Nancy M. Porambo, owner and operator of The Therapy Option, is something of a legend in the world of massage therapy.

With more than 27 years of experience in the field of chronic pain relief, along with countless published articles, a business development book, service on numerous professional panels, speaking engagements, classes and more, Porambo is the resident expert of her field.

In 2009 she became the first licensed massage therapist in the state of Pennsylvania.

Just recently, she was appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf to serve on the state’s Massage Therapy Regulatory Board.

It’s a full circle for Porambo, who has been instrumental in legitimizing the field not only statewide, but throughout the country.

Before receiving the initial massage therapist license, she worked for 16 years to make that license possible.

So when the PA State Massage Therapy Regulatory Board came calling, Porambo was ready to answer.

“There was an opening. I had been asked if I was interested, I gave it some thought, and that part of you never changes, in respect to building the profession to where it should be. It was my passion to see that massage therapy was put into the positive light, with all the benefits it could offer,” she said.

Earlier this year, Deputy Secretary Peter Speaks swore her in to her new position, where she will stay vigilant in her quest to maintain the standards and ethics of massage therapy.

Somehow, among these duties, Porambo even serves as the national adviser to the American Medical Association’s Health Care Professionals Advisory Committee.

Miraculously, she has time to run her Jim Thorpe practice as well.

Neuromuscular therapy

As Porambo explains, the principles of neuromuscular therapy are ischemia, or a lack of blood, trigger points, nerve compression/entrapment, postural distortion and biomechanical function.

Depending on the problem a patient is experiencing, there is a different method to address the issue, and its underlying cause.

“We look at neuromuscular therapy as almost like a cause and effect,” she said. “Rather than just treat the effects of something — they come in with a headache, fine, we work it, we get rid of the headache — it’s more of looking at the basis of it. Is it a structural problem? Is it coming on because the nerve is compressed? Why is that happening?”

Take, for example, Porambo’s patient Art Minissa. Minissa was a bodybuilder and powerlifter for years, benching up to 480 pounds.

When he was finally subject to a shoulder replacement in 2012, he was concerned that his days of lifting were done. But after a course of physical therapy, a recommendation to Porambo’s office changed his mind.

“Any time when I was up at PT, they would say that there was only so far I could go there, and they suggested that I go down here. So I asked them, what does it entail?

“They told me it was a massage, but not a massage. A kind of sports therapy. I came with that in mind, and it worked, and I’ve been coming ever since. It’s a relief, and it really works,” Minissa said.

With physical therapy, massage therapy and weight training, Minissa has been able to keep up his passion.

“When I come here and get my treatment, it’s great. No pain, I start doing my lifting again and shoveling snow,” he said.

“He’s really done well. There are times when he comes in really hurting. We get in there, find the insertion and origin and flush out that belly. It makes all the difference in the world. If you can find the two ends, and work both ends and flush out that belly, it’s amazing how it elongates and takes out the hypercontraction out of the tissues. he doesn’t end up with trigger points, he doesn’t end up with the limitations, so he can stay flexible, stretch, and go into the gym and do that bodybuilding that he loves to do,” Porambo said.

Driven by success

Success stories like these are what drives Porambo, encouraging her to help to set those standards for massage therapy practices that ensure a quality of service that can help people like Minissa.

Just a few years ago, just about anyone could have a sign outside their business claiming that they were a “massage therapist.” Thanks to Porambo, patients can trust that they are getting proper treatment from a qualified source.

“With that licensing, it has brought an awareness where clients like Art can come in now, and he understands he’s coming to someone who is legitimate, licensed, with a board we’re accountable to.

“We have ethics, we have regulations and educational standard that we have to abide by. All of those things combined have laid a perfect foundation for helping to legitimize the profession,” she said.

Porambo is thrilled to be where she is today, and she’s looking forward to even more advances in treatment options in the future, including a new wellness program.

For right now, she is focused on doing the two things that she has always done — helping people feel better through neuromuscular therapy, and maintaining the very standards to ensure that those services are of the highest quality.

“Being on the board is a pleasure, because we get to more or less oversee the profession from Pennsylvania standards and make sure that it is maintained and that we always work to the highest integrity. That’s essentially what we’re looking for in the profession. It’s a perfect place for me to land in my career, right back home,” she said.