Category Archives: Injuries

Gua Sha Massage Aftercare, what are these bruises?

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If YOU have experienced a Gua Sha Body Massage, we hope you are feeling looser and lighter after your recent Remedial Massage treatment.

Gua sha is a therapeutic method of classical Chinese medicine that works to improve circulation and blood flow to reduce tension and chronic pain. The scraping of skin with a gua sha tool causes the appearance of purple or red spots known as petechiae or sha.

Although this may appear visually similar to mild bruising, it actually signifies the impeded circulation of qi, blood or fluids in the area of treatment.  Gua sha is used to address stagnant energy, blood and fluids within the body and to move the body back into a state of homeostasis and promote overall well-being.

We trust that you left the studio feeling rejuvenated and with increased mobility in those tight and painful areas. If your pain persists, please Contact Us.

To maximize the benefits of your Gua sha session and extend the post-treatment feeling, keep reading for a few aftercare tips….

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The Benefits of Sports Massage are Game-Changing  

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We have so many clients visiting us for Sports Massage in Southampton, here, we explain why a Sport / Remedial Massage is a Game Changer

Whether you are an athlete or live an active lifestyle and are looking for ways to improve or maintain your training regimen, then sports massage is a great way to aid recovery and enhance performance.

sports massage southampton

Clients often wonder ‘what is the difference between Sports massage and Deep-Tissue massage’? And the truth is, Sports massage goes beyond relaxation. What sets it apart is its customized approach, tailoring each treatment to the specific needs and goals of the client.

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HEALTH AND FITNESS by Phil, Physiotherapist

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The terms health and fitness are often used interchangeably but they’re different, although often related.

The World Health Organization defines health as: “A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing”.

Fitness class

There’re various definitions of fitness, but commonly it’s stated as: “The ability to fulfil a particular role or task”.

We can therefore see that fitness is specific, so we may be fit to walk but not to run and that a certain level of health may be required to perform a specific task.  Similarly, the fitness required to be a sprinter, requiring power and speed, is different from that being a distance runner, needing endurance. This makes it difficult to ascertain who is the “fitter” person. Continue reading →

How do Mobile Phones cause health problems with our necks and how can we prevent it?

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Holistic and Sports Massage therapist, William, talks text neck.

Have you ever found yourself scrolling through your phone aimlessly in an act of procrastination?

If you’re anything like me then I’m sure you have. The average person spends over 24 hours a week on the internet. This amount of time online has doubled in the past 10 years and stats are increasing!

And why wouldn’t they?

The rise of Facebook, Instagram and twitter has had us glued to our phones. Even if you’re not a social media junkie, there are no escaping emails and phone calls. All of this leads us ‘looking down’ as a society where instead we should be looking up.

Mobile phone usage has a massive effect on our health. As a society we are learning more about how technology can affect our mental health, but one thing we forget to factor is how this can affect our physical health, particularly our necks.

The human head weighs around 11 pounds in a neutral position; however when we are looking down our head can weigh up to 60 pounds. That equals roughly 60 pints of water… Or 600 golf balls!

Doesn’t that put things into perspective?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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OSTEOARTHRITIS – how Physiotherapy can help

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Physiotherapy Southampton for OsteoarthritisAs written by Southampton Physiotherapist, Phil Coleman

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a very common condition involving the degeneration of joints in the body, commonly affecting the knees, hips, lower back and neck, base of the thumb and big toe and finger joints. The degeneration particularly affects the cartilage, the smooth, slippery surface between the joints. The body cannot replace cartilage but attempts to repair the damage but makes it worse, laying down new bone in the form of osteophytes (bony spurs).

Types of Osteoarthritis

There’re two main types of OA – primary, where there’s no clear cause of the breakdown of cartilage, although there may be a genetic link, and secondary, where OA may develop in later life following injury such as a fracture or ligament damage.  For example, ankle fractures commonly become arthritic and footballers with a history of major knee ligament damage may develop knee OA.  More recently, a high BMI has been linked to OA in weight bearing joints.

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Introducing Chiropractic Student and sports Massage therapist: Islay

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chiropractor southampton

Islay has had extensive training and is commencing a Masters degree in Chiropractic this year

Qualifications and experience

Islay is a qualified Sports Massage Therapist Level 3

She is also studying to become a Chiropractor at the AECC and will be entering her final year in September 2019.

As a competitive sports person Islay understands the importance of keeping the body free from pain and is partially skilled in identifying and reducing painful muscle knots.

Islay believes in the importance of the mind-body connection and alters her massage treatments to ensure her patients leave the room feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.

 

Skills:

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Introducing new Sports Massage Therapist – Ali

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Hi! My name is Ashraf Ali, and you can call me Ali, I run Optimal Sport Massage from YOU Massage & Therapy Centre at weekends. I’m a Sports massage therapist and a Chiropractor in training at Bournemouth AECC

My interest in sport from a young age has led me to train as a Chiropractor and a massage therapist. I have learned a lot of about avoiding injuries and self-treatment methods from playing rugby for years and competing in Powerlifting.

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Western Acupuncture – Dry Needling – with Osteopath Edward

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Southampton AcupunctureSouthampton Osteopath, Ed Webb, offers Dry Needling from our Bedford Place studio

What is dry needling?

The popular treatment of dry needling (as opposed to wet needling such as Botox, corticosteroids, anaesthetics etc), also known as western or medical acupuncture, is frequently used by health care professionals such as osteopaths, physiotherapists, chiropractors and even some GPs.

By effectively isolating problem areas on the body, namely myofascial trigger points, the therapist can deliver fine acupuncture needles intramuscularly. Several studies have shown immediate improvements in pain and/or disability by targeting trigger points in this way, and there is no shortage of clients and patients who can advocate the outstanding effects of this ever-popular treatments.

How does Dry needling it work?

The proposed mechanism of dry needling involves the mechanical disruption of the integrity of dysfunctional endplates, alterations in the length and tension of muscle fibres and stimulation of mechanoreceptors, increased muscle blood flow and oxygenation, and endogenous opioid release affecting peripheral and central sensitization, among others.

What on earth does that all mean I hear you say?

Essentially, dry needling therapy induces a stimulatory effect on the body’s tissues, which helps kickstart the body’s own painkilling and healing capabilities; amazing right? Osteopaths amongst many other practitioners and therapists have known for a long time about the internal powers our bodies possess to heal themselves, our job is merely to bring about and facilitate this change and reach equilibrium.

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OVERVIEW OF THE KNEE – by Southampton Physiotherapist – Phil Coleman

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The Knee

Written for YOU Massage & Therapy Centre Southampton by Physiotherapist Phil Coleman

southampton knee physioThe knee joint is a modified hinge joint, meaning that it flexes (bends) and extends (straightens) but also has a small degree of rotation.  Its stability is largely provided by ligaments such as the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments (ACL and PCL) and the medial and lateral ligaments. The knee’s movements are provided mainly by the quadriceps at the front of the thigh (knee extensors) and the hamstrings and calf complex behind (knee flexors).  The knees also have soft cartilage pads (the menisci) shaped like moon crescents on the medial and lateral aspect.  These act as shock absorbs and give knees greater stability.

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Lower Back Pain

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Lower back pain can be caused by any number of things. In this article I will be focusing on what I see most commonly with my clients, which is postural/environmental resulting in muscle imbalances.

 

Let me start by explaining what I mean by postural/environmental and what a muscle imbalance is.

In general, as a society we spend a lot of our day sitting. Whether this is at a desk or in a car, train or plane. In fact in western civilisation we sit on average 23 hours a day. Continue reading →