Do you suffer from tight muscles?
Tension in the back, neck or shoulders?

Whether the tightness is coming from sitting at a desk all day or a sporting activity, a massage will help!

We all abuse our bodies daily and take them for granted. Injury, bad posture, repetitive tasks, general use of your body and stress all affect your musculoskeletal system. When problems arise, they rarely fix themselves.

Massage has shown to improve blood flow, reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and reduce swelling, spasms and cramping. Within the physiotherapy environment it has also been proven to relax overused muscles, providing greater joint flexibility and range of movement. This makes a great impact to everyday life as well as sporting performance.

Please scroll down to view the list of the different massage techniques we offer here at Mike Varney Physiotherapy. Please make sure you state clearly the type of massage you require when booking your appointment.

Swedish Massage

Swedish massage combines various hands-on techniques including gliding, kneading, and cross-fibre friction to break up muscle knots, called adhesions.

Swedish massage is based on the Western concepts of anatomy and physiology as opposed to energy work. It can be slow and gentle, or vigorous and bracing, depending on what the therapist wants to achieve. Swedish massage is gentler and relaxing compared to deep tissue or sports massage, so please make sure you differentiate when booking your appointment.

Sports / Deep Tissue Massage

Deep tissue massage focusses on specific problem areas and their causes. If a minor injury is left untreated at an early stage, it can lead to more serious long term problems.

Sports and Deep Tissue Massages are beneficial to maintain and prevent further injury, before an event to increase circulation and warm the muscles, and post training to flush away waste products. Other benefits include:

Breakdown of adhesions (knots)
Assist in the removal of metabolic waste
Reduce and remodel scar tissue.
Reduce pain and discomfort

You do not need to be an athlete to benefit from sports massage, but be warned this is not a traditional relaxing massage.

Hot Stones Massage

Hot stone massage is a variation on classic massage therapy. Heated smooth, flat stones are placed on key points on the body reducing tension with the muscles and increasing blood flow. Your therapist will massage with the stones allowing relaxation and pressure into areas of tightness. The heat releases the muscles, allowing the therapist to work the muscles without using deep pressure. Hot stone massage therapy melts away tension, eases muscle stiffness and increases circulation and metabolism. It is also suited for people who have muscle tension by prefer a lighter massage.

Lymphatic Drainage

Lymphatic drainage is a type of gentle massage which is intended to encourage the natural drainage of the lymph, which carries waste products away from the tissues and back to the heart. It also helps in bringing new nutrients and oxygen to cells. Lymphatic drainage uses a specific amount of pressure and rhythmic circular movements to stimulate lymph flow.

Lymphatic drainage can be used to treat any type of swelling, especially in the ankles, reduce scar tissue, reducing cellulite, Lymphoedema, post-traumatic oedema after bruising, fracture, dislocations or other surgical procedures also migraines, whiplash and muscle strains.

Pregnancy Massage

Around 1 in 5 women will experience mild discomfort in the back or front of the pelvis during pregnancy. It is really important to look after yourself when you are expecting. Your body will go through an extraordinary amount of change and many women will experience problems such as fatigue, fluid retention, headaches and pain.

These aches and pains, if left untreated may progress to interfere with everyday activities such as walking, climbing and descending stairs and getting out of chairs and bed. Pregnancy massage has been shown to reduce pain and improve your general health.

Appointments