WHAT IS
Massage
‘Massage’ can take many forms. It can be an integral part of physiotherapy treatment for soft tissue injuries, sports injuries, and more delicate situations where there is long standing pain, and is always tailored to the patient.
Massage qualifications
Shirley-Ann was fortunate to receive a solid grounding in massage therapy as part of her training at the Middlesex Hospital London, and this inspired her to deepen her various skills over the years of post graduate training.
Types of massage
The type of massage used at Lightwater Physiotherapy is very gentle and is never intended to be imposing or painful in any way, far from it.
Sometimes patients report having had unpleasant or painful massage experiences in the past, so it is important to feel re-assured and always in control of what you are receiving with an on-going communication any time throughout the process.
Massage is very popular and supportive in the sphere of Complementary Therapy too and so is also an integral part of these well-being treatment options depending on what is needed and requested by you the client.
It is usually the case that certain areas are focussed on for the session, such as the whole back, or neck and shoulders, legs, arms, or face, or sometimes a digestive/abdominal massage is needed instead. These may involve undressing down to your underwear, with warm towels covering all but the areas being massaged.
If this is not for you there are other well-being treatment options that can be received fully-clothed with a blanket if wished. These are equally effective and simply a matter of choice.
Complementary Therapy Sessions
Ill-patterns in our movement may call us to re-set our body. When we are in pain, busy-ness, drive, protection, exhaustion, carrying a load on our shoulders, or we get triggered easily in our moods and emotional reactions, well-being treatments can support us to release the energetic factors that have fed into these patterns in life.
When we feel anxiety, stress, nervous energy, make poor lifestyle choices, or we struggle with switching off our thoughts to support our quality of sleep at night, we may seek to re-set a sense of harmony and settlement in our bodies.
There are a range of well-being treatments that can offer a settlement, a feeling of deep rest in the body that you may not have felt before. Clients often fall asleep during these sessions and awaken to a re-balanced and refreshed feeling again. Others find it supportive to talk through what may be observed in the body as it settles.
Everyone is unique and the sessions are tailor-made to suit you, please ask for details.
Are there any contra-indications to massage?
Whilst massage can be beneficial for the treatment of many minor musculoskeletal conditions and certain medical conditions, there are certain instances and medical conditions where massage may be a contra-indication.
These include:
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Acute Inflammation
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Open Wounds
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Bone Fractures
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Deep Vein Thrombosis
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Varicose Veins
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Bleeding Disorders
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Infectious Skin Diseases
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Cancer (GP consent may be required)
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Post Surgery (GP consent may be required)
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If you are feeling unwell, have a virus or high temperature
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If you are undergoing medical treatment for a particular condition, written consent may be required from your medical practitioner or consultant before massage treatment can commence.
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If you feel any of these may apply to you, please ask before booking.