact in my health and well-being.

I went to Michèle with a vexing pain in the neck and upper back. I had seen several other physical therapists without success. My experience with Michele was very different from the other PTs I had seen. The first thing one notices is how carefully she thinks through a problem. Michèle listened very closely to what I was telling her, she asked me tons of questions and she was extraordinarily insightful about how the body works—or doesn’t. As just one example, she linked a tight neck to a stuttering issue that I have had, which no one in my entire life had done. Her “hands on” work is eclectic, careful and effective. I never had the feeling she was doing “the usual” treatment. And, much to my delight, she explains the treatment she is providing and why, so that the treatments make sense to me. My neck and back are in good shape now.  I have strongly recommended her several times to friends.

I’d gone through two rounds of traditional PT and a cortisone shot, but the pain in my hip continued to nag me for more than a year and keep me up at night. I was very discouraged by the time I got to Michèle, but after a very thorough exam and evaluation she said, “We can fix this!” Michèle worked with me using treatments such as acupuncture, myofascial release and manipulation. She also showed me terrific movements to stretch, strengthen and stabilize my hip and had me doing Yamuna® Body Rolling as well. She took the time to explain how these processes worked and on which muscle groups and encouraged me to be active in my recovery. I am now back to running and was able to run the 2010 New York City Marathon all thanks to Michèle.

Michèle is gifted. I came to her with a knee injury that has plagued me for eight months. I had seen four other professionals prior to her to no avail. One, in fact, told me that the injury was permanent. Michèle did an unusual in-depth initial interview and prescribed a few exercises. I felt relief after one day. Also, I felt encouraged and understood. It is a privilege to work with such a true healer.

Amazingly talented…. After spending five months at another physical therapist for a stubborn hamstring, Michèle’s integrative approach quickly got me on a path toward recovery in just four weeks. She is truly gifted at using a holistic approach to identify the source of the problem as opposed to just treating the symptoms.

I went to Michèle after IT band pain developed during cycling and began to keep me from riding. Michele did a thorough assessment of the area where I felt pain and all of the surrounding muscles and tendons connected to the IT band. After just a few sessions, I was back on my bike. Even more importantly, she showed me simple, easy stretches and exercises to use every day. This routine was easy to follow. After a few weeks, I found a huge change. I have been able to increase my cycling distances and speed since then and am now even stronger than I was before the problem developed. Thank you Michele!

I was referred to Michèle by my pain management physician for acupuncture and physical therapy. I have suffered from chronic, almost constant, muscular pain in and around my neck since a spinal fusion surgery in 1998. I also suffer from fibromyalgia connected with sleep apnea, diabetes and other medical problems.… Michèle introduced a very important dimension to my treatment. It involves understanding the mechanism of how the brain produces and controls pain and being able to influence that mechanism through the brain and autonomic nervous system. Again, she has been dead-on correct and while this is a difficult process that is going to take time, I believe we are on the right course to improve my quality of life. Michèle is much more than an acupuncturist, physical therapist and the other specialties she is licensed in. In my opinion as a patient, she is a “healer.” There can be no better compliment.

I went to Masset Acupuncture & Physical Therapy Center suffering from elbow and arm pain. I had tried anti-inflammatory medication, a cortisone shot and physical therapy from someone else. Michèle’s treatment of acupuncture and physical therapy has helped me more than anything. I have much less pain and the mobility of my arm has improved greatly. I highly recommend her. She is a fantastic physical therapist.

I first started visiting Michèle in the summer of 2009 as I was suffering upward of seven migraines per month and was rather fed up with their debilitating effects and the anxiety of wondering when the next one would hit. I had gone through the usual medical system—visit with primary care doctor, visit to a neurologist and finally an MRI to prove I did not have anything terminal, but they did not provide a solution, apart from to say I ought to relax more! … I was talking with a friend at work and she recommended I visit Michèle. My first impression was that finally I had found someone who fully understood what I was going through and also had a “natural and holistic” solution—no drugs involved! Michèle used a combination of myofascial release, acupuncture and exercises. … Following four months of visits and exercise at home, I suddenly realized that I was no longer having migraines! I have now been two months without a migraine and it feels great. Now that the migraines are under control, next job is to sort out my aching knees, which Michèle assures me are not just “old age.”

I first visited Michèle at the suggestion of my husband, a practicing internist, who said she was the finest physical therapist he knew. I was suffering from chronic pain following bilateral mastectomies. I had seen five different physical therapists (closer to my home) and all had discharged me after four sessions. Yet, I could not fully move my arms, I could not straighten my back, my right shoulder rolled forward and my pain was not controlled by high doses of NSAIDS.  Michèle understands the body, the mind, and the connection between the two. She investigates until she understands the unique situation of her patient. Most importantly, she persists until she has maximized (and helped her patient learn to maximize) that which can be repaired or modified. Michèle does not “give up.” Importantly, she also does not set unrealistic or unattainable goals. Michèle combines the best of whatever technique, teaching or philosophy might be of help to her patient. She is not only a wonderfully caring individual and a very brilliant, committed therapist, she also is a genuinely kind and thoughtful professional. My husband often says “she makes the lame walk” and “she has the most talented hands I know.” She is also one of the finest people I know and without question the best physical therapist I have ever met, either as a patient or as a professional.

Michèle is a compassionate and gentle soul who has literally transformed my life. I started seeing her in June 2009 for chronic muscle pain and dysfunction in the back, shoulders and chest due to breast cancer reconstructive surgery… after over 4 1/2 years of unsuccessful treatment with pain management doctors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, osteopathic medicine and every other alternative and conventional medical provider in the D.C. and Philadelphia areas. Her approach is one that is holistic. She first looked at how my posture, particularly feet that rolled in and misaligned legs/hips from childhood, could be contributing to the pain in the upper back and began small, but powerful corrections in these and other areas of the body that began to resolve my pain in the back (without even working on my back). Within the first two months of seeing her, my pain was reduced by about 50 percent; after about eight months, it has reduced by about 80 percent–a feat that no medical provider has been able to give me.

I am writing as a long-term, dedicated and totally satisfied client of Michèle Masset. I first went to see Michèle two years ago after I had been through a double mastectomy and three failed attempts at reconstruction. I was in tremendous pain from the tightening of the scarring on my chest and had a number of other muscular issues with my legs, neck and shoulders from being on the operating table for over 16 hours in a three-week period. Michèle came highly recommended to me from a fellow breast cancer survivor who said that Michèle had cured her severe shoulder pain after only a few sessions after a number of other physical therapists had not been able to do so after months of therapy.

Finding Michèle was a life-altering experience for me. I went to see her emotionally and physically depleted. I had endured three major surgeries, too much anesthesia, a major infection and had no breasts and not much hope of ever looking normal again. Michèle is a true healer in the best and highest sense of that term. She has an unparalleled understanding of body mechanics as well as of the mind/body continuum.  Her intricate knowledge of the neuromuscular system and her multidisciplinary approach, which incorporates both the most up-to-date Western and Eastern approaches, have resulted in major improvements in the quality of my life. I have found true relief for all of the multiple ailments I first showed up at Michèle’s office with. I credit Michèle with my finally being able to have a successful breast reconstruction with expansion and implants, as she was able to massage the skin I had left to the point that it was able to be expanded, which was miraculous in and of itself. Furthermore she has been able to use traditional physical therapy as well as massage therapy, acupuncture and body rolling to help me with my leg, shoulder and neck pain, all of which are markedly improved. Michèle is not only an outstanding professional who is constantly updating her already exemplary skills as a physical therapist she is also a wonderful and supportive person in whom I have complete confidence. After all of the pain and suffering I have gone through I credit Michèle with being one of the major factors in giving me my life back. Michèle Masset is a master physical therapist and true healer who I would recommend unconditionally to anyone who is dealing with skeletal/muscular pain or discomfort

Michèle Masset is a gifted YBR teacher. She begins each class describing in pictures and words the anatomy and musculature of the body. And then she teaches you how to explore your own bones and muscles while rolling on the Yamuna® balls. It is an exquisite blend of learning while doing. You learn where your body is tight or holds tension and then how to release and relax it. A fabulous “how-to” class that you can actually use at home, in your office or on a plane.

I have had chronic sinus problems aggravated by seasonal allergies for over 30 years. For the last couple of months I have been using the Yamuna® “Save Your Face” set of two balls with fabulous results. It is a remarkable program that allows you to perform self-massage on your face. It has opened my sinuses allowing me to breathe easier and greatly reduced the number of headaches I experience. (As a bonus, I have noticed a lifting and toning of my facial skin.) “Save Your Face” is a wonderful program that helps naturally without any drugs. I highly recommend anyone needing relief from sinus issues give it a try—it works.

It was my first time being introduced to Yamuna body rolling techniques and I’m absolutely in love with it because of Michele.  Time flew by so fast in the class even though it was a four hour class because of Michele’s wonderful engaging teaching style and how great we all felt after each section.  Michele is a through instructor who took the time to explain the human anatomy and the methodology of Yamuna body rolling techniques.  In addition, Michele was hands on and went around to each student to correct our forms.  Yamuna body rolling is something I will incorporate more in my life.  If you haven’t taken a class with Michele I highly recommend it.

I first came across Michele and her teachings through the group class Save Your Feet – and from there, I was hooked to her teaching method of empowering the student with simple but effective techniques for life long healing.  I’ve also taken save your hips, and save your spine, and am looking forward to the other classes such as shoulders, neck and face.