It’s just a massage, isn’t it?

When a client comes to see me as a STT for pain or injury they have usually chosen me (rather than a physiotherapist or chiropractor for example) because they want a massage. They may believe that massage can fix their issue, they may have benefited from massage before or know someone who has. Yes for the clients who choose to see us massage may well be the preferred context in which to address these issues, at least initially, but our scope of practice extends well beyond “just rubbing people”.

So what can i expect from an appointment then?

That depends. Maybe you have just come for a relaxing massage, and that’s absolutely fine. I love massage and like to think that after over 25 years of practice i have become pretty good at it! We can just have a very quick chat about what you want to achieve from the session and what pressures you like and we’re good to go. But if you are coming for a specific issue we may need to unpack a little more at some point to get the most out of your appointments.

So what might i expect then? What else do you do as a STT?

Firstly and most importantly our job is to listen to our clients. Sometimes i can see a client is just desperate to get on the table and begin their massage, and that’s okay, however if someone is coming for pain or rehabilitation then that initial conversation can give vital clues as to what may be going on and also in how we can best work with you going forward. We might discuss the history of the issue, how long you have had it, did it arrive suddenly or gradually? What was going on around the time of the issue starting, if anything like this has happened to you before, is there any medical history or familial history that might be relevant, what makes it better or worse, are there any times of the day or night its better or worse, anything else that is going on in your life right now that might be playing a part, what have you tried already etc. We might also discuss what you want to achieve in the initial session and also your main goal for treatment. Where do you want to get to? What things is the issue stopping you from doing that you need or want to do, what are the implications of that? what are your worries about it? How confident are you in your recovery? Etc What are your expectations from me?- what you think i can do to support you, how long you see or want this support taking. So much important information can come out of conversations like these that can shape and individualise your treatment.

Next I may ask you to make some movements (this will depend on what we have set out in the initial conversation) They may be specific tests to help narrow down what may be going on or simply making the movements you find difficult to see what’s happening and also have a benchmark to compare to as we progress.

Then the massage itself. Even that is not just randomly rubbing. Massage can be a great way of continuing that initial conversation kinetically. Sometimes once a client is feeling relaxed and comfortable during the massage more information will come to mind, or they will feel they can safely share more information. Sometimes touch can focus a little better where soreness or difficulty moving may be, or help a client be better aware of an area and how they are moving or bracing it. It’s a great way to calm things down, to allow an area that has felt bad to feel good for a while (this may be short term initially but it shows that change is possible), something that has felt tight feel a little more open or relaxed, help a little more range of motion to happen in a joint, and in this nice relaxing safe environment begin to gently introduce passive movement that we can eventually progress to assisted, active and loaded movement as time goes on. This for some clients can be the first stage in introducing rehabilitation.

Another element of a treatment plan might giving some rehabilitation exercises or movements or strategies to practice at home. The goal is for you to need less and less specific treatment from us (although its often useful to have maintenance sessions especially if the unavoidable stressors of life are contributing to the issue and its always lovely to just come for a bit of time out or recovery/reward for a massage). These might look like gym type exercises but often they will just be practicing the movements you want to be able to do better, starting with “cheating” ways to achieve them before gradually progressing them and adding load or complexity in achievable chunks. These can be introduced as “homework”, during an appointment or as a separate appointment.

I may also share knowledge (I do A LOT of reading and Continuing Professional Development in order to have a good library of knowledge, information and resources to better support you) if you want it or refer you on to someone to boost your recovery if I think it will help you. We Soft Tissue Therapists should be like a top concierge searching out the best practitioners in their specialties near us to best serve our clients. (Eg personal trainers, Pilates instructors, physiotherapists, clubs, resources, podcasts, books, websites).

Lastly I am always there to answer questions via messenger or email if you are unsure of anything between appointments, and via Facebook often share things i feel may be of interest.

I hope this helps better show my scope of practice, what you may expect and that although it’s absolutely okay just to have relaxation massage, if you are coming for pain or injury, a few more of the ways i can support you other than “just rubbing people”!