What is soft tissue therapy

Soft tissue Therapy allows assessment, treatment and ongoing advice and management of a huge range of issues and conditions, not just tight muscles following exercise.

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The soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia) are responsible for so many vital functions within our body. 

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So often, it is this soft tissue that is the first structure in the body to experience problems, whether it be through daily activity, postural problems or sports. If not addressed, these early aches, pains and compensatory ways of moving can lead to misalignment of other structures, leading to damaging wear and tear that are far harder to treat. 

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Addressing early soft tissue problems can help bring your body back into alignment and balance. It can alleviate pain and prevent more serious structural problems occurring in the first place.  

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What I do and how I can help

We will have a chat about the pain or problem you are having. We’ll also talk about other things like work, hobbies and sleeping position that may also be contributing to the issue. Then I’ll ask to look at the way you stand and possibly the way you walk to see if there are any clues from that, as to why you are feeling pain or losing function.

Then I’ll ask you to show me the range of motion you have at various joints around your body, to see if this highlights any particular areas of tightness or compensation. During this process we’ll be talking about how these different movements feel and how they affect you.

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After we’ve discussed which areas would benefit from treatment and why, the treatment will start. This will most likely be a combination of advanced soft tissue techniques, as well as traditional sports massage. In an ideal world the communication between us will keep going while the treatment is happening. The more feedback I can get from you and the more you feel you understand what and why we’re treating the areas we are, the more effective the treatment will be and the more you will want to continue the work outside the treatment room.

 

Less pain, and an improvement in range of motion, is great but unless you can understand what has caused the issue - and how to stop it happening again - that same issue will return when your body returns to the same patterns that brought on the problem in the first place.

 

My objective is to make you feel better long term, not to have you visit me time and time again when the pain reoccurs. This means that during and after the hands on treatment we will discuss a plan to manage and improve your condition in the long term. This could be through a programme of stretches and/or activities but most of all through an enhanced awareness of your body, posture and how it affects your condition. 

 

I do not base my business model around repeated visits every week for the rest of time to offer short term relief. I help relieve symptoms and work to stop it happening again. Now that may not be achieved in one, two or even three treatments but when we have finished your course of treatment you will leave the treatment room with an understanding of how your problem has come about and how you can help resolve the issues you are experiencing.

 

The cold hard truth is that I (or any other therapist) get 1 hour to help solve your problem. You have the other 23 hours of that day and then 24 hours of every other day to either support or undo that treatment.. And this is where the discussions between us and your improved understanding, helps prevent the issue happening again.