By Maz Harvey
The term massage encompasses a large and varied
number of techniques and approaches.
Massage in its simplest form entails any
hands on techniques involving stroking, rubbing, lifting and squeezing of the
tissues with or without a skin lubricant. More advanced forms of techniques
practiced under the umbrella term of massage include techniques used by Physiotherapists,
Osteopaths, Chiropractors and even Acupuncturists.
I believe the time is right for the massage bodies
/ authorities to distinguish between the
various forms of massage so as to enable the public
to know which type of massage practitioner to go to for treatment. A simple
split may be Spa massage and Clinical massage?
Who can benefit from massage and what can it treat?
The answer to this question would fill a very long
blog post so I will give a few random examples of who / what I have treated
this week.
I have helped a lady recovering from a stroke, a
more mature gent struggling with a thigh problem that was keeping him awake at
night and ‘more importantly’ stopping him play golf, a G.P. with a painful
neck, a talented teenage footballer desperate to play in a final this weekend,
another mature gent still turning out to play veterans football and several
neck and shoulder problems, some with related headaches and some with related
nerve sensations down the arm.
As you can see ‘Massage’ can help with many types
of soft tissue, joint and nerve pain. It may well take several sessions to get
to the root of the problem and it may involve lifestyle changes by the client
but don’t underestimate the potential effectiveness of massage.
