What does our Clinical Massage Therapist do?
Short answer: “Works miracles;” long answer: “Works with the muscles, not on them”
“A gentleman came to me with a frozen shoulder, which, he had been told, would require injections or surgery,” says Louise, our Clinical Massage Therapist. “He certainly had a severe restriction in movement and was also in severe pain. Using a variety of techniques, I worked on his muscles, and after the first consultation, he felt better. With each subsequent treatment, his pain-free days increased. A few more visits down the line, he is now pain-free – and of course, does not require injections or surgery.”
Clinical Massage is an appropriate therapy for a wide range of issues, including frozen shoulder, carpel tunnel syndrome, migraine and lower back pain.
Louise, whose degree in Clinical Massage is a rare qualification among therapists, will start initial consultations by taking a full medical and lifestyle history, and conduct comprehensive posture and pain assessments.
“I often work hand-in-hand with the physiotherapists: if they have a client with real tightness, they refer them to me. I increase a client’s range of movement and decrease their pain, so that they are then in a position to be referred back to the physio, who can recommend an exercise programme to strengthen the muscles.
“I take a holistic approach – working on the muscles AND the mind. Physical problems usually cause mental and emotional symptoms: for instance, if you cannot work because of pain, you worry about paying the bills.
“I try to instigate a virtuous circle of muscle improvement, regained ability to work, money coming in, and feeling positive about life, which itself can relax the muscles further.”
A lot of Louise’s skill lies in her application of deep tissue massage, getting to the trigger point, to ‘good pain,’ where she uses a “listening touch,” feeling the muscles breathe a sigh of relief when they can relax. “It is not how deep you go,” she says, “but how you go deep.”
Louise relishes the satisfaction of getting necks back to a full range of movement, releasing hips and putting multi-faceted strategies in place for back pain, which may include different breathing techniques, changes to posture and meditation. She can also recommend nutritional changes, for instance magnesium for restless legs.
Louise emphasises that every client is different: “Nobody ever gets the same treatment twice, because I work on what the body is telling me it needs.”
So, if you have any of the above issues with pain, please consider booking an appointment with Louise. If she can’t quite work miracles on your first visit, she will almost certainly deliver improvements that you hadn’t thought possible!
