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The Fascia-nating webbed world of Fascia

The Fascia-nating webbed world of Fascia

Fascia and fascia massages You may have heard me speak of the fascia (myofascia) during a massage treatment. We are going to dive deep into this amazing, webbed world: What is fascia? The fascial network is a beautiful, crystal-like, three-dimensional, spider’s web structure that is ever-flowing and uninterrupted. It encompasses the entirety of the body, connecting our superficial skin layer to the deepest tissues within us. It connects our physicality to our physiology. It connects our toes to the top of our head. It is our connective tissue. It can be broken down into the superficial fascia, the deep fascia and the myofascia (‘myo’ is Latin for muscles and ‘Fascia’ for band). It is an elasto-collagenous matrix that is continuous and allows us to move and be kept in posture. It enables us to have a high degree of flexibility combined with being super, duper powerful and resilient to overstretching. It has a superb memory and we each have our own unique fascial fingerprint; memories and restrictions within the fascia can be stored from birth. It is our hydraulic shock absorber and enables the body to cope with load bearing, like gravity and mechanical stress. In its truest form, well hydrated and well looked after, it is fluid, dynamic to stress and powerful, allowing us to be in tip-top holistic health. What is fascia made of? The fascia is made up of a matrix of: Elastin – an elastic protein fibre that allows for stretching and contraction, it is what allows our skin to bounce back to its normal shape. It has a load-bearing role. Collagen – an inelastic...
Why continuous care is essential – Muscle talk!

Why continuous care is essential – Muscle talk!

Muscle talk – Why continuous care is essential? Many of us perceive massage to be a naughty treat, similar to an indulgent chocolate bar, however it is in fact a super food.  Massage complements all aspects of our health.  Putting aside an allowance of time and money for a continuous care plan should be thought of as an investment in our overall well-being, which ultimately will positively affect all other aspects of life. Below is a simple pretty picture of what I call muscle talk. Muscle Talk Stage 1: Initial Consultation In my eyes, sports massage is ‘muscle talk’.  A form of communication between your muscles and my hands.  During a course of treatments a friendship begins to develop. At the Initial Consultation you give me hints into your life and your body tells me its stories.  Your muscles begin to understand they are in a safe environment in which to relax.  Sometimes there are few barriers and your muscles talk back immediately, they soften and the tension melts away.  On other occasions, usually when there has been a chronic build up of stress, the barriers take more time to break down. This is why there isn’t an exact length of time a sports massage therapist can tell you that they will get you moving freely.  We can offer an average length of time, typically 4-6 weekly treatments until we can space things out.  We are all unique individuals with our very own muscular barriers, personal tensions and life stories, so don’t be surprised if it takes 3 treatments or 10 until we get you to stage 3! FACT: If you do your recommended exercises and drink your joy juice (water) the time...
What is Sports Massage?

What is Sports Massage?

What is Sports Massage? Broken down into its acronym let’s explore what ‘sports massage’ is: Sports It is a common misconception that sports massage deals predominantly with athletes.  In my eyes we are all sports people as life is one ever increasingly competitive, intense physical activity.  To live life to its fullest we all must have ‘fit’, well functioning muscles that are prepared for fight or flight, whether that be performing to your best ability in a weekly tennis match, chasing after your kids or gardening with ease. Posture In today’s society postural misalignment is often the origin of chronic aches and pains within the body.  Bad posture, from sitting at a desk all day, playing sports and also general life, can lead to under/over developed muscular tissues as imbalanced forces are exerted upon the body.  My role as a sports massage therapist is to work closely with you to regain the healthiest posture for you in whatever you do.  By relaxing over-used muscles and re-engaging under-used muscles, your postural awareness increases and your neuromuscular (nervous and muscular)  system functions better.  More on posture another week! Organic All the cells in our muscles are living and responsive to the physical and emotional state of our body.  They are essential to our complete, holistic functioning and sometimes these cells need encouragement.  Muscle therapy creates an involuntary relaxation response carried out by our peripheral nervous system.  There is also a mechanical response, issued by our sympathetic nervous system, which cleanses and improves cellular health.  *If you have had the pleasure of attending our Health Class you will understand the connection between the spine and our neuromuscular system. Recovery and prevention In day-to-day...

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