What should I expect during my first appointment?

Your first appointment will include a full consultation and a massage treatment. I will ask you to complete a health history form and discuss this with you. I will be looking to establish why you have come for a treatment, the suitability of the treatment I can offer, the location and type of pain you are experiencing. I will also discuss with you any likely causes of your pain or factors that may be contributing to it, such as your work, hobbies or lifestyle. It is important for me to have all relevant health information to make sure that I provide you with a safe and appropriate treatment that is tailored to your specific needs.

I may also carry out some postural analysis, assessment work and simple testing to evaluate your condition.

This is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions that you have about the treatment.

What should I wear?

In most cases I will ask you to remove all clothing except your underwear. I will give you privacy while you undress and any areas that are not being worked on will be covered with towels at all times.

Your initial appointment may include a postural assessment. This is usually carried out with the client in their underwear.  Please therefore wear something that you are comfortable in.

Will it hurt?!

I can’t promise you a pain free treatment but I work slowly and sensitively and always within your own pain threshold. I do  not subscribe to the ‘no pain no gain’ approach to the treatment and believe that the body responds better to a sensitive ‘listening’ touch. My aim is to find the ‘good hurt’ so I will check in with you throughout the treatment regarding the level of pain you are feeling and make appropriate adjustments to pressure and positioning.  It is really important that you tell me what you are feeling so I can make the treatment as effective and comfortable as possible.

How does Clinical massage differ from Sports Massage?

As the name suggests Sports Massage was developed to prepare, treat and maintain athletes and sports people.  Its aim was to enhance and maximise sporting performance and deals with the types of pain and injury associated with sport and exercise.

Clinical massage uses many of the same techniques but is suitable for a wider range of clients and is broader in its philosophy and approach. Clinical massage takes a more holistic approach that can be adapted to clients of all ages, fitness and walks of life and can help with a wider range of conditions, not just those associated with sport and exercise.