Treatments Offered

Manual Therapy

Deep Tissue Sports Massage

So much of the aches and pains that we feel is actually just muscular pain. Although quiet painful and uncomfortable, more often than not, your muscles are tight and overworked.

Deep tissue massage works by physically breaking down these adhesions to relieve pain and restore normal movement. To do this, we will often use direct deep pressure or friction applied across muscle fibres. People often notice improved range of motion immediately after a deep tissue massage.

Sports massage is particularly effective for athletes with muscle overuse injuries, and before or after a big match or run/ marathon. Sports massage can be used for many different reasons but mainly in treatment of Sport Injuries and for sports preparation and recovery.

Myofascial Release

Myofascial Release is a technique in which we use gentle, sustained pressure on the soft tissues while applying traction to the fascia. This technique results in softening and lengthening (release) of the fascia and breaking down of scar tissue or adhesions between skin, muscles and bones.

Dry Needling

Dry needling is used to release the myofascial trigger points. A trigger point is a particular point of soreness in skeletal muscle that can cause direct or referred pain around the body. When the trigger point is located the needle is inserted, relieving the tension in the trigger point. This has been shown to relieve various injuries as well as improving flexibility and preventing recurrence of injuries and can create huge relief with little distress to the patient.

Joint Mobilization Manipulation

If you have reduced range of motion in a joint it’s more than likely one of two things. Myofascial restriction or Articular restriction. Deep tissue massage, as mentioned above, should alleviate Myofascial restriction. Articular restriction is when the joint itself is restricting the movement, which can happen for a number of reasons.

Joint mobilisations are gentle, slow movements performed on joints to reduce pain and improve flexibility. They are particularly effective in treatment of spinal pain including lower back pain and neck pain. Joint mobilisations are graded depending on your injury and severity of pain.

Joint manipulations are high speed movements usually performed on the upper or lower back. It is safely performed to reduce pain and improve flexibility.

Kinesio Sports Taping

We are skilled in taping and strapping of joints and ligaments. Strapping and taping techniques can help prevent injury as well as protect an athlete from re-injury whilst returning to sport. It can also be used to inhibit muscles spasms and promote ideal posture. The role of rigid tape (Zinc Oxide Tape) is to limit the movement in an injured joint or structure to prevent aggravation of the injury. In addition it should provide support to the affected structures therefore reducing pain.

Kinesiotape has recently become very popular among athletes and you may have seen the bright pink, blue or black Kinesiotape at a race or match. Traditional taping methods provide excellent support for sprained ligaments and joints, however for certain muscle injuries Kinesiotape works best. The popularity of Kinesiotape for muscle injuries is due to its elastic and non restrictive nature. There are specific techniques to apply the tape that allows the tape be used for multiple purposes.

When pain or stiffness is felt in muscles it is due to activation of pain receptors by localised inflammation. Kinesiotape works by lifting the skin which can reduce swelling, increase circulation, release the fascia, and reduce pain by taking pressure off pain receptors.

It can help with supporting muscles, relaxing tight muscles, speed up the removal of swelling and bruising, pain relief, correcting biomechanical problem/imbalances and improve postural awareness and alignment.

Electro-Therapy

Ultrasound

Ultrasound works like sonar, in that it sends sound waves down through the skin, bouncing off the bones and causing vibrations in the soft tissue. This in turn releases and loosens the tissue and can be very effective in bringing heat to an area, if needed, depending on its setting. Ultrasound is a completely pain free treatment.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (T.E.N.S)

T.E.N.S is a simple, non-invasive analgesic technique that is used for the management of acute and non-malignant chronic pain. It is one of the most frequently used electro-therapies for pain relief. When used with heat therapy it can be hugely effective, especially on lower back pain.

Electro-Dry Needling

Electro-Dry Needling uses dry needling needles with electrodes placed on them to send electricity through the trigger point. A trigger point is effectively a ball of electricity resulting in a tight nodule. When the needles pass, touch or electricity is passed through this spot, it releases the tension in the nodule.