Treatment
Your First Appointment: on your first visit to my clinic there will be a 15-minute initial assessment, which will include medical history and physical assessment, this will allow me to perform the best treatment possible for you. This will be done as a first step at my massage clinic
What to Wear: loose comfortable clothing is best, a loose pair of shorts (alternatively underwear, or a bikini for ladies) for lower back/leg treatment works well. Ladies, sports bras are not ideal if treating your neck/shoulders as they do not allow full access (whereas a normal bra does!) Unless you would prefer not to, I am likely to ask you to remove some items of clothing to access the specific area(s) in question, but I preserve your modesty at all times by using towels to cover any exposed areas, and of course am led by you on this to ensure you remain comfortable at all times.
The Assessment: as noted above, if I am treating you for the first time, I am obliged to ask you a number of questions about your medical history and lifestyle before assessing and testing you physically – all information is given in confidence, all records are kept securely and every precaution will be made to ensure you are a suitable candidate for soft tissue therapy. Once I have completed the admin, I will assess your posture, ranges of movement and pain levels to gain more information as to any issues you may have and how best to treat them. You can be as involved in this as you like, but most people seem to quite enjoy learning about how their body works and find it fascinating, as do I – happy to share this information with you in a way you can understand, it doesn’t have to be an endless stream of medical jargon!
The Treatment: likely to be a mixture of seated, standing, lying on your back on the couch (supine), on your front (prone) or on your side. Many techniques involve your participation to move limbs/parts of your body, so this is not a static/fall asleep opportunity I’m afraid! Towels are used to protect your modesty/keep you warm, and if required, I will use either massage lotion or oil to lubricate your skin whilst massaging (I will ask if you have any allergies that might affect which lubricant I use). If at any time you feel uncomfortable, I would always want you to let me know so that I can alter my methodology accordingly – it is your treatment, I am just the facilitator and it’s really important to me that you are happy with the way in which you were treated – all constructive feedback very much welcomed, I learn something new every day! At the end of the treatment, I am likely to retest certain ranges of movement to gauge any changes in pain levels/restrictions etc. before I ask you to get dressed and have a drink of water with me while I go over my findings and treatment/exercise plan with you.
Post Treatment Advice: massage therapy can be powerful, and some individuals will react more strongly than others, so I would always advise you to do the following:
- drink plenty of water for at least 24 hours after massage to flush out all toxins/muscle debris etc.
- use ice/cooling gel if appropriate or as instructed
- be prepared to feel like your muscles have had a really good workout for up to 48 hours post treatment.
More Info
If it’s your first time having a massage or sports Therapy treatment then read my article on what is a sports massage.
If you would like to know more please get in contact with me: