Relieve Pain.
Restore Movement.
Improve Function.
Science-informed neuromuscular therapy and myofascial structural integration—designed to address the root cause and deliver measurable results
Informed by 13+ years of published clinical research
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Over 200 5 star reviews
Read what our Clients say
on Google & Massagebook
Founder and published researcher Dedric Carroll welcomes you and shares insights to Empirical Knead's science-informed functional bodywork model approach.
Our founder Dedric featured on Your Fantastic Mind with collaboration with Emory University conducting clinical research.
Balance the fascia, and the body often restores its own alignment.
Our proprietary Functional Model evaluates the body as an integrated system—not isolated parts.
If you're here, you're likely dealing with pain or discomfort, restricted movement, or a condition that hasn’t fully resolved. Or has lingered--even after seeing by other health care providers. Like most of our clients over the past 19 years, we hope that we are your last stop in the pursuit of body wellness.
Posture is shaped over time by the positions we repeat—and by gravity acting on the body. Your nervous system constantly adapts through the fascial network to keep you balanced and your eyes level with the horizon. When these adaptations become inefficient, they lead to strain, compensation, and pain. Our work identifies and corrects these patterns at their source to restore functional alignment, reduce symptoms, enhance freedom of movement, and add quality to your life. When force is distributed through a balanced system, the body no longer has to compensate.
Guided by 13 years of published clinical research and nearly
two decades of practice, our work is designed to deliver targeted, measurable results — helping reduce pain, restore mobility, and improve how your body functions long-term.
Our Science-Informed Functional Approach
Calm the nervous system, address the dysfunction and restore structural integrity.
Our Functional Model Approach
If you're here, you're likely dealing with pain, restricted movement, or a condition that hasn’t fully resolved. Or has lingered--even after seeing by other health care providers. Like most of our clients over the past 19 years, we hope that we are your last stop in the pursuit of body wellness.
The Empirical Knead Functional Model™
Our approach meets you where you are.
Guided by 13 years of published clinical research and nearly two decades of practice, our work is focused on:
- measurable outcomes
- posture analysis
- controlled variables
- refining treatment based on your response
This allows us to deliver targeted, repeatable results — not temporary relief. - but clinically significant - Empirical relWe combine:
Restore Balance — The Body Can Heal
We assess the body as a connected system.
Identifying:
- where restriction(s) begins
- How it influences pain and dysfunction
- how it affects movement
- how that movement shapes structure
- how that structure impacts communication
Left unchecked, this becomes a cycle:
restriction → compensation → dysfunction → pain
Our goal is to interrupt that cycle. Free the restrictions and restore balance and movement
ent Methodologies
NeuromuscularTherapy Integration
Relieve persistent pain and restore healthy muscle function. Precision neuromuscular work releases restrictive trigger points, improves muscle tone, and restores comfortable movement.
→ resolve painful trigger points
→ restores muscle tone
→ improves function
→ calms the nervous system
Kinesis MyoFascial Structural Integration
Correct structural imbalances influencing symptoms and restoring freedom of movement.
Kinesis fascia-focused work reorganizes tension across the body’s kinetic chain for lasting results.
→ Decreases pain & improves function
→ re-educates fascia
→ restores movement pathways
→ improves alignment
Functional Bodywork Integration
Maintain mobility, comfort, and balanced movement. Adaptive sessions respond to the body’s needs while sustaining structural progress and supporting everyday function and resilience. Ideal for post structural work --once the primary complaint(s) has calmed and routine maintenance is desired.
- Maintain Structural Balance
- Myofascial Tune-up
- Post Structural Integration or Introduction to the advanced work
- Adaptive treatment based on your response
Scope of Practice
Empirical Knead provides therapeutic massage and structural bodywork within the professional scope of licensed massage therapy.
Services are intended to support musculoskeletal function, neuromuscular balance, and structural alignment. We do not diagnose medical conditions, prescribe treatment, or serve as a substitute for medical care.
Clients experiencing acute injury, progressive neurological symptoms, or other medical concerns are encouraged to consult an appropriate licensed healthcare provider. Any discussion of structural patterns or dysfunction reflects clinical observation within the scope of manual therapy and should not be interpreted as a medical diagnosis.
Specialized Care
Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapy
Reduce swelling and support immune and lymphatic health. Gentle rhythmic techniques encourage fluid movement, improve circulation, and help the body resolve inflammation naturally.
Restorative Care Massage Therapy
Calm the nervous system and support deep recovery. Gentle research-informed care promotes circulation, relaxation, and restoration during periods of stress or anxiety.
Advanced Medical Massage for Complex Conditions
Clinical bodywork for complex pain and medically involved cases. Assessment-driven treatment supports recovery, circulation, and comfort for clients requiring advanced therapeutic care.
Prenatal Therapeutic Care
Ease pregnancy discomfort while supporting circulation and lymphatic flow. Specialized techniques help the body adapt to structural changes and improve comfort during pregnancy.
Functional Cupping
Modern cupping therapy applied strategically honoring the flow fascial lines to improve tissue hydration, glide and circulation. Gliding cups hydrate connective tissue and release congestion along fascial pathways throughout the body. Decreasing pain and improving performance.
Used as a standalone therapy or integrated into structural sessions
May assist with:
• Adhesions
• Congested tissue
• Athletic recovery
• Restricted movement
• Postural compression patterns
Youth Structural Development & Alignment (10–17)
Support healthy posture and structural development during growth. Targeted bodywork helps growing bodies adapt to activity and change while encouraging balanced movement.
Pediatric Massage (3–9)
Support healthy posture and structural development during growth. Targeted bodywork helps growcaing bodies adapt to activity and change while encouraging balanced movement.
Customize your Treatment
Enhancements & Extensions(+10 Mins)
Enhancement therapis cusomize your session for additional focus you may opt to extend your treatment with targeted care.
Options include cupping, CBD, reflexology, aromatherapy, and scalp therapy to deepen relaxation and support results. PLEASE LIMIT TWO EXTENSIONS PER SESSION
Add-On Enhancements and Extensions
Enhancements
Enhancements are integrated within your scheduled session time. They complement the primary treatment focus without extending the overall appointment length.
Extensions (+10 Minutes)
Extensions add 10 additional minutes of focused work, allowing for deeper application and more sustained therapeutic effect in a specific area or technique.
Options:
Add-ons enhancements are designed to complement your primary session without extending time.
Available Enhancements:
• Functional Cupping
• CBD Therapy Enhancement
• Targeted Scalp Massage
• Aromatherapy
CBD Therapy
Available as extension or enhancement
Topical plant-based application designed to support localized muscle relaxation and reduce inflammatory tension patterns.
Ideal for joint stiffness, athletic recovery, and high-tension or painful areas.
Targeted Scalp Therapy
Available as extension or enhancement
Targeted scalp massage relieves tension in the head, temples, and jaw
Reflexology
Available as extension or enhancement
A focused foot-based therapy stimulating mapped reflex zones corresponding to organs and systems throughout the body.
Reflexology supports, but not limited to:
• Nervous system regulation
• Circulation
• Relaxation response
• Systemic balance
Functional Cupping
Available as extension or enhancement
Modern cupping therapy applied strategically honoring the flow fascial lines to improve tissue hydration, glide and circulation.
May assist with:
• Adhesions
• Congested tissue
• Athletic recovery
• Restricted movement
• Postural compression patterns
Used as a standalone therapy or integrated into structural sessions.
Aromatherapy Enhancement Only
A curated single or essential oil blend applied strategically to support nervous system regulation, breath depth, and session integration.
Selected based on your clinical presentation and desired outcome — grounding, energizing, respiratory support, or deep relaxation.
Designed to complement your primary session without extending time.
TESTIMONIALS
Read what our cleints are saying about our approach
Dedric and his team at Empirical Knead are nothing short of miracle workers—true healers. As an athlete, I’ve tried nearly every form of bodywork imaginable, from traditional massages to advanced therapies, but Dedric’s science-based functional model featuring neuromuscular / fascia approach stands head and shoulders above the rest. It doesn’t just treat symptoms; it addresses the root causes of pain and misalignment by viewing the body as a fully interconnected system.
I’ve battled multiple injuries this year that left me in tears and struggling to walk, yet after each session at Empirical Knead, I walked out feeling remarkably better—lighter, more aligned, and with a deeper understanding of my body’s needs. With their care, those injuries healed astonishingly fast.
Throughout my pregnancy, I also received prenatal massage care from multiple therapists on the team, and the consistency, thoughtfulness, and clinical awareness across each session were exceptional. Every therapist approached my changing body with intention, precision, and genuine care—adapting the work to support comfort, alignment, circulation, and relief at every stage. I always felt safe, supported, and deeply understood, which made a world of difference during such a physically transformative time.
My husband and I are profoundly grateful to Dedric, Tony, and Alisha for their expertise and unwavering commitment to our well-being. We’ve finally found our forever bodywork home, and I can’t recommend them enough. If you’re seeking effective, long-lasting results that truly change how you move and feel, Empirical Knead is the place. You’ll be so grateful you discovered them—it’s a game-changer.
Rebecca M
I came to Empirical Knead with severe back pain (after 2 past major back surgeries). Working with Dedric was extraordinary! I wish he could "could be cloned" because there simply can't be any massage therapist on this planet as great as he is..Too many people in this world need him for pain. Turns out he has... his team of therapists are incredible!
Cathy Printz B.
Here is a testament from me regarding the phenomenal healing bodywork that Dedric and Empirical Knead provides. I have been treated by Dedric for many years, and while I’ve naturally aged during that time, I’ve avoided many of the common age-related issues others often experience. When something has presented itself, Dedric has consistently known exactly how to address it.
His science-informed functional approach—combining precise Neuromuscular tissue work, targeted IT band and psoas engagement, and thoughtful use of body positioning—has kept me pain-free, functional, and confident in my movement. What stands out most is his exceptional attention to detail and his ability to assess the body as a whole rather than chasing isolated symptoms.
Over the years, I’ve also watched Dedric evolve into Empirical Knead and an outstanding teacher and clinical researcher and now clinical director, developing a thoughtful, results-driven approach that now lives through Empirical Knead and the therapists he now trains. That same level of care, precision, and expertise is reflected throughout the practice.
Because of this work, I’m able to travel extensively, carry my own luggage, and explore physically demanding places with ease—something I do not take for granted. Dedric is truly a phenom in this field, and is a rare find.
Highly, highly recommended.
