Remedial and Sports Massage

A basic massage like Swedish or holistic massage has many benefits. It relaxes you, makes you feel good and improves your circulation but the good effects are short lived. If you have a problem with pain or stiffness and want a lasting improvement you need a more advanced massage like Remedial and Sports massage.

Remedial and Sports massage combines soft tissue techniques such as deep tissue massage and specialised stretches with joint mobilisations and tractions. The therapist will assess your movement before and after to demonstrate the improvements.

Normally one problem area would be treated in one session e.g. lower back pain or a stiff neck. Some problems can be cured in one session. However chronic problems especially in an older person where there is wear and tear may take about three weekly sessions to show a good improvement. Many people with arthritis and other limiting conditions use regular remedial and sports massage to maintain their mobility and reduce their dependence on painkillers. An athlete in training can also gain considerable advantage from this therapy which conditions and tones the muscles and other soft tissue.

Massage is an ancient art which has been used in medicine for nearly two thousand years. In western cultures it was superseded by surgery and drugs but there is now a move back towards traditional methods. The NICE guidelines now recommend massage and mobilisations for unspecified lower back pain!

A remedial and sports massage does not follow a set routine. Depending on the presenting problem and on what is found when hands on the therapist will select from a variety of techniques to give the best treatment and result. It follows that it is best to use a therapist with extensive training and experience. Such a person is Mary Gunn of Holy Island Holistics who has specialised in advanced massage.