HOW DOES IT WORK?
I offer a wide variety of different services, all of which can be read about on their own seperate pages on this website. However, I would strongly encourage patients to not become too fixated on a particular service, as it is likely they will benefit from a combination of different treatments, which can often be combined into the same appointment e.g. Visceral Manipulation can be performed alongside Sports Massage. The initial consultation should be treated as the starting point for my services for clients, because it gives the opportunity to discuss what other treatments from my arsenal might be beneficial going forward, if appropriate. This is like going to see your doctor for a given problem - the doctor will then advise what treatments will be the most suitable. For example, orthotics are very useful for treating a wide variety of complaints, however not everyone needs them and it would therefore be irresponsible of myself to offer them just because the client asks for them, as it could do more harm than good! Furthermore, whilst I do listen to a patient when it comes to whatever symptoms and concerns they may have, I do not tend to just take a symptoms-based approach like many other practitioners. For instance, I often get enquires such as 'how much does it cost for a back massage?' as the person is experiencing pain in these areas.
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Whilst massaging these areas upon request can offer the client some relief and I will most likely address the site of pain in some capacity, doing this in isolation does not address why these areas are hurting in the first place, as there numerous reasons for back pain, most of which have nothing to do with the back itself and are being referred from other areas of the body. Only by addressing these areas can an issue be fully resolved (see the Holistic approach below). This makes the initial consultation all the more important to identify these tissues, hence any clients who are reluctant to do this as they are seeking a 'quick fix' are advised to seek help elsewhere.
Quite often the services provided within the initial consultation and perhaps a few follow-ups are enough to solve the problem, however if I feel the patient needs a little bit extra then there are other avenues available (see the flow diagram).
What to Expect:
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Initial Consultation:
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This first appointment is generally longer than the others (90 mins) to allow extra time for the background history relevant to the patient to be recorded. Following this, a biomechanical assessment will be performed, followed by relevant sports massage treatment to relieve the pains/tightness specific to the patient. Lastly; and perhaps most crucially, suitable aftercare advice will be given to ensure improvement of the problem can be made outside of appointment times. Shorter initial consultation appointments may on occasion be offered (1 hour), depending upon my availability and patient budget. The same structure will still be adhered to, albeit with a shorter hands-on treatment time.
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Follow-up Appointments:
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Although every effort is made to correct a patient's dysfunction as quickly as possible, it is likely that at least one follow-up appointment will be recommended to monitor the improvement of a complaint and to offer further treatment. After all, a biomechanical improvement should be thought of as a process, rather than a quick fix whereby the longevity of any improvement will be extremely limited. These appointments will usually consist of a short consultation for familiarisation of any new developments, followed by further sports massage treatment to aid the dysfunction further. Patients should feel a significant improvement in their level of pain, tightness or level of sporting performance after the biomechanical treatment has run its course, making them feel as though they don't need to book in as often for follow-up treatment. However, despite this, many individuals feel a benefit from booking in from time to time for sports massage treatment in an 'MOT' capacity to prevent the return or development of new tightness/injuries. After all, even with perfect biomechanics, the body will still eventually tighten, particularly if the individual does a lot of sport!
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Length of follow-up appointment:
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A typical follow-up session is approximately 1 hour in length. To realistically give enough time to cover everything in good detail, I would recommend 1 hour follow-ups for most of my clients. However, some customers may choose to opt for a 30 minute follow-up session.
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*Please note that, unless stated otherwise, it will be assumed that any clients booking in for a follow-up session wish to have the standard 1 hour session.
The 'Holistic Approach'
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There are many benefits of sports massage when used in isolation, but it is important to highlight the limitations on how most other practitioners use this service. As I have already mentioned, I take a more holistic approach to treating bodily pain and dysfunction. This is because the body is an interconnected structure, and it is only by treating it as such that we can really address the true cause of your issue. In almost all cases I see, the cause of an issue is in a different place to where the pain lies. The body is simply good at compensation and transmitting tension through its connective tissue (see picture). For instance, if the back hurts, it could be a problem with the hamstring, hip flexor or even a visceral restriction, amongst other things. Therefore this knowledge of the interconnected body simply renders the symptoms-based approach taken by most practitioners much less effective by comparison. This is essentially the 'bury your head in the sand approach', as the problem is never solved, and you simply learn to mask it - much like taking painkillers! Quite often I receive requests for a back and shoulder massage, because that is where the pain lies, but I always strive to encourage my patients to get the most out of their treatment by exploring the culprit areas. After all, if all we needed to do to truly solve an ailment was to rub the area that hurts, there would be no need for healthcare professionals at all!
