ABOUT MASSAGE
Massage may be the oldest and simplest form of medical care. In China there are massage textbooks as far back as the Nei Jing (722-481 BC) the most ancient Chinese medical texts. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) it is recorded that there were 56 massage doctors in the imperial hospital more than the total of herbalist and acupuncturists.
Chinese techniques were first imported to Japan around the 6th century and eventually in the early 20th century gave rise to Japanese Shiatsu. In Europe, in the 19th century, Per Henrik Ling developed Swedish Massage (called classic massage in Sweden) the origin of most forms of modern Western bodywork. Egyptian tomb paintings show people being massaged and it was also one of the principal methods of relieving pain for Greek and Roman physicians. Massage has been a major part of the healing systems of many cultures for hundreds if not thousands of years.
Many forms of massage have been developed over the years and each has its own distinct style with different strokes and techniques, from very light touch, rocking, gentle compressions and shaking to flowing compressive strokes, very deep pressure, stretching and mobilisations.
Massage has been reported to
- Help relieve stress and aid relaxation
- Help relieve muscle tension and stiffness
- Foster faster healing of strained muscles and sprained ligaments
- Reduce pain and swelling
- Reduce formation of excessive scar tissue
- Reduce muscle spasms
- Enhance joint flexibility and range of motion
- Aid athletic performance
- Improve circulation of blood and movement of lymph fluids
- Help reduce blood pressure in the short-term
- Help relieve tension-related headaches and effects of eye-strain
- Enhance the health of skin
- Help you to improve your posture
- Strengthen the immune system
- Help treat musculoskeletal problems
What happens during a treatment
When you come for your massage appointment I will briefly run through a consultation with you to collect your personal details, discuss any aches and pains you might be experiencing and note any relevant health and medical history. You can ask any question you have about the massage, if this is your first massage I will talk you through exactly what will happen and everything you need to know.
You will be given time to yourself to undress ready for the treatment. As massage is performed directly on the skin you will be asked to remove clothing covering those areas to be treated. I recommend both men and women wear comfortable stretchy underwear for massage, women may prefer to keep their bra on during the treatment and this is absolutely fine. It is important that you are comfortable and relaxed during the treatment so it is absolutely fine if you wish to be full undressed, fully clothed or something in the middle.
You will be covered with this sheet for the entire treatment and only the body part being massaged will be uncovered at any time.
During the course of the massage it is likely that some areas of tension, muscle adhesion and trigger points will be discovered. When working with these areas it can sometimes be a little tender or sore, but we will always be working within your tolerance levels as it is important that you are relaxed throughout the massage.
I don't play music during the massage as I want you to tune in to your bodies rhythm rather than some melodic tune. I may ask questions about how different areas are feeling and check with you that the pressure is OK. After your treatment I will discuss with you what was discovered, if you wish, I can suggest beneficial lifestyle changes and I can suggest how best for you to move forward with any future treatment or maintenance work.