Integrated Manual Therapist: is the use of a variety of individualised manual therapy techniques and modalities to address a patient's physical concerns.
Qualifications include: Remedial Massage Therapy, Sport Massage Therapy, Pressure point techniques such as Shiatsu and Tui Na, Muscle Energy Technique.
Aims to alleviate symptoms and pain associated with the following
I make no claims of cures for the conditions listed above. The objective of manual therapy approachs is to ease muscular tension and thereby assisting the general physical alignment by rebalancing the opposing muscles and structures. The key is to support the body's own healing processes, create ease of movement and manage pain.
Integrated Manual Practice
There are numerous and varied approaches to treating the physical body. Over the years, a practitioner learns a wide range of techniques and accumulates clinical experience to cultivate their own unique style of manual, pressure point and massage techniques. An integrated and experienced practitioner offers a safe and effective approach to health. addressing all sorts of physical conditions, whether muscular, tendinous, nervous or rheumatic in nature. A Fully certified, well informed, and experienced therapist has much to offer in the way of, pain management, lifestyle and general well being.
It is imperative that the therapist you seek is registered, highly educated, understands Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology. Able to decipher C.T, M.R.I. and X-ray reports, and discern the wide variety of possible complications and conditions, to ensure a safe and effective approach.
Painful conditions may arise from local tissue, or radiate from other parts of the body. Sciatic pain may appear in the leg, but in fact, lumbar or pelvic issues may be the causing factor. A simple shoulder pain may appear local in nature, but may actually emanate from a gallbladder stone. An experienced practitioner must be able to discern such risks and know their limitations and refer you on for further investigation when required.
With over 29 years of clinical experience, I have adopted particular world views on treating the physical body. Techniques include; Western Remedial Massage, Sports Massage, Japanese Shiatsu, and Chinese Tui Na, cupping and Gua-Sha therapies. They are non- invasive and clinically safe..
Remedial Physical Therapy
Remedial Massage Therapy is a Western based approach to massage Therapy. It involves a deep understanding of Anatomy, Physiology and general Western bioscience. It is imperative for a practitioner to approach the physical state of the body with an understanding of the wide range of possible physical conditions and come up with the correct diagnosis. Consideration must be given to the myriad of possible complications. Conditions may arise post-operatively or as a result of long term neglect of pre-existing trauma and injury.
Muscle Energy Technique (MET):
is a Therapeutic approach that is governed by a strict and linear manual diagnostic process. When
successfully applied to sciatic-like symptoms, sharp lumbar or mid-spinal painful conditions and painful neck issues.
For Lumbar Spine, the process requires a deep understanding of the sacrum’s orientation within the ilium (pelvic girdle), its alignment, or lack there of in relation to the 5th Lumbar vertebrae. Once this relationship is clearly diagnosed, appropriate non- maniputlative technique is applied.
A strictly NON manipulative techniques are utilised. The body is placed in aspecific position that isolates a single intervertebral muscle (multifidus muscle group). The patient uses minimal resistance to activate the isolated muscle,
In a Gentle, safe and effective manner, this technique addresses one spinal segment at a time and enables local tight muscles to ease and thereby has the tendency to release spinal spasms and misalignments that often lead to Sciatic-like pain.
Oriental Therapies
Japanese Shiatsu and Chinese Tui-Na have been used for over thousands of years as manual techniques.
Traditional Shiatsu and Tui-Na are oil free approaches, and often performed over cotton, a shirt to reduces friction. This provides for greater control when using pressure points.
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For thousands of years Oriental Medicine utilized pressure points techniques to address the body and mind as a whole.
Oriental styles of pressure point massage and Acupuncture are carried out within their holistic contextual theoratical basis, and in the way they were intended and developed over thousands of years.
Cupping and Gua-Sha
Glass cups are applied to the skin. A flame is introduced into the cup, which draws out the oxygen within it to creates the necessary vacuum for the application of the cup onto the skin. The cups are not hot and do not cause burns, they do however, leave painless cupping marks for several days after the session. Historically ancient Egypt, China, Africa and Europe are all known for their use of cupping techniques. Cups induce negative pressure that stimulate muscle fibres and spindles (muscle-nerve receptors), They act on fascia (connective tissue) and may assist woth long standing injuries by invigorating local blood flow, stimulate tissue oxygenation through invigurating local blood flow and drain toxin according to Traditional Chinese Medicine theory..
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Gua-sha is a Chinese skin scraping technique. It may assist pain management through removing blood stasis from aching muscles according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.