Common Areas to Treat
Head and Neck-
The muscles of the head and neck store a lot of tension, particularly the neck. The head when not positioned in a neutral position (in line with the spine) becomes very fatigued; treating this region of the body is an area that everyone would benefit from
It is the role of the neck muscles to support the head. Activities associated with the use of computers, mobiles, laptops typically used in the work place are found to be the common causes of tension and headaches due to the length of time the muscles are at work. .
Shoulders and upper back
The muscles in the shoulders and upper back are common areas muscle tension. The area is a stable foundation to support the movements of neck and shoulder action. For instance, the neck is highly mobile but can still be stabilized strongly because it has the solid mass of the upper back to cling to.
Arm and Hand
Head and Neck- The muscles of the head and neck store a lot of tension, particularly the neck. The head when not positioned in a neutral position (in line with the spine) becomes very fatigued; treating this region of the body is an area that everyone would benefit from
It is the role of the neck muscles to support the head. Activities associated with the use of computers, mobiles, laptops typically used in the work place are found to be the common causes of tension and headaches due to the length of time the muscles are at work. .
Lower back and hips
Low back and hip pain are one of the top reasons people seek massage therapy. Problems begin when the body develops imbalances caused by poor posture and repeated poor movement patterns that cause localised areas of the body to take on the stress, over time the symptoms worsen and if not treated can lead to more complex conditions.
Massage therapy can help restore the irritated muscles back to full health by treating the areas of dysfunction.
Thigh and knee
Thigh and knee pain are common in runners, mainly caused by over-use. However, knee pain can be the cause of imbalances found in the feet and hips. Knee pain for most is caused by over tight thigh muscles and tight hip flexors.
Lower back and hips
Low back and hip pain are one of the top reasons people seek massage therapy. Problems begin when the body develops imbalances caused by poor posture and repeated poor movement patterns that cause localised areas of the body to take on the stress, over time the symptoms worsen and if not treated can lead to more complex conditions.
Massage therapy can help restore the irritated muscles back to full health by treating the areas of dysfunction.
Calf and Ankle
Pain and tightness in the calves is very much associated with the amount of time we spend on a feet every day.
The lower leg comprises of two calf muscles, gastrocnemius and soleus; which enable movements such as walking, running and jumping. Because of their unique anatomy and because of the way they act on the knee and ankle joints, the calf muscles are extremely powerful and can perform an incredible amount of work and for these reasons the calves hold a lot of tension and tightness. Massage will help to reduce tension, repair injured tissue and help to restore/increase ankle range of movement, which is often inhibited by tight calf muscles.
Foot and Toes
The feet take the load from the whole body whether we are standing still, walking or taking part in activities that involve running (squash, tennis, triathlon etc). There are multiple layers of muscles in the feet, some of which originate from the lower leg and attach to aspects of the foot and toes. Pain in the feet is often caused by tight muscles of the lower leg.
Face and Neck
Neck pain often arises from tight neck muscles that pull the neck vertebrae slightly out of alignment, sometimes impinging on sensory nerves entering the spine between those vertebrae. These sensory nerves relay that information back to the brain setting off the alarm in the form of pain. Compression or stretching of the motor nerves that exit the spine at the same places may cause twitching , numbness, or weakness of the muscles supplied by these nerves, most frequently in the arms and hands.
Tight neck muscles are very often the source of headaches, such as tension, migraine, and cluster headaches, because of their various attachments to the head, specifically the occiput (back of the head) and the mastoid process of the temporal bone right behind the ears. When the muscles contract, they pull on the occiput or temporal bone, creating a misalignment of these bones along the sutures, setting off the sensory nerves embedded in the fibrous connective tissue of the sutures.
Shoulders and Chest
Tight chest muscles can inhibit shoulder movement particularly flexion and rotation of the upper arm. Tight chest muscles are often one of the causes of slumped posture, as the tension in the muscles pull the shoulders forward, out of alignment causing a restriction at the shoulder joint.
The shoulder joint is the most vulnerable joint of the body because of array of movements it offers the arm. There are 4 muscles that make up the rotator cuff; their primary function being to hold the head of the humerus, 'the ball', into the glenoid cavity, 'the socket' during movement. Injury to one of these 4 muscles is often the cause to pain and restriction.
Arm and Hand
The hand is an intricately complex structure whose muscles have evolved to permit an unequalled array of movements. More than 30 individual muscles in the hand and forearm work together to achieve these diverse movements. These muscles provide the hands with unsurpassed flexibility, extremely precise control, and gripping strength that are necessary for activities ranging from writing and typing to producing music and gripping a ball in sports.
Abdomen and Hips
The muscles of the abdomen are key in helping to stabilize the hip and spine during movement. Whilst these muscles are designed to work continuously, sudden jerky movements or overloading of them can cause the muscles to go into spasm causing severe pain and restriction of movement. Massage helps to loosen off tight areas caused by damaged tissue, increase circulation to promote recovery and restore injured muscles back to full health allowing once again pain free movement
The hips play a vital role of stabilising movement from both the thorax and lower limbs as well as offering a range of movement in the legs, such as flxion, extension rotation. The hip muscles are often over looked because of their resilience to most activities; yet they are ofte the source of upper and lower body pain and dysfunction.
Thigh and Knee
The thigh muscles are supported by the hip and knee; both of which have the ability to withstand a lot of stress caused by heavy loading and continuous movements. Both the thigh and knee work together to provide movement and stability. However, both are still susceptible to fatigue and injury. Regular massage enables areas of tension built up in the thigh muscle to be spotted before 'knots' and 'nodules' begin to form, which if untreated will cause pain and restriction in the thigh but more commonly effecting the knee.
Shin and Ankle
The shins support the arch, raise the toes, and absorb impact during movement, such as walking and running. Because the propulsive motion of running predominantly works the back of the leg more so than the front, muscle imbalances; this is typical in runners where they increase milage/speed to quickly not allowing enough time for the muscles, tendons and ligamnets to adjust to the new loading...over stressing the muscle, restricting ankle mobility causes the muscles to weaken and increasing susceptibility to injury.
Foot and Toes
The foot is the most important anatomical part of the body to balance the weight and transmit weight of the body to the ground. Pain and tightness can be felt on the sole or top of the foot. During motion the arch of the foot acts like a spring board absorbing a lot of impact by spreading the transmitted weight evenly through the foot. The big toe takes more pressure than any other toe and is vital for balance. Pain to the big toe or foot can be very painful and is often slow to heal due to how much the feet are used. Massage techniques used on the top and sole of the foot can work wonders and reduce/iradicate pain caused by a build up of tension and scar tissue layed down to repair damaged tissue which frequently leaves the foot with localised areas of tenderness and soreness.