Remedial Therapies with Allan Bormann

Remedial Massage

Uses specialized techniques to assist in the recovery and rehabilitation from surgery and injuries. Remedial Massage relieves specific muscular aches and joint problems which are chronic or related to overuse. Other uses include:-

• releases painful muscle spasms
• relieves tension headaches and neck pain
• breaks up adhesions and scar tissue that cause pain and stiffness in muscles and tendons
• counteracts the effects of prolonged stress and tension
• assists in the rehabilitation of sprained joints and strained muscles
• can be tailored to concentrate on the muscles relevant to your sport / activity
• can be used for treating one or more specific areas at any one time

Remedial massage can be quite a deep I strong massage, in order to relieve muscle tightness / spasms and break up adhesions.

Techniques include:-

• Trigger Point Therapy
• Myofascial Release Therapy
• Hold / Relax stretches
• Transverse Friction / cross fibre massage
• Chinese Cupping

Therapeutic/ Relaxation Massage

Is a therapeutic treatment consisting of stroking, rubbing, effleurage, kneading and petrissage to each part of the body, to promote physical relaxation, skin and muscle tone, increase blood and lymph circulation, calm the nervous system and re-establish the mind - body connection. Therapeutic Massage can also include friction, percussion and vibration techniques.

It is usually a firmer pressure massage and is primarily used for people wanting or needing more than Relaxation, but less than deep tissue Remedial massage.

Relaxation massage is usually light pressure and is very effective for those with high stress or chronic / acute hypertensive disorders. It is sometimes referred to Swedish Massage, a gentle flowing massage technique that is particularly effective for people experiencing work related or personal stress.

Post Surgical Intervention Massage

Uses a combination of deep tissue, Lymphatic, Trigger Point therapy, transverse friction and stretching techniques. Also known as Medical Massage, it uses scientifically based techniques designed to reduce pain and dysfunction, reduce keloid formation (scarring) and to enhance healing after surgery.

The focus of Medical massage is to establish normal tissue tension, create a positive tissue environment and balance the function of the muscular, myofascial, nervous and energetic systems of the body. It is also very beneficial in assisting recovery from injuries / surgery associated with Motor vehicle accidents (M.V.A’s).

Medical massage can be holistic therapy in helping with any psychological trauma associated with surgery. A Medical massage program is co-ordinated with your Physician, Physiotherapist or Chiropractor, to assist in recovery from surgery, injury or illness.

Sports Injury Massage

Is usually quite a firm / strong massage. The aim of this treatment is to help prevent and manage injuries, therefore enhancing performance. This massage targets the areas of biomechanical stress in muscles to relieve the stress before it becomes a problem. Regular massage aids in maintaining flexible muscles and keeps joints moving freely and also helps to reduce muscular aches after vigorous training.

Sports massage involves working on all major muscle groups involved in a particular activity and is an important component in management and rehabilitation of soft tissue injuries.

Sports injury treatments are done in conjunction with Sports Doctors, Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Coaches etc. Treatments may include hot and cold packs, special liniments, stretches and a variety of deep tissue manipulations.

Techniques include:

• Transverse Friction Massage (T.F.M.)
• Hold / Relax stretches
• Trigger Point Therapy
• Deep Tissue techniques
• Chinese Cupping
• Regional Fascia Release
• Skin Rolling
• Directional Releases

Trigger Point Therapy

Focuses on hyper-sensitive areas in the muscles, fascia, tendons and ligaments. These sites frequently refer pain to other regions of the body. It is a body work system aimed at reducing or erasing trigger points within muscles or tissues.

Trigger points are hyper-sensitive areas, that when compressed, are tender and are often related to referred pain. They are described as a small contraction knot in muscle tissue, affecting a muscle by keeping it both tight and weak.

Trigger points maintain a hard contraction on the muscle fibres directly connected to it. In turn, these taut bands of muscle fibres keep constant tension on the muscle attachments, often producing symptoms in adjacent joints and restricting circulation in the immediate area of the trigger point.

Trigger points are considered to be caused by physical trauma; muscle over use; emotional armouring; surgery and substance abuse.

Myofascial Release Therapy

Is also known as or called Connective Tissue Massage. Fascia (pronounced” fasha”) represents the soft tissue that connects and separates everything in the body beneath the skin. It provides a continuous sheath of structural support (akin to a spider web film) for the skeleton and soft tissues (muscles, tendons etc.).

Myofascial Release restores length and flexibility to the fascia. This makes more “space” for muscles, nerves and fluids, such as blood and lymph and is frequently used to correct problems after tissue injury.

Fascia covers every muscle group, lines body cavities and wraps the body just under the skin. Tight fascia can restrict or skew muscle movement and cause different areas of discomfort or pain.

Myofascial Release (M.F.R.) works to free up tight fascia so that muscles have all freedom of available movement. It is the three dimensional application of sustained, but gentle pressure and movement into the fascial system in order to eliminate fascial restriction and facilitate the emergence of emotional patterns and belief systems that are no longer relevant, or impeding progress to better health.

M.F.R. leads to improvements in the body’s structural integrity and reaches underlying or hidden information in the sub-conscious.