Sports Massage was originally developed for athletes to prevent and relieve injuries, but it’s also great for non-athletes, working particularly well to improve muscle flexibility and reduce pain.

The massage usually involves deep tissue massage but may involve a range of soft tissue release, muscle energy techniques, passive and assisted stretches and neuromuscular techniques.

Whilst the massage is firm, the belief of ‘no pain, no gain’ is outdated and Sports Massage performed correctly, should be a pleasant experience. If you’ve been put off from having a Sports Massage because you believe it to be a painful treatment, please give us a try! We use the very latest evidence based techniques to make sure that we work within your comfort zone.

Sports and Clinical massage is perfect for helping relieve muscle soreness (delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS) and is proven to help muscles recover more quickly after sport and may help to prevent injury by keeping muscles supple.

Julia is qualified in a range of Osteopathic techniques which help to improve quality and quantity of movement.

Sometimes these techniques are known as joint alignment or adjustment, ‘cracking’ or ‘clicking’.

A quick, short thrust is performed to a joint, often an audible click or crack is heard or felt due to a temporary change in pressure within the joint capsule after the maneuver.

The clicking, cracking, or popping sound or feeling is not bones being moved, ‘put back in’ or ‘aligned’ and is rather that the maneuver causes a physiological and neurological response which reduces pain and muscle tightness, allowing better range of movement.  

The use of Medical Acupuncture on painful myofascial trigger points can be a very effective treatment.

These hypersensitive areas can sometimes cause referred pain in other areas.

A very fine, sterile acupuncture needle is inserted a few millimetres into the skin, which causes your body to release painkilling hormones and also increases blood flow to the area.

It is highly useful when treating injured tissue to kickstart the healing process.

Medical Acupuncture is usually painless.

Therapeutic Ultrasound is a useful treatment for both acute pain and chronic conditions.

The treatment is painless and works quickly to reduce pain and inflammation on acute injuries such as sprains and is also very effective in treating chronic tendinopathies, scarring and adhesions and in helping to reduce pain and swelling from osteoathritis.

Ultrasound works by increasing cell activity, deep within the tissues, helping structures to heal more quickly.

We often use ultrasound in the very early stages of an injury when other manual therapy treatments aren’t suitable, such as straight after a sprain when there is a lot of swelling present and the area is painful to touch. A water based gel is applied to the area to conduct the ultrasound and then we lightly glide the treatment head of the ultrasound device over the affected area. Pain is often significantly reduced immediately after treatment due to the reduction in inflammation causing pressure on sensitive nerve endings.

Cupping pulls blood to a region to stimulate healing.

It is very effective at stretching tight fascia and muscles.

The technique is used in conjunction with massage therapy and lifts the tissues rather than pushing down into them.

It is a generally painless technique, but can leave marks on the skin which can last for a few days after treatment.

Kinesio Taping has taken the rehabilitation and sports medicine world by storm. You’ll probably recognise it from seeing elite athletes wearing brightly coloured tape and may have wondered about its use.  The Kinesio brand and Taping method has established a worldwide reputation as the most trusted name in therapeutic taping. Julia is an Advanced Kinesio Taping Practitioner and we use this brand in clinic because of its superior properties. We also sell Kinesio Tape by the roll for home use.

Kinesio taping can be used to cut injury time and is a useful tool in pain management, lymphatic drainage, joint alignment and muscle reconditioning.

How does it work?

• Pain – reduces pain by taking pressure off the pain receptors.
• Lymphatic – eliminates lymphatic fluid/bruising beneath the skin.
• Joint – adjusts misalignment to aid fascia & muscle function.
• Muscle – reconditions abnormal tension & strengthens muscle.

The Kinesio Taping method is fundamentally different from traditional athletic taping. It involves taping over and around muscles in order to assist and give support whilst maintaining full range of motion. It reduces muscle fatigue, inflammation and pain, corrects posture and protects against further injury.

Kinesio Taping is a complimentary service when performed during one of our treatments and will enhance and prolong the benefits of your treatment.

Repeat taping is available in a 15 minute appointment.  Rolls of Kinesio FP tape are also available to buy from us.

Improve balance, strength and flexibility by learning how to progress in yoga in a way that minimises the risk of injury.

Safe, controlled movement to help improve your overall fitness.

Bespoke One to One classes designed to treat specific injury or chronic pain problems and small group, 45 minute classes will take you through warm up stretches and developmental stretching and strengthening, along with gaining a better understanding of movement, to help improve posture and overall muscle tightness. 

Propriocentive Neuromuscular Fascilitation (PNF) is an advanced form of passive and active  stretching which is considered to be one of the most effective forms of increasing flexibility within the rehabilitation and physical therapy community.

The body’s stretch receptors, known as Golgi Tendon Organs (GTO’s), located in the junction where tendons and muscles meet, and in the tendon itself, are activated to trigger muscle relaxation and allow a deeper stretch to occur.

PNF stretching sessions do not require the client to undress, as long as clothing worn does not restrict movement.