For injuries, health conditions, aches or pains such as: lower back pain, shoulder tension, hamstring injury, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, migraine, tension headaches, whiplash, tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel, posture related problems, fibromyalgia, chronic pain.
Musculoskeletal assessment and treatment to reduce your pain, reduce inflammation and improve range of motion.
These can include: manual therapy, massage, stretches and exercise prescription to strengthen and support your muscles and joints, taping.
There are various massage types available:
Sports Massage – Sports massage manipulates the soft tissue to prevent injury, improve performance, alleviate muscle pain, reduce doms, enhance circulation and improve recovery between training and competition.
Deep Tissue Massage – This is best for when you have specific areas of tightness and aching. The strokes are slower than sports massage and it is more specific to the affected area. This has a more clinical aspect, using your feedback as well as the response of the muscles to dictate the pressure.
Clinical Massage – Incorporates manual therapy, trigger points and therapeutic deep tissue massage. Conditions we treat include: fibromyalgia, anxiety, frozen shoulder, tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, overuse syndromes, tears, pulls, sciatica, headaches, migraines, fibromyalgia, whiplash, SI joint problems, low back pain, carpal tunnel.
Relaxing Massage – A gentle, low pressure massage using slow, flowing movements. Promotes relaxation and calm.
Back, Neck and Head Massage – Tight shoulders? Aching lower back? Desk job? Poor posture? Feel like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? The back, neck and head massage eases aches and pains, relaxes, reduces stress and calms. You will leave feeling as though the weight has been lifted off your shoulders.
Full Body Massage – 90 minute full body massage for when your body really needs it. Post competition recovery reward or ultimate de-stresser. Extra time is used for focus/problem areas to be targeted.
Acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles through your skin at specific points on your body.
These points are located on energy meridian paths across the body. The specific points are selected to treat various physical and mental conditions and are dependent on the individual and their symptoms.
Acupuncture can aid a range of issues from chronic pain management, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, disease, health conditions, stress related symptoms such as anxiety, migraines, the common cold and clear energy blockages.
There are two approaches, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the Western approach.
TCM explains acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy – known as chi or qi (chee). This flows through pathways (meridians) in your body. By inserting needles into specific points along these meridians the energy flow will rebalance.
In contrast, the Western approach views the acupuncture points as places to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue – Targeting these areas to alleviate symptoms.
Acupuncture:
I use kinesio tape for a range of injuries, aches and pains – even menstrual pain. It can provide immediate relief. I recommend using it alongside treatment like Acupuncture, Massage or a strengthening rehab program. After trialing many brands of kinesio tape, I now use Rocktape as I find it is the most effective. Here’s some information about how the tape works:
Reduces the perception of pain
It runs interference on pain, producing an alteration in sensation, which can disrupt the pain signals to the brain. Ever knock your shin and rub it, and suddenly, the pain reduces? This is called Pain Gate Theory. It helps to change how your body interprets pain, turning down the pain “volume” that your body hears.
Decompresses swelling and inflammation
RockTape has a microscopic lifting effect underneath the skin and between the many layers. This allows the by-products created by inflammation to be removed more effectively.
Delays fatigue
Research has shown that RockTape on skin can attenuate muscle fatigue, this is very important, not only for the parts of your body that are currently sore, but also for the surrounding areas as they help to pick up the slack for muscles that are not currently working well.
Normalises muscle tone
When someone is injured, fatigued, sick, or inflamed, the symphony of muscle action that normally takes place with great accuracy often falls out of tune. This can happen all over the body. For instance, research has shown that people who sprain their ankle tend to have altered activity of their hip muscle as a result. RockTape helps bring dormant muscle back to life and help calm down the overactive muscles. It helps your body coordinate movement as if it weren’t hurt, hence allowing it to heal properly.
Distributes physical stress
Unlike conventional taping, which restricts movement – RockTape allows full movement of a taped area. Through elastic properties and quick recoil, RockTape helps distribute forces to other nearby areas through the fascia and ligaments.
Reflexology is a complementary therapy involving the application of pressure to specific reflex points on the feet. It is based on the theory that points and areas on the feet correspond to the body's organs and systems.
Reflexology helps to restore balance in the body.
Reflexologists work through the body map on the foot by gently stimulating the reflex points and encouraging the body to heal.
It is used to treat: Anxiety, stress, nausea, constipation, insomnia, digestive issues, women's health conditions, aid fertility.
Acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment for conditions impacting fertility at multiple points in the journey. It works by restoring healthy menstrual cycles, reducing stress, and regulating hormone balance. There is evidence it can help fertility through a number of mechanisms, from improving blood flow to the uterus and ovaries, to moderating the immune response and reducing inflammation. It is specifically prescribed to treat various physical and mental conditions and is adapted to the individual and their symptoms.
There is possible evidence to support acupuncture’s effect in treating conditions such as:
As well as providing a relaxation benefit during the emotionally charged fertility journey.
Newer studies, using real-world outcomes for IVF patients, show improvement of pregnancy and live birth rates, with some clinics using acupuncture as their official policy.
Acupuncture, when included as part of an IVF treatment plan, is sometimes recommended to help improve chances of embryo transfer success.
In 2017 the British Acupuncture Council conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of studies worldwide; the evidence is clear for IVF. This shows increased live birth rates by over 30% across the board when used alongside IVF.
Abdominal massage is a medium – firm pressure massage on your abdominal stomach area, focused on your reproductive organs. Not all of my client’s goals are fertility. They may want to manage painful periods, PCOS or endometriosis, not be thinking of fertility at this point – or ever. Other clients may be fertility orientated.
Studies have shown the benefits of abdominal massage and manual techniques to improve women’s health conditions, promote circulation, stimulate blood flow to the reproductive organs, balance hormones, normalise cycles, remove blockages and breakdown congestions. These in turn can contribute to improved reproductive health, enhancing fertility.
“Manual physical therapy has been demonstrated to reverse infertility attributed to occluded fallopian tubes, hormonal dysregulation, undetected endometriosis, and unexplained infertility and to increase successful in vitro cycles.” Rice et al 2015
The therapy is also very relaxing, stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system to take your body into a state of rest. This takes your body out of fight or flight mode and into ‘feed and breed’ or ‘rest and digest’, supporting the function of the reproductive and digestive organs. This treatment also has a beneficial effect on gut health, improving circulation to the digestive organs allowing for healing, repair and improved function.
It may take 3 months of regular treatments to initiate improvement. I am working to balance hormones and reduce adhesions which may have been neglected for decades not to mention counteract years of synthetic hormone intake via the pill, a neglectful diet and elevated cortisol – it isn’t an overnight job! In saying that, most clients do notice an immediate improvement in their menstrual health, pain and moods and find their cycles and periods quickly normalise, leading to improved reproductive health.
Reflexology is a relaxing therapeutic treatment that involves applying pressure to specific ‘reflex points’ found in the feet which correspond with all the organs, glands, tissues and muscles in your body.
Advanced Fertility Reflexology is focused on the reproductive system. It supports the female cycle at each stage, working alongside your body to stimulate ovulation, balance the endocrine system and hormones as well as promoting calm. In males it improves circulation to the reproductive organs to stimulate sperm production & improve sperm morphology, count and motility.
Can assist unexplained infertility, natural conception and help to balance the body in preparation prior to ART: IUI, IVF, ICSI.
Suitable for males and females.
This incorporates Abdominal massage, acupuncture and reflexology.
Abdominal massage works to directly improve the circulation to the digestive organs. It also does this indirectly, as the therapy is very relaxing; it stimulates the parasympathetic nerve system to take your body into a state of rest. This takes your body out of high alert ‘fight or flight’ mode and into ‘feed and breed’ or ‘rest and digest’, supporting the functions of the reproductive and digestive organs. This increased circulation to the digestive organs allows for healing, repair and improved function.
Managing stress and anxiety can help to reduce the causal factors for some gut health cases. Stress and depression can reshape the gut bacteria’s composition through stress hormones, inflammation, and autonomic alterations. Stress and depression can increase gut barrier permeability. The result, a “leaky gut,” allows bacteria to seep into circulation, producing an inflammatory response.
Research has shown that acupuncture treatment may benefit Irritable Bowel Syndrome by:
Reflexology works to improve circulation to the digestive organs and breakdown any congestion in these areas promoting normal function.