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Osteopathy & Massage at Remedy Health
Why Have a Massage?
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Therapeutic Sense of Touch
What is this?
Often, we go through our busy days without experiencing a
Being massaged is an excellent way of checking in on how things are working for you. Not only does this validate what you have been experiencing, “my shoulders have felt really tight” but allows you learn that something else may be compensating. “I didn’t realise I was holding so much tension there!” A skilled massage therapist will help you identify and address the imbalances you feel, and advise you on how to correct them. Finally, a good massage therapist should be able to employ a variety of techniques that are essential in making the most of the hour you spend on the massage couch. For example, working with the fascia involves desensitising the pain signal in muscles through trigger point therapy and global work to ground the central nervous system.
Experiencing a good massage should be a multifaceted experience. Despite the
So why is massage so good for us?
Whether you have fibromyalgia, work long hours at a desk, run marathons or suffer from anxiety, being touched therapeutically through massage helps you with healing. Blood circulation improves, which, in turn, aids the distribution of oxygen and nutrients and allows waste products to leave the cell. Muscle tension and that feeling of being tired and sluggish both diminish as the lymph nodes are given more space to work effectively. Sleep improves as massage increases the supply of serotonin. Serotonin is a vital hormone that helps us feel happy, regulates sleep cycles and ultimately lowers stress levels such as cortisol. That flight or fight hormone cortisol, although useful in certain situations, is not welcomed at three in the morning! How the body regulates itself determines whether it functions effectively or not.
Does there have to be something wrong with me to have a good massage & how often should I be massaged?
Massage has been used as a preventative treatment for thousands of years. Of course, you should leave a session feeling good and relieved, with something eased. However, monthly maintenance massages allow the body and the mind to reset. Massage encourages the body to rest completely for that hour, addressing any imbalances that arise before they become a bigger problem, and to drift comfortably and safely in the space between consciousness and sleep. When you consider that this is only 12 hours a year, it seems very little self-investment compared to what we spend on our cars.
Different types of massage
There are a lot of different types of massage, but often people don’t know what they are and which one they should choose.
What is the difference between sports massage and deep tissue?
Sports massage is for athletes or individuals who enjoy sports and want a treatment that focuses on performance and recovery. If massaging before an event, for example, you would not be using relaxation or trigger point therapy. The pressure depth would not be deep, and the speed would increase. The massage would focus on warming up the muscles and aiding them to perform at their best for the event. After the marathon or bike ride, focus would switch to recovery and relaxation, using trigger point work and stretching.
Deep tissue massage is more global. Working initially with all of the connective tissue or fascia, a therapist would then work deeper to the point that the tissue allows. This type of massage is great for relieving chronic pain or reducing tension globally.
What is clinical massage?
Certain conditions crop up as we push our bodies to the limit. Tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, ACL repair to the knee, sprained ankle, and plantar fasciitis, to name just a few conditions. Consultation and communication play a key role in this type of massage; the massage therapist uses orthopaedic testing to assess the range of motion that the muscle can achieve. How a muscle is restricted and how that affects the rest of the body’s function or compensation are all taken into account when providing treatment.
What is oncology massage?
Oncology massage is modified to what the person wants and where they are. Whether they are in a hospital, at home, or in a clinic, the massage may also need to accommodate medical equipment, and being aware of potential side effects someone may be experiencing. Additionally, the depth of pressure and speed need to be adjusted so that it’s very gentle, slow, and relaxing. The focus of a massage session is more about comforting and helping to alleviate the symptoms of treatment, such as sleeplessness, muscle aches, nausea, pain, and/or low mood. Oncology massage can be used at any time in a person’s journey with cancer. It may only be working with the head or the feet, or it might only be 15 minutes. Ultimately, it works with the client and what feels good for them at that time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ELIZABETH DUFFIN (B.Ost, Bsc hons, msc )
Elizabeth graduated from the British School of Osteopathy (now the University College of Osteopathy) in 2005 and has over 19 years of experience practising in Sussex and Surrey. She treats patients of all ages and uses a hands-on, individualised approach combining manual treatment, movement testing and exercise prescription to support recovery and long-term wellbeing.
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