Approach

My career path has been based around a multi-modal approach informed by bio mechanists, physical therapists, exercise scientists, and chiropractors to understand postural dysfunctions, compensation patterns and range-of-motion issues. I've put more of a focus on understanding why and how these conditions develop,  common patterns that develop  and proactive approaches you can take to help improve the issues you have.

Remedial Massage is fantastic for reducing pain, increasing range of motion and bringing areas of the body back into balance but if you don’t look at your daily habits, posture and movement patterns, the issue you have may keep reoccurring.
​
Think Globally
For the most part the tightness or discomfort you feel in common areas is generally an accumulation of your daily activities. What is the position/posture you spend most of your time in? Good or bad our bodies are adapting so they can be the most efficient in those positions. A Joint that doesn’t move enough will stiffen, atrophy of the muscles occurs across that joint, discomfort, stiffness and weakness set in then you start to compensate your movement.
An example of this is the common postural neck and shoulder or lower back issues predominately caused from extended periods of time spent sitting.

Think Locally
When you start feeling pain, whether it is localised or referred during movement, this comes from hypersensitivity from a muscle due to the inability to slow movement and control motion. This can be caused from a weakness in Synergist (stabilising) muscles and antagonist (opposing) muscles to the movement being performed.
An extreme example could be, a tear to the sprinters hamstrings (during leg extension while running) due to the quads being much stronger than the hamstrings. At some point they cannot sustain enough eccentric load to control the movement and the quads overpower them leading to a torn muscle​

​​

Technique​

​My technique is evolving over time, I’m looking at quality of movement, symmetry, compensation patterns, tone of the muscles, pain and restrictions. I group muscles by their movement actions and start on the muscles that create the restrictions and work back to the muscles where you feel the pain or tension. I primarly use trigger point therapy with a slight pull or push to stretch the area, this help me understand where the tightness or adhesions are coming from and follow that path until I feel a release.

​

Tools