Massage
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Massage treatment available either at your home or at clinics (see venues for details).
Whether you need a relaxing massage for stress, have muscular aches and pains or sport related problems there is a massage for you.
Massage therapy is massage based treatment for pain and discomfort of muscles and joints using hands-on manipulation of soft tissue, tendons, ligaments and skin. It rebalances muscle groups and energies, improves circulation and lymph drainage and rejuvenated fatigue tissues. Returning the body to a more harmonious, relaxed and pain free state. |
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Relaxing Massage |
| Relaxing massage on the muscle surface using lotion or oil, it promotes general well-being, is very gentle and relaxing and leaves you de-stressed and in harmony with yourself. If you never had massage before, this is a good one to try first. |
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Remedial Massage |
| Many people today suffer from having some part of their body (back, neck, shoulder, legs, arms etc) in a state of pain and discomfort. This may be a result of physical injury, bad posture, tension, stress, emotional problems, constitutional imbalances etc, causing muscles to be in a contracted state for long periods resulting in a chronic condition. Remedial massage is very effective in dealing with muscular problems, loss of muscle tone and adhesions and removing physical tension. Incorporating advanced massage techniques, it helps to speed up circulation and drainage which flushes out toxins that can cause pain and stiffness. Other benefits include, improving the skin's elasticity, help with the breakdown of fatty tissue, speeding up recovery and encouraging complete healing, removing unwanted scar tissue remaining after injury, preventing injury and is especially effective for reducing pain. |
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Sport Massage |
Sport massage is specifically designed for people who are involved in physical activity. But you do not have to be a professional athlete to have one; it is also used by anyone who leads an active life. The focus is not on relaxation but on preventing and treating injury and enhancing performance. Combinations of techniques are used to promote good posture, loosen up muscles and increase flexibility.
The benefits of Massage include:
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Eases stiffness, tension and pain |
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Improves circulation and lymph flow |
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Improves the range of motion and muscle flexibility, improving power and performance |
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Shortens the recovery time between workouts and speeds up rehabilitation after injury |
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Reduces the likelihood of injury |
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Provides a sense of well being |
Sports Massage Therapy is a deeper and more intense form of massage incorporating various Swedish massage techniques and others such as frictions, soft tissue release, trigger point response (similar to Acupressure) and also stretching. It includes these key elements:
| Full body assessment |
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Pre and post exercise massage |
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| Swedish massage |
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Deep tissue massage |
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| Muscle realignment & conditioning |
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Lymphatic drainage massage |
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| Sports injury prevention |
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Sports injury treatment & rehabilitation |
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| Post care advice |
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Passive, active, resisted & PNF/RI stretches |
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| Venues & Prices |
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| Body assessment is an important part of sports massage which involves diagnosis of the muscle or soft tissue injuries and of any underlying
symptoms that have caused the current condition. Diagnosis is achieved by examining the muscles through massage, but also includes other techniques
such as postural analysis and various mobility and flexibility tests. |
| Pre-event massage is used before sport. Its purpose is to stimulate the muscle groups that are important to the event, relax the mind
and promote circulation of nutrients and oxygen to the cells. Local circulation is stimulated causing vasodilation and warming of
the skin and local tissues. Pre-event massage is part of the warm-up.
Post-event massage is used after a sporting event or performance, preferably within 2 hours. Most sports cause micro trauma to the
body; massage helps start the healing process and prevents the micro traumas from becoming problematic. It also rids muscles of the
build-up of toxins and facilitates relaxation. |
| The Swedish system of massage is named after the Swede who developed it, Per Henrik Ling. He was a physiologist and fencing master
and developed a system of movements which he found helpful for improving his health and maintaining his physical condition. Modern
classical massage is still based on the techniques he used, i.e. effleurage, petrissage and precussion. Sports massage combines the use
of Swedish massage with more intensive techniques. |
| Deep tissue massage involves manipulation of the muscle tissues in order to repair, release tension and condition the muscles.
This is unlike therapeutic massage techniques, such as aromatherapy massage, which involve more superficial techniques.
Sports Massage is a type of deep tissue massage, primarily for the prevention and treatment of (sports) injuries.
Therapeutic massage techniques are commonly used at the start of a Sports Massage session, in order to warm the skin and muscles, and
relax the patient. |
| Sports Massage helps break up adhesions that can develop between the fascia of different muscles, bring nutrients to the muscles,
and realign the muscle fibres, thus improving muscle suppleness, mobility and overall condition.
This enables the peak performance of the muscles to be reached faster and, once reached, sustained for longer. |
| Lymphatic drainage massage is a technique developed in the 1930s. It stimulates the functions of the body's secondary circulation,
the lymphatic system, encouraging the removal and filtering of waste, toxins and excess fluids from cells as well as boosting the
body's natural immunity. Lymphatic drainage massage speeds up the elimination of waste, particularly lactic acid, from muscles,
thus reducing pain, soreness and stiffness. |
| A Sports Massage Therapist can help to prevent future injury by identifying and treating current muscle weakness, tiredness
and problem areas. Sports massage can be used as part of a training programme to improve muscle condition. |
| Sports Massage is commonly used as part of a rehabilitation programme to treat (sports) injuries. The massage speeds up the healing
of damaged muscles thus reducing recovery time. |
| Post care advice involves the therapist giving the client advice on what to do to help their condition, on their own, before the next massage session.
Advice could be on stretching techniques, exercises or activities to avoid that are worsening their condition. Advice could also be an explanation of
the muscles or soft tissue that the client is suffering from and what might have lead to the injury. Also, if a condition has been discovered that
warrants referral to a GP or other specialist practitioner, this will be explained. |
| Stretches are an important aspect of sports massage, but often forgotten by many sports massage therapists. Stretches are used to assess
muscle flexibility and condition in order to diagnose injury. They are also essential after sports massage, when muscle fibres have been realigned,
in order to provide more lasting benefit from the massage.
Passive stretches are where the therapist stretches the muscles
Active stretches are where the client does the stretches themselves,
Resisted stretches are where the client does the stretches but is resisted by the therapist,
PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) stretches involve the therapist bringing the muscle progressively to bind, and,
RI (Reciprocal Inhibition) stretches are a less aggressive form of PNF stretch |
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