What to expect from our sessions
Our work towards your recovery starts from the moment you walk into our clinic. Our clinic’s strategy to improving health of our clients consists of several steps — each step is important, each one is duly recorded to create the complete picture of your physical and emotional state — and start you on the road to heal, recover and improve.
This is what happens every time you walk into our clinic:
As we meet and greet our client, we observe and make note
- of person’s form
- posture
- skin condition
- peculiarity of the gait
- any stiffness of the body
- the emotional state of the client.
What are we looking for?
An experienced therapist receives a volume of information from the initial meeting with the client.
The general physical form tells us of the client’s habits, his or her posture — of the musculoskeletal formation that might attribute to the client’s health: any backache, shoulders or neck. The skin condition (face, hands) might tells us of the internal inflammation or hormonal/endocrine disbalance. The way a person walks gives a lot of information if he is garding any stiff muscle, if the movement of the limbs is free or limited. Even the look of the person can speak volumes to a therapist who notes if the person is tired, depressed, overstimulated — and thus can apply the appropriate technique and approach.
A crucial part of our meeting. We shall go through a detailed questionnaire to establish
- whether we are dealing with a single trauma or a life-time physical condition
- whether there were any events or traumas that caused the present state
Why do we do it?
This is a blit like a detective work for a remedial massage therapist. There are so many aspects that can bring the client to his present physical and mental state
- it could be the client’s profession that builds up the muscle tension or deformation of the spine
- It could be the particular habits that bring the pain (the way you sit, walk, hold your bag)
- It could be the age that brings certain changes to which you have to adapt
- It could be the usual sport activity
- It could be your lifestyle or any changes in life that can cause stress and pressure
- The cause could be hiding in the medical history of the client
Asking questions will bring us to the root of the problem, and will enable the therapist to use the appropriate treatment and give recommendations.
It is also an opportunity for the therapist to get to know the client and make him comfortable.
If there is a complaint on the limited range of motion, muscle or joint pain, the therapist might do a gentle range of motion test.
Why do we do it?
A gentle range of motion test will help us find
- which muscle group is involved in the trauma
- if there is any nerve impingement
- If joints are included in the trauma
- If there is any radiating pain to the spine
In case if there is any structural problems it might be necessary to be referred to other specialists.
To palpate means to do a medical exam using the fingers and palms in order to check for any signs of disease, muscle inflammation. The therapist will use light touch to find any trigger points, any muscular spasm and cramps.
What we are looking for:
The palpation test is the cornerstone of a remedial massage session. During the palpation the therapist is looking for any
- active trigger points — The particular hyperirritable spots that cause pain over the afflicted area that that will lead us to the source of the discomfort.
- passive trigger points — Sometimes a client is not even aware of the extent of the trauma. While probing the muscles, the therapist might find areas that can trigger pain or discomfort — but in this way the therapist can build up a complete picture of the trauma.
- Referral point — While feeling the affected muscles, the therapist might find an area that will trigger discomfort in a different part of the body — pain usually raiding along the muscle.
The therapist also tests the muscles to see the texture of the muscle fibers; the touch will tell the specialist if there is any muscle inflammation (by the temperature), how elastic is the muscle (shortened or overstretched muscle). Therapist also glides his fingers along to the muscle to check the myofascial connectivity between the muscle and the connective fibers.
Checking the muscles that radiate from the spine allows the therapist to find the trigger points that will take him to the root of the pain and discomfort.
Relax and receive pain relief in the comfort of our massage rooms.
Depending on the medical condition and the nature of the complaint, the therapist will choose the type of massage appropriate to your case. The massage techniques vary: stimulation, relaxation, muscle stretching.
Why we do this?
The benefits of a massage session are numerous and include:
- an increase of blood circulation, allowing the body to deliver more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and internal organs.
- stimulation of the flow of lymph, which rids the body of toxins.
- improvement of any skin conditions due to increased circulation of blood and lymph systems.
- relaxation and softening of injured and overused muscles
- improvement of range of motion of joints
- relief is brought to muscles with spasms and cramping
- stimulation to weak or overstretched muscles
- help coping with pain due to the release endorphins
- speeding up the healing process of any scar tissues
- help with chronic backache
pain relief for migraine sufferers and decreases the need for medication
Dry needling, or Myofascial Trigger Point Dry Needling, is the use of acupuncture needles for therapy of muscle pain, including pain related to myofascial pain syndrome.
The needles are inserted into the affected muscle and are retained for 15-30 minutes to induce the desired effect (relaxation or stimulation of the muscle).
The therapist will consider:
- the number of needles to be used
- if stimulating or sedating effect to be achieved
- How shallow or deep needle penetration needs to be
Why it is good for you.
When dealing with pain, it is difficult to get the effective result when only a remedial massage is applied; however, combined therapy approach (massage together with dry needling) brings better and quicker result.
Dry needling is an effective way to influence and improve the state of tendons, restore bone tissues, heal an inflammation of the muscle or myofascial tissue. Your endocrine system (hormones, glands, lymph, immune system) will receive an incredible boost after a dry needling session, as the needles induce other body responses, rather than massage sessions.
At the end of each session the therapist will give you a set of instructions or recommendations to aid your recovery. The instructions might include exercises to be practiced, posture correction reminders, or even dietary advice.
Why do we do it?
You can immensely help yourself and speed your recovery if you work together with your therapist. The therapist will do his best at establishing the cause of the pain and eliminating it, but you are your carer for the rest of the time and you have to take good care of yourself.
Following the guidance and advice of the specialist will set you on the route of quicker recovery and even improvement of your body, lifestyle and well-being.
Here is our quick after-session reminder:
- Having received the blissful pain-relief, people tend to start checking themselves looking for the pain, testing the new range of motion. Please don’t. Rest for 48 hours after the therapy session and allow your body self-adjust and recover.
- Be aware of your posture. Make it a daily routine for the next day or two to check your sitting, standing, walking posture.
Your details will be entered in our database together with the detailed treatment that was administered and the recommendations given.
You will be given log-in details to encourage you to keep record of any changes to your body sensations, any notes or questions that should be addressed to your therapist.
Why you should do it.
In close cooperation with you, we will create your health summary that you will be able to take with you, print out, consult with and refer to at any moment. You will also be able to add your commentaries and observations about your current health condition to build your most up-to-date health report.
We shall work on our database to make it able to be shared with other specialists that might be involved in managing your health.
Do expect a call from us to check on your well-being after the your initial session.
Why we do this?
Your well-being and recovery is our topmost priority. Receiving any updates from you will help the therapist adjust his future sessions to meet your needs.