Pregnancy Massage

I consider pregnancy to be one of the most amazing and challenging things that a woman can go through.
The ability to produce a new life is awe inspiring and the changes that a pregnant woman goes through, both physically and mentally are, in my mind one of the seven wonders of this world. It is because of this that I consider being able to work with a pregnant woman as being a great privilege.
To be able to relieve some of her discomfort, to ease any anxiety she may feel about the impending birth is very satisfying for me. A woman's body goes through many changes during the 40 weeks of pregnancy and massage can be very beneficial in easing many of these discomforts.


A woman's body goes through many changes during the 40 weeks of pregnancy and massage can be very beneficial in easing many of these discomforts.
These include nausea, fatigue, headaches, anxiety, insomnia, muscular cramps and pain in legs, back pain, pelvic pain, oedema or swelling, and even sciatica to name but a few. But whatever the woman is experiencing the joy and sadness, the ups and downs, the good and bad, therapeutic massage is an important positive component of how she deals with the emotional and physical changes associated with pregnancy.

Massage can even help with insomnia and the stress of the impending birth, by relaxing the mother and helping her to feel cared for and nourished. I perform the massage in a side lying position on a wide and comfortable couch in a dedicated room in my home. I work firmly but slowly & will adjust the pressure to suit you. I use many pillows, bolsters & cushions to support your body while I work.
I only use natural oils and waxes when I work and I use a specially blended natural wax by MoogWax for mothers to be.

If you are pregnant & feeling the stresses & pains that pregnancy can bring you can feel confident that you are in safe hands with me. Besides, I know exactly what you are going through!

Priming the body for Labour
There are various acupressure points that, as a massage therapist treating pregnant clients, we absolutely must not work on, however once the due date has past & your medical team are talking about induction they can sometimes prove to be helpful in getting things 'moving'.
The client must be post 40weeks, be in good general health & should speak to their midwife before going ahead.
The client first receives a good relaxing full body massage before work can commence stimulating certain acupressure points.
I can't guarantee that working these points will bring on the start of labour but there is some evidence that it can help and if your medical team are considering induction through a drip or sweep then it is certainly worth a try.
And this could also be your final bit of 'me time'� before the baby is born.

 

Remedial Massage

I believe that everyone should be able to live their life free from pain, whether they be an active person who exercises regularly or someone who has a more gentle lifestyle but has to sit at a desk or stand all day.

Modern life and our job can take it's toll on the body. We are not designed to sit in one position all day staring at a computer screen or to stand behind a counter in a shop or to be bent over a broken piece of machinery all day, to name just a few.
We do however, have to do all these things and they can leave us with painful muscle tension in head neck and shoulders, headaches, lower back and hip pain and postural imbalances.


Remedial massage means to remedy and it can ease all the tension and pain that modern life leaves us with. By warming, stretching and lengthening the muscles using a number of special techniques, including myofascial release, I can relieve many symptoms that you suffer from

 

Sports Massage

Sports massage is aimed at sports people of all levels, however you do not need to be a sport person to get some benefit.

The Sports Massage Association describes it as the management and manipulation of soft tissues of the body including muscles, tendons & ligaments.


Sports massage increases blood flow to feed the muscles and increases lymphatic drainage to clear them of toxins. It can reduce scar tissue, muscle spasm and tension and helps you to prepare or recover from an event. It can also help you to prepare mentally for a sporting event, leaving you feeling relaxed and with a feeling of well being.

Sports massage is my first love and I continue to have a lot of success treating sports people and helping them compete and excel in their chosen sport or activity, Now that I have put myofascial release into the mix it is even more effective.

 

Myofascial Release

Fascia is the connective tissue that connects our whole body together. Scientists are beginning to realise that without fascia, our bodies just would not move. Our bodies are suspended within a connective tissue mesh, that actually surrounds every living cell.

In it's ideal state it should be quite fluid, moving & changing with the ebb & flow of the body, but after trauma and time spent in bad postures the tissue can set & become quite solid, hampering easy movement in our bodies. The effects of this tight connective tissue is to tighten the soft tissue it surrounds, i.e. Muscle, skin & tendon, which in turn can pull the joints out of line. So if we release the soft tissue, the joints will release. That lumbar vertebrae hasn't slipped, it's been dragged forward by soft tissue.


So, how do we go about softening this tissue? Well, it's quite simple. It just needs to be warmed, and the best way to do it is with the hands of a good therapist.

The techniques used can be very superficial or a much deeper and the changes felt can be very subtle or quite dramatic. The therapist needs to tune into the patients body & “listen” with their hands while the melt takes place. The aim is to make the tissue more pliable and more elastic whilst making more space in the body. The changes a person feels can be instant, with posture, movement & discomfort dramatically improved in just one session, although best results are gained with a few sessions.

discomfort, seem to chase different pains round your body or just haven't found a treatment that really works for you, then please give it a try. It could change your life!

 

ScarWork


Scarwork is another type of myofascial release that works using very gentle & often subtle techniques to help soften scar tissue and reintegrate it into the fascial matrix of the body. I see a scar as being like a Portuguese man-of-war jelly fish(although not as deadly, thankfully). The scar that you see on the surface of the skin is like the body of the jellyfish on the top of the water but the far reaching tentacles under the surface are akin to the adhesions under the scar that can be just as far reaching. Scar healing is a natural process that occurs after injury but the tissue is more fibrous and over time these fibrous strands can become inflexible, stuck together & uncomfortable. Scarwork works to soften this tissue, to help lumps, bumps, gaps, ridges and knots to become smoother. It not only affects what is going on under the skin but can also affect the look of a scar making it a more uniform colour while softening the lumps & bumps so that it can become less obvious to the eye. The process should be pain free, sometimes with a strange sensation that “feels like something is happening or changing”



Scarwork can also help the recipient come to terms with or even love their scar. Quite often people really don't like their scars especially if they were received under traumatic conditions like a car accident, emergency operation or c-section to name but a few. I finished my training in February 2018 with Jan Trewartha who trained with the amazing Sharon Wheeler, an American rolfer who developed ScarWork It is never too late to work on a scar no matter how old they are but a new scar must be fully healed and the surgeon or doctor must give his consent that work can start. So whether you have laparoscopy scars from an arthroscopy, a tight C-section scar or scars from surgery to pin a broken ankle Scarwork can help you more comfortable and perhaps even a little in love with your scar. Please contact me for more information & to find out if ScarWork is right for you.

 

CORE Bodywork


For clients that really want to make a dramatic change in their bodies and lives I offer a series of treatments called CORE bodywork. A system of 5 75 to 90 minute sessions that work on the deep fascial system, working to soften the diaphragm, psoas - the CORE of the body and subsequently the whole body. Working with the breath we systematically move through the whole body releasing and making changes together as we go.

www.corecaregroup.com

I have trained with it's creator Noah Karrasch for many years and have been through the 5 sessions myself and have found it to be life changing both emotionally and physically. For more information click on the link above.