PROFESSIONAL SPORTSMASSAGE THERAPY

WHAT TO EXPECT

STEP ONE - ASSESSMENT

If it is your first time visiting me, initally I will take a few details including informastion regarding your specific complaint, we will then move straight into your first initial assessment which could include a postural assessment, gait analysis, range of motion and strength testing to identify any areas which need attention.

If you have been before we will have a brief discussion to see how things have progressed and move forward from there.

STEP TWO - TREATMENT

Based on the findings of my assessment or based upon our brief discussion I will use my experience and knowledge to formulate a treatment plan which will then begin straight away. During the treatment I will use a range of techniques which I will be happy to explain to you if you are interested!

STEP THREE - SELF CARE

Homecare advice. Following your session I may give you some exercises, stretches or general advice on how best to maintain and continue the improvements made during this session. Also we can arrange further treatments going forwards as required.

Sports Massage Bedford

If you are having problems with an injury or muscle aches and pains treatment may not be delivered to the area in which you are experiencing the pain. Often the site of discomfort is just the last symptom in a chain of problems, the ripple in the pond, I want to find out where the pebble landed which caused the ripples! Getting to the root of your problems means that I will be able to make a long term improvement for you.

To reinforce sports massage we also offer Kinesio Taping. Kinesio tape is a rehabilitation tape, as opposed to some other strapping and taping methods which are designed to hold joints or muscles in the position they are taped in, Kinesio tape works on a proprioceptive level to retrain your body to recognise the new correct position a joint or muscle should be in. This works with massage to create a permanent and effective change.

Another service I offer is aimed at recovery, either following a competition or a hard training session. If you are the type of athlete who takes their sport seriously, you will know that your recovery is as important as your training. It is also the most common area which is neglected by most of us.

The most common reason for this is that valuable commodity, time. If you are working full time, plus trying to fit in 10+ hours a week of training and family time, the common perception is that trying to find another few hours on top of all that to bust out the yoga mat and do lots of stretches for one isn’t that appealing and for two just doesn’t seem like a good use of time.

So how can you squeeze the best recovery into the shortest time? Well that is where the Pulse Press Physio 12 Pro comes in. So what is it? Dynamic compression therapy, so what is that and how can it help me?

What it is, essentially it is a control unit with pumps and separate garments, the one I have is the full leg and hip garment, perfect for runners, cyclist, basically anyone who uses their legs…..so everyone then. What happens is you put on what is effectively a large pair of trousers, which then inflate to various pressures between 30-100mmHg. As well as adjusting the pressure we can adjust how long the garment stays inflated for and how long it deflates releasing the pressure for. It is this rhythm of inflation and deflation which creates the amazing results in terms of muscle recovery.

During prolonged exercise we all know that our bodies use three energy systems to produce the energy we need to sustain performance. Following exercise there are various metabolic waste products, increased blood and lymph volume in our tissues. What recovery is all about is getting back to the original state pre exercise as soon as possible so that we are ready to go out and train all over again.

So by inflating and deflating what is happening is the pressure created is squeezing lymph out of muscles and back up towards lymph nodes and then back around into the lymphatic system. As the lymphatic system has no pump, like our heart is for our circulatory system, without external assistance lymphatic draining is not as effective. Within our lymph system the lymphatic veins have non return valves ensuring that the flow of lymph can only go in the correct direction. As well as squeezing lymph out of our muscles we are also squeezing blood out of our muscles and back into our circulatory system. Carrying the by-products of ATP metabolism with it.

A good recovery session using this system will be over and done within 30 mins. All you have to do is come along, get yourself comfortable on the massage couch, if you want to bring along a kindle, tablet or something to keep you entertained or if you prefer use this time to relax and connect with your recovery session and how your body is feeling. It takes no further exertion from yourself so you don’t need to worry about getting all hot and sweaty again so you can lay back, relax and let this wonderful piece of technology do the work for you.

You can truly recover like a professional athlete.