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>> Massage
Massage
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The ways in which we use our bodies to follow increasingly stressful modern lifestyles are very different to those for which they have evolved over millions of years and typically, repetitive sedentary work activities such as driving, sitting in front of a computer, standing at counters etc, place unnatural restrictions on bodies designed for continual movement. Consequently tissues become tight, shortened, inflexible and unbalanced, and sudden, unaccustomed or repetitive activity – gardening, decorating, starting at the gym, playing an |
instrument – may cause muscles to tighten further, leading to aches and pains, micro damage to muscle, tendon and ligament fibres, or more significant injury. Repetitive strain injury may become chronic.
At the same time, sports and other physical leisure activities are more popular than ever, and the serious amateur athlete often places greater demands on his or her body than full time athletes of yesteryear.
The professional athlete and performer meanwhile, faces a constant struggle between achieving greater performances and the risk of injuries which may be sudden and acute, or develop gradually from chronic overuse. Performance can deteriorate despite increased training effort.
Physical and psychological benefits of massage
Finding a healthy balance between all of these aspects can be difficult, and this is where massage can play an important role in maintaining strength and flexibility, and in protection from injury. Regular massage will improve posture, loosen and relieve tight, ‘knotty’ muscles and increase flexibility, help to prevent injury, improve performance and recovery time, ease sore muscles and allow training between events to recommence more quickly. Recovery time following injury can be reduced and development of excessive scar tissue prevented, whilst established scar tissue which may be restricting activity or causing pain, can be broken down.
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Massage can quickly alleviate the muscular tension which causes pain such as headaches or that resembling conditions such as sciatica, and it is an excellent antidote to stress, promoting relaxation and increased feelings of well being, alertness and energy. Regular massage increases ‘body awareness’ helping to avoid pain and injury in the future.
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Because massage is practised by so many cultures and in so many different situations, many different types of massage have developed - Swedish, acupressure, therapeutic, sports, remedial etc - and choosing a practitioner who offers the best type for you may seem quite daunting. How do you find one suited to your requirements? Through experience, my preference is to integrate various techniques from the different types of massage available and tailor these to the requirements of each client, with the aim of maintaining and/or regaining flexibility, freedom from pain, |
relaxation and energy to support maximum function, whether this is in the routines of daily life or on the stage or sports field.
Therefore you can be assured that the massage treatment developed for you will be designed to meet your individual needs. |
