| Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is defined as the therapeutic use of cold.
It is primarily used in the treatment of a fresh muscle injury where ice
is applied to reduce inflammation and muscle spasm and allow the healing
process to begin. In the latter stages of recovery (after inflammation
has stopped), cryotherapy is used simultaneously with hot treatment to
prevent scar tissue from forming around the injured site. Deep tissue massage is based on Swedish massage. While
a Swedish massage focus on the more superficial layers of muscle, a Deep
tissue treatment gets down into the deeper layers of muscle tissue. This
deep treatment helps separate muscles and connective tissue by breaking
the adhesions, thereby enabling freer movement and speeding recovery from
injury. It is also highly effective in straightening out scar tissue that
remains on your muscles if they've received any kind of injury. Mechnotherapy involves gentle rocking of the body or specific
body parts in order to relax tense or tight muscles and mobilise joints.
If muscles are too tense, perhaps due to 'holding on' to an injury, this
is an excellent technique to release the tension. It also enables further
work on a particular injury without damaging tissue. Joint mobilisation and stretching of soft tissues is a
common technique used to increase joint elasticity. Structures are stretched
in similar directions to those which take place upon normal joint motion.
Some form of heat may be used prior to the stretching and mobilisation.
If appropriate, exercise may follow manual techniques to help maintain
the additional motion achieved. Muscle energy techniques are manipulative treatments in
which patients, actively use muscular effort from a controlled position,
in a specific direction, against a counter-force (usually offered by the
practitioner) Leon Chaitow Myofascial Release is a safe and very effective hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure and slow movement into restricted areas of the body from the outer layer of skin right down through layers of muscle, the tissue that connects muscles together and nerves to eliminate pain and restore motion. Positional release relieves pain by passively putting the
joint into its position of greatest comfort. This method is designed to
release painful muscle spasms and chronic tension in the body by interrupting
the nervous impulses that cause muscle spasms and is often successful
where more traditional massage methods are not. Soft Tissue Release (STR) is a manipulative technique designed
to actively stretch localised muscle fibres. This technique is applied
actively, where the client or athlete assists in movement, and passively,
where the practitioner controls the movement. STR is great for strengthening
and lengthening short weak muscles, releasing 'tacked' down fibres and
adhered tissues and improving joint mobility. Strain counter-strain is a passive positional procedure
that places the muscle and joint in its position of greatest comfort,
which will alleviate the inappropriate muscle spasm which continues reporting
pain to the central nervous system. Strain and Counter- strain treatment
is very comfortable to the patient and very successful in relieving pain,
gaining range of motion, and improving function. Swedish massage uses a series of long strokes, kneading,
friction, percussive and vibration techniques on the more superficial
layers of muscles, combined with active and passive movements of the joints.
It is used primarily for full-body sessions and promotes general relaxation,
improves blood circulation and range of motion, and relieves muscle tension.
Swedish is the most common type of massage. A Trigger point is an area of hyper-irritability
within soft tissue structures, characterized by local tenderness which
may sometimes refer to other areas of the body. These referred sensations
can include pain, tingling, numbness burning, or itching. |