Whether or not you take part in sports or exercise, almost everyone of any age can benefit from sport and remedial massage. Most of us have imbalances in our bodies as a result of occupational stressors, sports injuries, work stress, emotional stress, accidents, illness and postural changes.

Some sports can involve over-development of muscles in some areas of the body, which can create changes in musculature and posture which can eventually result in mis-alignment of joints and injury. Other sports can place a tremendous load on certain joints, which can lead to frequent injury. Good training regimes will include gym work to strengthen and stretch muscles to balance muscle development and  to prevent imbalances from occuring but not everyone has access to a good trainer or coach.

Most occupations, as well as being increasingly stressful, carry some risk of repetitive movement which can lead to muscular imbalance because we spend many hours each day performing the same or similar actions. For example, office workers and those who drive a lot for their living, often suffer from rounded shoulders, weak upper back muscles and lower and upper back ache. Gardeners may get problems with their lower backs and shoulders and police personnel often suffer from plantar fasciitis as a result of many hours on their feet in boots that are not always kind to their bodies.

Sport and remedial massage therapy helps to improve body alignment by treating the soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia). It is an holistic treatment, which treats the entire person and not only the area of your body that hurts. Indeed the cause of the problem may be in a different part of the body entirely than where the pain shows itself.

Each treatment is designed particularly for you and your needs at each treatment session and will be different at each visit.

At the first session your therapist will discuss with you your general health, previous conditions and existing symptoms. She will also ask about your occupation, lifestyle and activities outside work as these are often relevant. Some assessment tests may be carried out as necessary. All information you give to your therapist is kept entirely confidential. Before any treatment begins, your therapist will discuss her initial findings with you and the proposed treatment plan.

If at any point, your therapist suspects a condition that requires medical help she will discuss this with you and advise you to consult your GP for medical assessment if necessary.

Various techniques are used in Sport and Remedial massage. First, your muscles and soft tissue is warmed up and softened using effleurage and petrissage techniques, which also engage the nervous system and work on boosting your circulation. Effleurage uses long strokes which begin superficially and become deeper as your body softens and the muscles become more pliant and accepting. Petrissage use s various forms of kneading to further soften the muscles and other soft tissue as the action works in different directions on the tissues. The hands, fingers, thumbs, fists and forearms are used at different times to produce deeper levels of work or more specific work on particular muscles or fibres that are tight. Stripping is used to work on small muscles or areas of muscle which are tight and is most often performed using the therapist's thumbs. Friction is employed to break down adhesions or scarring in the tissues and works across the muscle fibres. This can be uncomfortable but is only used briefly within your comfort level. Tapotement is sometimes used and includes various forms of tapping or percussion which has the effect of 'waking up' the muscle.

Other advanced neuromuscular techniques such as STR (soft tissue release) techniques are used to stretch and release tissue that is very tight and MET (muscle energy techniques) which involve stretching and elongating muscle fibres, particularly after injury or due to postural problems, when the muscles have shortened.  Trigger point therapy may be used on sensitive  'trigger points' found in the muscle to relieve them. Trigger points are small areas of hyper-irritability in muscle fibres that are often tight and may involve nerve endings - pain may be felt in an area different from the trigger point (referred pain). The circulation becomes impeded around the trigger point and a chemical imbalance occurs within the muscle fibres. Trigger point therapy aims to release the tight muscle fibres and restore normal circulation and chemical balance to the muscle fibres to dissipate the painful trigger point. Research has shown that these techniques are effective in correcting imbalances that have occurred in the different muscle groups. Fascial release techniques are a very effective treatment for releasing tension within the fascial layer of tissue which surrounds the muscles. Restriction in the fascia can result in significant impairment of the movement of the muscles.

You can expect to feel some physical changes as your body realigns. You may feel some slight soreness, stiffness or tiredness, especially after the first treatment. This should not last for more than 24 hrs.

Your therapist will give you advice about how to get the most out of your treatment and may suggest some simple exercises for you to do at home between treatments.

Please talk to your therapist if you have any concerns or worries about anything, either during or after the treatment.