What is Advanced Soft Tissue Therapy?

Advanced Soft Tissue Therapy

Advanced Soft Tissue Therapy (BTEC Level 5) Is way more than just Sports Massage.

It involves in-depth treatment and I combine it with Osteopathic Spinal Manipulation™️, Medical Acupuncture,

Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation (IASTM) and Sports/Kinesio Taping.

Soft Tissue Therapy is a deeper understanding of the Muscleoskeletal system and injuries.

Treating people who suffer from musculoskeletal injury, pain or dysfunction. I don't just deal with elite athletes or people participating in sporting activities, I also deal with medical conditions, post operation rehabilitation or normal injuries such as a sore back,

shoulders or neck.

3 main things I do when I meet with a client: -

Assessment

I apply a range of assessment techniques to see if Soft Tissue Therapy is appropriate and

I will tailor a treatment plan for the individual client.

Treatment

I apply a range of different soft tissue techniques such as: -

Effleurage

Petrissage

Tapotement

Positional Release (PR)

Soft Tissue Release (STR)

Post Isometric Relaxation (PIR)

Reciprocal Inhibition (RI)

Myofascial Release (MR)

A combination of these techniques used on the right issue will help increase recovery time from injury,

improve joint range of motion (ROM) and help ease pain.

All of the treatment given is completely individualistic and made specifically for the needs of the client.

Rehabilitation

I offer advice on a range of remedial exercises and lifestyle factors aimed at speeding up recovery, preventing injury recurrence as well as improving posture, performance and function.

Kinesio Tape/ KT

Kinesio Tape

Kinesio tape is a thin and stretchy tape that can help with a wide variety of injuries and inflammatory problems.

What Makes Kinesio Tape Different to normal tape?

Sports/athletic tape is wrapped tightly around an injured area to provide rigid support and restrict movement and is more effective than kinesiology tape at doing these jobs. It needs to be taken off after activity to make sure there is no constriction issues and help restore circulation and movement to the area.

Kinesio tape, is thin and flexible allowing it to provide support while still allowing a safe and functional range of motion. Kinesio tape is applied directly over or around the injury area, the tape will stay on roughly for 4 to 5 days, even during exercise, showering,

bathing or swimming.

What Conditions can Kinesio Taping be used for?

Muscle Pain

Torn muscles, pulled/strained muscles, tight muscles, fibromyalgia, muscle spasms, muscle cramps, calf strain, pulled hamstring,

groin strain, strained gluteals, back pain and abdominal strain

Soft Tissue Injuries

Tendinitis, tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), golfers elbow (medial epicondylitis), patellar tendinitis, Achilles tendinitis, whiplash,

back strain, neck strain, rotator cuff injuries and iliotibial band syndrome (ITB)

Joint Pain

Arthritis, bursitis, lupus, degenerative joints, poorly aligned joints, joint instability

Joint Injuries

Sprains, dislocations, degenerated meniscus, torn cartilage, unstable joints and joint hypermobility.

Recovery from Surgery

Sports injury surgery, reconstructive surgery, joint replacement surgery, meniscus repair, ligament surgery, tendon surgery.

Overuse Injuries

Carpal tunnel, repetitive stress syndrome, shin splints, Iliotibial Band Syndrom and tennis elbow.

Swelling and Edema

Lymphedema, swollen joints, Edema, lymphatic congestion, chronic joint or muscle inflammation lifting the

skin away from the muscle.

Postural Problems

Poor posture for example protracted (rounded) shoulders, scapular instability, muscle weakness, muscle imbalance,

poor muscle tone and hypertonic (tight) muscles.

Bruising

Bruising and contusions following injuries or surgery by lifting the skin up off the injury site.

Foot Pain

Plantar fasciitis and fallen arches can be strapped effectively to help lift the arch.

Medical Acupuncture/Dry Needling

Medical acupuncture is a modern treatment approach founded in concepts of neurology, anatomy and physiology.

Similar to traditional Chinese acupuncture, medical acupuncture involves the strategic placement of

sterile needles into various locations on the body.

The major differences between the two forms of acupuncture is that medical acupuncture is the selection of

acupuncture points which is based around the traditional Chinese approach as well as including points that are

anatomically and neurologically connected to the specific source of pain.

Medical acupuncture has been shown to have beneficial results by inducing muscle relaxation, modulating pain,

altering your neuroendocrine responses and changing you autonomic activity (fight or flight response)

resulting in an overall relaxation and a feeling of well-being.

Medical acupuncture is commonly used by medical doctors, chiropractors and physiotherapists in the treatment of chronic pain,

or as an addition to their regular treatment regime.

What can be treated with Medical Acupuncture?

Recent research has found medical acupuncture to have positive results in the treatment of chronic low back pain, knee osteoarthritis and management of chronic pain conditions. Other musculoskeletal conditions commonly treated with medical acupuncture include tendinitis, rotator cuff injuries, muscle strains, joint sprains, headaches and repetitive strain injuries. As previously mentioned,

medical acupuncture helps to restore your body’s natural nerve and muscle tone, increases blood flow and

provides pain relief for chronic conditions.

Typically treatments last about 20-30 minutes and the number of needles used in a treatment will vary according to the individual, duration of pain and the condition being treated. An improvement of 15% to 20% in pain sensation is often experienced after the first treatment. In general, further improvement follows within a few days; however, the effects of this technique can be immediate. Repeated treatments are necessary to see full pain relief in most cases.

Is the Treatment Painful?

Everybody has a different and unique response to acupuncture. Typically the treatment is pain-free, however, some have a heightened sympathetic response to needles which results in the sensation of lightheadedness, fatigue and often sweating. The application of the needle is similar to the prick of a mosquito bite with further tightness being related to the tightness of the tissue the needle is in.

Most needles don't hurt when they go in to the muscle but some can and will recreate the pain sensation you are feeling, however doesn't stay for long as the muscle starts to relax but the slight pain is worth it for the outcome of the treatment which hopefully will be pain free movement or pain free muscles for the client.