Meet Your Plantar Fasciitis Expert, Sunnie Gonzales!
“I am Sunnie Gonzales! I have been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 2009. While working in chiropractors’ offices, I have had many opportunities to work with triathletes and marathon runners and treat their symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis.
This isn’t only limited to just athletes, anyone can experience this common infliction involving inflammation of the plantar fascia, tissue in the foot used during walking and foot movement. This course will introduce you to Plantar Fasciitis (inflammation of the plantar fascia) and how massage therapy can help treat associated symptoms. Students will cover signs, symptoms, causative factors, biochemical dysfunctions, and contraindications. Also, I will be able to observe, test, problem-solve, and apply manual techniques to address Plantar Fasciitis specifically. When you take this workshop, I will teach you how to assess and work with the tissue in an acute stage and how to get your clients back to running and walking without pain in no time. Join me for this 6-hour continuing education course for Plantar fasciitis.
I have personally dealt with the daily pain of plantar fasciitis myself. I had been working for about 6 years, doing massages 5 days a week. There was a period of about 6 months where every day my feet hurt. I did everything I knew how to make it go away. I soaked my feet in ice; I did a warm Epsom salt bath and massaged them daily. I even got better shoes, and it would only temporarily relieve the pain. I still would wake up the next day with what felt like hot needles stabbing the bottom of my foot, and the few steps I would take when I got out of bed would make me anxious. I knew it would hurt as soon as my foot hit the floor. My doctor sent me to Physical Therapy, and they helped me get rid of the pain. During that time, I learned more about the foot’s function, how it works, and how to treat the area in an acute stage. This experience has helped me and many of my clients who have had to deal with the same thing. It has benefited my personal practice greatly, and I can’t wait to share my knowledge with you. ”
-Sunnie
Sunnie’s Bio:
I am Sunnie Gonzales. I own Twelve Star Massage in Elgin, Texas. I Graduated from Austin Community College’s Massage therapy program in 2008. With over 500 hours of training in modalities such as Swedish, Deep Tissue, Prenatal, Myofascial, Trigger Point Therapy, and Hydrotherapy. I also hold certifications in Hot Stone Massage, Chakra Balancing, Reflexology, Aromatherapy, and Thai Massage. I have been a Licensed Massage Therapist since January of 2009. In 2016 I decided that I wanted to share my knowledge and become a Massage Therapy Instructor.
I started Teaching at the Lauterstein Conway School of Massage in April last year and just finished teaching the June 23 cohort. I have always loved to teach, and after leading a few massage workshops in Elgin, TX. I furthered my education in movement and bodywork by completing a 200-hour yoga teacher program in 2022 with Body and Shine Wellness. Last summer, I taught slow stretch yoga at Elgin Parks and Recreation Center. I have been published twice in an online magazine called Voyage Austin for inspiring stories. I am most proud of my awards from 2018-2021 for best massage therapist from the Austin American Statesman Best of Bastrop Contest. Also, Elgin’s Courier reader’s choice for Best Massage Therapist and Best Spa 2018-2023.
Over the last 15 years, I have worked as a Licensed Massage Therapist at multiple Aveda spas and Chiropractic offices. I have also had the pleasure of working at music festivals like ACL and SXSW and athletic events like the Capitol 10K, Austin Marathon, and the Livestrong bike race. I have experience with many types of bodies and injuries in many different spaces. I look forward to teaching the Plantar Fasciitis continuing education class at TLC.