Author: Mike McCandless

Sports Massage Leigh on Sea – easing postural pain and fixing sports injuries

"Sports Massages" Despite what you might think, it’s not just athletes who find Sports Massages extremely beneficial.

A lot of people will ask ‘What’s the difference between a sports massage and a regular massage?

A ‘normal’ massage is for relaxation, aimed purely at soothing tired muscles. Sports massages target the deep tissue and stimulate circulation of blood and lymph fluids. Using trigger point therapy to break down knots in the muscles and increase range of motion, this unique technique will help anyone with chronic pain, injury or range-of-motion issues. Suitable for non-athletes as well as dedicated sporty types!

Sports massage can relax the muscles, reducing tension to make injury less likely. Furthermore it helps to fight fatigue, which allows for quicker recovery after strenuous exercise. It can also relieve any swelling around the joints, improving your flexibility and body strength. By boosting circulation, it can reduce the heart rate and blood pressure, as well as bolstering the immune system so that the body heals more quickly

Originally developed to prepare the bodies of athletes to function optimally during training and therebyboosting performance at the big event, it is also used to prevent and heal injuries to muscles and tendons. Did you know that sports massage is recommended as part of your training plan for the London Marathon?

Sports Massage relieves all sorts of pain!

I’m not an athlete, so sports massage is not for me!

Oh but it is! A sports massage uses deep tissue and remedial techniques that can really help many more ailments than merely sports injuries. A very common complaint from office workers spending long hours on the computer is tension around the shoulders and neck. Sports massage techniques can really help ease the pain away.

Of course, left untreated these aches and pains can develop into chronic conditions. Spending endless hours slumped in front of a PC, then more slouching on the couch add up to a lot of bad posture. This is teaching the body bad habits and producing strain and tension in muscles.

A good sports massage will release the tension and allow the shoulders to relax and the neck to loosen. This easing will then enable a good posture to be held. Ask your sports massage therapist for help with your post, we’re a friendly bunch always happy to help.

If you are suffering from muscle pain or tension anywhere in your body, then a sports massage will help you get back to normal.

For Leigh-on-Sea Sports Massage, Call The Ark on 01702 710531 to arrange an appointment to ease the pain away!

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Indian Head Massage Techniques

Indian Head Massage is a wonderful ancient massage technique that has evolved over many hundreds of years to encourage healthy hair growth and to relieve muscular and joint tension in the head and upper body.  In India it is normal to have a head massage every time you go to the hairdressers, as they believe that it helps encourage a healthy scalp and hair growth.

Treatments vary in length but are often half an hour long so can easily be incorporated into our hectic lives. It is normal to remain clothed and many therapists do not use oils so you won’t leave the treatment looking a state, although if this is a concern you should check beforehand.

The therapist will massage your head, neck, shoulders, arms, upper back and face in order to increase blood flow, ease muscle tension and strain.

Indian Head Massage Techniques

The therapist will usually start the treatment on the head and use a variety of Indian head massage techniques including long strokes (effleurage) this warms up your head, shoulders and tops of your arms and helps you feel comfortable with the therapist touching you. Then they might do some finger circles all over your head, gentle hair tugging which increases blood flow, finger combing through your hair, and static pressure which is where the therapist will push and release over your head which relaxes and stimulates the nerve endings in the scalp and promotes healthy hair growth.  Then they might do some tapping, squeezing and lifting of the scalp and finally some gently chopping (hacking).

Indian Head Massage Routine

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Massage Cushion, Beds and Table Covers

Massage Beds

As a masseur, you should spend as much money as possible on a good massage bed. One which has the ability to be raised up and down quietly and easily so as to alleviate any potential for stress on the therapist’s back but also so as to allow the client to climb on without difficulty. It also needs to be able to rise and lower without making a lot of racket which is not good for the end of a relaxing massage.

massage cushion

Massage Cushion

Most beds for massage tend to have some form of depression or hole for your face to fit into. There is nothing more uncomfortable than having a massage with your head tilted to one side – it just ends up giving you a pain where previously there was none.

I have also had treatments on beds that had a sort of plug-in cushioned circle. The problem with those is that the cushioned area applies pressure to the areas of the face that are most likely to lead to blocked sinuses and a bunged up feeling that is extremely uncomfortable and not conducive to relaxation.

You end up stressing parts of your neck, shoulders and upper back as you try to take the strain and relieve the pressure on your face.

So my masseur purchased a special blow up cushion which is almost a complete circle but with a break in it. He slips this under the material of the table cover and then adds a small towel.

This allows sufficient space for my face to be able to look down at the floor but without causing the pressure to my sinuses or the strain in my shoulders, neck and back.

Massage Table Covers

These come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but the best ones are made of washable towelling, providing comfort for the client and are easy to clean for the therapist.

Call us to find out how a massage could help you. Call 01702 710531

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Massage Helps With Stress

According to The Huffington Post, a small new study originally published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine has shown that regular message can result in decreased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, increases of oxytocin, the trust hormone, along with an improved white blood cell count.  The combination can help to ward off all those nasty bugs and viruses that many of us fall victim to – particularly at this time of year.

The 53 participants in the study were split into two groups and 29 had a 45 minute deep tissue Swedish massage once or twice a week for five weeks.  The other 24 only had a light touch massage.  The findings seemed to show that deep tissue massage can also decrease the levels of the hormone arginine vasopressin which is linked with rises in cortisol.

It was a follow up to an earlier study in 2010 which had not examined the difference that frequency of massage can make to the hormone levels.

Massage has also been shown to help maintain stable blood pressure and decrease anxiety and depression, as well as the usual alleviation of stiffness and pain.

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Massage for pain relief? Here is the proof it works!

Interesting article from the Consumers Union of the USA on the Washington Post this week about a couple of studies in the Medical Press this year which show the efficacy of massage for pain relief of a variety of ailments.

The Science Translational Medicine issue of 1 February mentions a small study which concluded that massage could reduce inflammation in muscles damaged by exercise. It would seem that massage for pain relief of sore muscles from sports or exercise is approved by experts!

Furthermore, the journal, PLOS One, reported another study which claims that an hour per week of Swedish massage reduced knee pain for those suffering with osteoarthritis. Another tick in the box for using massage for pain relief, yay!

A third study claims that an hour of massage each week can significantly improve the pain relief and function of those with chronic lower back pain. More expert opinion in favour of the power of massage!

Other research has found that anxiety, mild depression and stress can also be relieved. And stress relief too, clearly massage is useful for work issues, then!

All kinds of massage therapies

But what type of massage? There are so many different forms – Holistic, Aromatherapy, Deep Tissue, Sports, Relaxation, Thai to name but a few. A treatment can range from a light stroking to the trigger point type involving an elbow pushed into a knotted muscle or someone actually walking on your back. Whatever you choose you can be sure that using massage for pain relief of your ailment will get the job done!Massage for pain relief

Whatever you choose, you should ensure that your massage therapist has all the correct qualifications. Check on the internet and see if any of your friends have recommended someone and then ask them for more information.

You also might want to make a choice as to whether it is a male masseur or female masseuse who gives the massage. It should not make any difference but some people feel more comfortable with a person of the same sex, whilst others prefer the opposite gender.

Massage for pain relief of what exactly…

But, more importantly, you need to know that you are getting the right type of massage for the problem that you need treated. Call them up and have a chat first. Give them all the facts – areas of pain and sensitivity.

I did this myself – I went to Mike because I thought I needed an Indian Head Massage. Based on my symptoms, he said that I would receive more benefit from a head, neck and shoulder treatment – and he was right.

The stiffness that had been present for so many weeks just melted away under his insistent rubbing. Other more recalcitrant areas were treated to the ubiquitous elbow to persuade them that they could actually release the tension that had built up in response to the many stresses in my life. Ahhhh, massage and pain relief…

Visit us to find out how a massage can help your life.

For fast effective pain relief in Leigh-on-Sea, Call The Ark on 01702 710531 to BOOK an appointment to ease the pain away!

Image purchased from  uchar / www.iStockPhoto.com

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Massage For Stress-Free Event Planning

A special birthday, anniversary or wedding – these are all events which can require so much organisation that, by the time the day dawns, you’re too exhausted to have a good time.

Many people find themselves suffering with aches and pains caused by the tension of their activities being retained in the muscles of their necks and shoulders. Stress headaches also become common.

Getting Your Head Together

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The Benefits of Massage for Arthritis, Stress and Headaches Infographic

benefits of massage for arthritis, stress and headaches infographicGreat infographic from Massage Chairs via MindBodyGreen  showing the benefits of massage, particularly for patients with arthritis.

How a massage can help with Arthritis

A massage relieves stress and tension and helps to promote flexibility in stiff joints.  The worst thing anyone suffering from arthritis can do is to stop moving the offending body part… and yet, in most cases, that is what happens – because it hurts.

Use it or lose it… but worse still, don’t use it and have it stiffen up and become painful, as well as useless. Because if you stop moving, the joint stops self-lubricating, exacerbating your difficulties.

If you’re suffering with arthritis in your fingers, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, toes, ankles knees, pelvis, spine, your masseur can provide a helpful and restorative treatment. Get those lubricating juices going again.

If you regularly find yourself in a darkened room due to a stress headache, your massage therapist can help to banish these outbreaks.

Give Mike a call on 01702 710531 to find out more about massage therapy for arthritis, stress and headaches

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Massage and Work Stress

massage and work stressVery interesting infographic from Workplace Claim via Good Relaxation.

The most stressful jobs in the UK

It would seem that the people who suffer most with work related stress in the UK are women aged between 35 and 54, particularly those who work in environments where there are more than 250 other employees. Health, nursing and social workers, teachers, bankers and lawyers, recruitment and sales staff, even head chefs – they all get a mention as being particularly stress filled jobs.

And the newspapers over recent years have been filled with media coverage of court cases that ensue as a result of some of these professions getting it wrong. It’s not surprising that the incumbents of those posts feel the pressure – even in areas where the job is as much a vocation as a job. So how do massage and work stress relate?

How massage can help with your work stresses

Often the end result of work stresses is poor posture. If you spend all day tensed up over a computer or are walking around worrying as you battle with outcomes and deadlines, what better way to loosen off those stiff sore shoulders than a relaxing massage when you get off the train?

Let Mike help you to leave those tensions behind at the office so you can enjoy the rest of your evening free of the intensity of that pressure.

Calming massage and work stress……dissipates

Calming, soothing, liberating – the toxins and the anxiety just melt away under the swirling movements of his hands. Muscles loosen and soften, your eyes automatically close and your mind and body begin to drift away from the maelstrom that once surrounded you. With massage and work stress there’s only one winner – you!

A recent study at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles addressed massage and work stress. The study involved participants receiving either a 45 minute deep tissue massage or a light massage. The results showed that just one session of the deep tissue Swedish massage decreased the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, whilst the light massage increased the levels of oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment.

Find The Ark for Massage in Leigh on Sea

Find The Ark – it is a short walk up the cliffs from Leigh-on-Sea railway station. So, if you’re coming back to Southend from the commute to London on C2C, why not stop off and visit us for a relaxing de-stress, or for pain relief from poor office posture.

If you’re suffering with work related stress, book a massage treatment at the Ark with Mike on 01702 710531

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