Therapeutic Massage
Most people are familiar with the concept of Swedish Massage – the use of oiled hands to ease and sooth the musculoskeletal system. Therapeutic Massage takes these basic skills to deeper levels. It does this by incorporating a broad knowledge of both Anatomy and Physiology (the structure of the body and how it works) and Pathology (what happens when the body goes wrong) with specialised massage strokes and approaches. The resulting treatment has the ability to work deeply and sensitively not only with healthy people who wish to maximise their health, but also with clients who are unwell.
Each of us is a combination of our physical beings and our emotional and spiritual parts. Massage is felt by many recipients to be a wonderful vehicle to enable enhancement and balance to be achieved in all three areas.
Treatments are carried out with clients undressed down to their underwear. Client comfort and dignity is respected at all times. The massage is carried out with the client lying on a treatment couch, covered with warm towels. If lying down is not comfortable for a client then another position will be found. Either plain oils, or oils containing essential oils are used, depending on client preference. The massage strokes are usually experienced as deeply soothing and relaxing – there should be no pain felt during a massage as this is counterproductive. Most clients feel pampered and relaxed by the end of their session, but in addition to this the problems with which they came will have been addressed through the treatment.
Each of us is a combination of our physical beings and our emotional and spiritual parts. Massage is felt by many recipients to be a wonderful vehicle to enable enhancement and balance to be achieved in all three areas.
Treatments are carried out with clients undressed down to their underwear. Client comfort and dignity is respected at all times. The massage is carried out with the client lying on a treatment couch, covered with warm towels. If lying down is not comfortable for a client then another position will be found. Either plain oils, or oils containing essential oils are used, depending on client preference. The massage strokes are usually experienced as deeply soothing and relaxing – there should be no pain felt during a massage as this is counterproductive. Most clients feel pampered and relaxed by the end of their session, but in addition to this the problems with which they came will have been addressed through the treatment.
Conditions that can be helped with Therapeutic Massage
- Asthma and allergies
- Back pain, sciatica, spinal problems and whiplash injuries
- Depression, anxiety and emotional problems
- Digestive problems such as IBS, constipation, Crohn’s disease
- Gynaecological conditions such as heavy or painful periods, infertility and fibroids, difficulties with menarche or menopause
- Headaches and migraines
- Hormonal imbalances
- Immune system problems such as frequent colds and infections
- Joint problems such as tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, knee injuries
- Post-dental trauma, temporomandibular joint problems and jaw disorders, teeth grinding
- Post-operative conditions
- Post injury or accident recovery
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Stress related conditions
- Tiredness and exhaustion, including chronic fatigue and ME
The first treatment session will allow time for a full case history to be taken to help the therapist determine if there are any contraindications for massage, and also to discover what the treatment plan will be. Subsequent sessions are usually for an hour and allow time for the client to rest for a short while after their treatment. Generally a short course of treatments will be booked, and the client’s response and improvement assessed after this time. Many people use massage as part of their health care regime, finding it a wonderful and pleasurable tool to help them to achieve and maintain good health.
