What is Myofascial Bodywork and how can it help me?

Myofascial Bodywork is a bespoke style of clinical bodywork designed by me, which incorporates the best of advanced direct and indirect Myofascial Release and Sports Massage techniques, with joint mobilisations, articulations, manipulation and therapeutic stretching. 

No one session is the same - each session is tailored entirely to the individual, and draws upon my extensive skills and experience to get a good understand of what is going on, and how best to treat it. All designed to reduce pain, inflammation and restrictions in joints and soft tissue, and to restore balance to the body. Once the musculo-skeletal system is structurally balanced, all of the body's systems can better work together to function as one - restoring good health overall. 

Why is it important to get the musculo-skeletal system in good working order? So that 'compressive load' and gravity is distrubuted efficiently through the joints in the body. Any change to the way in which this is distributed can lead to knock on effects else where in the body. For example, it is said that:

“For every inch of Forward Head Posture, it can increase the
weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 pounds.” Kapandji, Physiology of Joints, Vol. 3

The aim of Myofascial Bodywork is thus to restore BALANCE in the body. Sometimes, this can mean working away from your area of pain, if it is thought that imbalance in other structures and areas are part of the cause. I look at the whole of the body. I look for the underlying causes of physical dysfunction, rather than just treating the symptoms.

Ever wondered why your right shoulder is sore, your right hip now I mention it can also be a bit painful sometimes, you had mild sciatica a couple of years ago but it cleared up and you forgot all about it, oh and yes now you ask I did badly sprain my right ankle 5 yrs ago but surely this didn't all start from an ankle sprain? Well, sometimes, things like this can be connected. You sprain your ankle, which means you have to walk in a different way - called a compensation pattern - the ankle healed but you didn't actually get treatment, so there is probably a build up of scar tissue which means the ankle is less flexible, the muscles are tighter, so you have continued to walk with that compensating pattern, which means the hip joints are moving differently than they used to, and you may be putting more weight on the other leg, so not moving the right hip as much as it has started to become sore when you do, and if the hip is sore, then you will unconsciously start to protect yourself by moving less in the back, you start to exercise less, the spinal muscles starts to become tight and you found yourself getting less flexible in your back, you start to wake upon with stiffness and/or pain in the lower back area, so you have to adjust the way you sit at your desk at work for 8hrs a day, and your body starts to rotate to ease the discomfort, and as muscles tighten they shorten, and before you know it your right shoulder is now sore also and it is starting to radiate up into your neck and now you're getting tension headaches from the stress of it all...

This is what makes the Myofascial Bodywork approach a longer lasting effect than other forms of bodywork. I want to know all about you, even the things you might have forgotten, to work out why your body has responded with pain and discomfort.

I use clinical assessment skills and a range of orthopaedic testing to try to identify the problem areas, which helps to put together a treatment plan. Usually, I will expect you to do some homework away from the treatment room, and have a good range of therapeutic exercises for lengthening short muscles, improving range and quality of joint movements, and can advise on ways in which to improve posture at your place of work.

First year at Osteopathy school - how did it go?

So I have just reached the end of my first year at Osteopathy school, and it seems like a good time to look back over the year and think about how it all went.

Firstly, I can't believe how fast the year has gone! That's a good thing, right? As it's a 5yr Master's degree, so that means the remaining 4 years will be over before I know it and then I can start to earn back the £35k tuition fees...(let's not go there), but, strangely, thinking back to earlier in the year, there were times where the course was dragging horribly, and going in every other weekend for an entire weekend of classes, became a real chore. At times I wondered whether it was all worth it, as it the course seemed to take over my life. Now I have completed year one, despite all the challenges along the way, I have to say a resounding YES.

The good

I already feel like a better practitioner. I have a better understanding of health and dysfunction, and the context and ways in which they can manifest in the body. I wanted to ramp up my level of anatomy and physiology and I would say that box has most definitely been ticked. I wanted to feel more clinical, and I most definitely do. I have already experienced a shift in my approach, and the way in which I treat and deal with people, and of course have learned some great new techniques and applications.

I have met some wonderful, inspiring people among my fellow students, some of who I look forward to working with in the future. There has very much been an 'we are all in this together' vibe, which is so very helpful and motivating, especially when we're all mostly gasping for air in the last few weeks of term, struggling to revise into the early hours of the morning, on top of our jobs and life commitments. 

The bad

So this course, although part-time, takes over your entire life. That is not good, and I didn't realise the extent to which this would be the case. As someone who works in this industry already, alongside osteopaths and physios, I have found some elements of the course a little slow paced. I have found myself slightly resistant to having to learn things to such a high level of detail - Krebbs Cycle, I am talking about you - when a basic understanding is really all you need. Class sizes are a bit larger than I would like, and the introvert in me has struggled sometimes with this. 

Would I recommend the course to other people?

Well, yes. I would, and in fact, I have, and I think at least one of these recommendations is signing up for next year's course. But I am honest about what to expect, in terms of work-load and commitment, as it is vast.

So a whole summer off (after I have handed in one last essay on Friday), before classes re-commence in late September, I think I have earned a bit of a break! Oh, exams. I get my results mid July, I think, but I don't even care what I get (I have a fair idea), a pass is a pass, that is all that matters, second year here I come :) 

Thai Yoga Massage photoshoot - this is what it's all about!

SO I trained in Thai Yoga Massage last year but, being so busy with all my other forms of bodywork (Myofascial Release, Sports Massage, Osteopathy training), I have only recently found (well, MADE!) the time to start to implement it into my practice. And I have realised all over again exactly what drew me to it in the first place. Here's an example... 

Stretching out the hamstrings and the muscles of the lumbar spine, and even the thoracic spine on people who are flexible enough!

Thai Yoga Massage is floor based work, and combines acupressure with some really strong and powerful stretches - working and releasing restrictions in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia. An added bonus is that it is wonderful to give, as much as it is wonderful to receive - a Thai Yoga Massage session is relaxing, soothing and rhthymical, almost a dance around the person I am working on. It makes a really refreshing change to the more structural sessions that I do - everyone loves being stretched, and these days, everyone needs it - while still having a massive effect on the body - Thai Yoga Massage is still releasing physical tension and restrictions in joint, so it still helps promote improved range and quality of motion, and can still help reduce pain and inflammation. 

So I did a photoshoot at The Little Escape a few weeks ago, you may have seen some of the photos appearing on my Facebook and Twitter pages. Here are the results, all in one place, so you can get a flavour of what Thai Yoga Massage is all about. 

Stretching out the hamstrings while mobilising the hip joint

Stretching out the lumbar spine and tractioning the shoulders 

The supine spinal twist - a great one for releasing restrictions in muscles of the thoracic and lumbar spine

Stretching the main quad tendon while applying soft tissue to the glutes and muscles of the lower back 

The Cobra - encouraging the spine into Extension, something we all need to do more of, and stretching out the pecs

Another powerful stretch to the quads

Walking the spine - releasing tension and restrictions in the muscles of the upper lumbar and lower thoracic spine, plus more stretching of the pecs!

Stretching out the erector muscles of the lumbar and thoracic spine

A seated spinal twist, encouraging those lumbar erectors and side rotators and flexors to release

The Bridge, taking the back into a nice arc of extension.

If you like the look of it and would like a session, I am currently offering Thai Yoga Massage in Crystal Palace at The Little Escape, at my home treatment room in Streatham, and for mobile house calls in Streatham too. I hope to be offering Thai Yoga Massage at the Light Centre in the City too, soon! 

And most of all, I can't wait for the summer, when I can take my futon to a park or bring it to your garden, and we can hold the session outside basking in fresh air and sunshine! 

www.myofascial-bodywork.com 

mike@myofascial-bodywork.com

Many thanks to The Little Escape for the wonderful setting, thanks to @HarmiousShiatsu for the photographer and models. 

Thai Yoga Massage - sounds cool, but what is it?!

Some people describe Thai Yoga Massage as 'lazy person's Yoga', as you get all the benefits of Yoga, without doing the work yourself.

Thai Yoga Massage is a wonderfully relaxing yet incredibly therapeutic form of traditional massage. It is Stretchtastic!

Unlike most other forms of massage, you keep your clothes on! You lie down on a comfortable futon on the floor, where you will be taken through a series of positions and stretches, together with lots of soothing acupressure, to help loosen up tight muscles and joints, release fascial restrictions, and stimulate the circulation of blood and lymph to promote healing, energy flow and relaxation. 

Each treatment is tailor made to the needs of the individual, so you will get stretched where you need it, and 

Being a Sports Massage therapist and an advanced Myofascial Release practitioner, you may also get a few bonus techniques to enhance some of the stretches and positions.

Thai Yoga Massage is for you if you want relaxation but your body needs attention too - some common ailments that Thai Yoga Massage can help with include:

• Poor posture and associated issues
• Tight shoulders 
• Stiff neck
• Headaches/tension
• Sciatica
• Low energy/Fatigue
• Back pain
• Stress
• Hip/knee pain
• Digestion

Thai Yoga Massage full body treatments are available for for 90min and 2 hour sessions in London - City (Moorgate), Crystal Palace Streatham, and house visits in Streatham and surrounding areas. See my website www.myofascial-bodywork.com for more details.

What to expect in a session of Myofascial Bodywork

Consultation
A session of Myofascial Bodywork starts with discussion - I find out as much as I can about what has brought you to see me today, how it affects you, what else you have tried - the more information you can provide, the better. 

Assessment
After this we usually move on to assessment. This is where I get to look at your presenting complaint in a little more anatomical and bio-mechanical detail, but it is not just limited to your main issue or symptom - as we are looking for the underlying causes, we will need to look ideally at the whole of you. I'm trained to a high level in Sports Massage and have done a lot of postgraduate advanced workshops in posture and assessment, plus of course I am a student at the British School of Osteopathy, so hopefully you will see that my observations skills when it comes to postural assessment at a detailed level are pretty good. 

Treatment
Treatment can take many different forms, depending on what we have determined is causing your issue, and thus what we need to do to help remedy the problem(s). This can range from oil-based massage based treatment to non-oil based soft tissue mobilisation and myofascial release, plus joint articulations and mobilisations, therapeutic stretching, and even medical acupuncture (and kinesio taping coming soon!). 

Dress
Expect to be undressed during a session, down to your underwear. If you are not comfortable being observed or treated in your underwear, you can wear shorts instead, but preferably a normal bra (ladies) instead of a sports bra, which tends to be a bit limiting as the back can't be unclasped while you are on the table face down and we need access to your thoracics or get behind your scapulae. Also, the less you wear, the more I can see when assessing your posture, gait and range/quality of movement. 

Positions
I move my patients about a lot! This enables me to apply different techniques in different planes, which therefore have different effects. I can often start with some chair based techniques, or have you lying on the table facing up. Sometimes, I may need you to lie on your side, and sometimes lying face down. Whichever position(s) you need to be placed in, I make sure you are comfortable and secure with pillows for support. 

Techniques
The main techniques I use are Sports Massage techniques and Myofascial Release. 

Myofascial Release is always applied skin on skin, without oil. With this technique, we are looking to release restrictions in your fascial system, which may be a cause of pain or dysfunction systemically as well as locally. More details on Myofascial Release can be found on my website www.myofascial-bodywork.com. 

There are many Sports Massage techniques that are non-oil based, which complement sessions of Myofascial Release well - these include Soft Tissue Release, Muscle Energy Techniques, Position Release/Strain Counterstrain - plus some extra mobilisations and joint articulations from further postgraduate training I have done. 

I tend to combine all of my different techniques into my signature treatment approach, and this I call Myofascial Bodywork. It is very normal for many sessions of Myofascial Bodywork to be 100% non-oil based, so although I am a Sports Massage therapist and can Deep Tissue with the very best of them, I think you can see that I am also so much more - and I don't generally consider myself a Massage Therapist these days, not even a Clinical one, as that does not really portray the wide range of treatment and techniques that I provide, nor, in reality, the treatment that you are likely to get if you come to see me. 

Sports Massage is not just a therapy for people who play sports!

It's a common misconception, and the name doesn't help, but Sports Massage is not just a therapy for people who play sports.

Although I do treat a wide variety of sporting people, from amateur runners to semi-pro athletes, boxers, basketball players, dancers, gymnasts, cyclists, swimmers to name but a few, I also treat people with injuries and conditions that affect the way they move and function, who come from other walks of life, be they people who work in an office, in a shop, actors, musicians, artists, the list is endless - and I use the same techniques and approach!

It doesn't matter whether you injured your knee while playing football, or having slipped in the shower; whether your back hurts from over-extending in a basketball game or from sitting at a desk 12 hrs a day, 5 days a week; or whether you have Tennis Elbow from playing tennis (which is actually a bit of a myth), or from repetitive strain. 

My approach, no matter who you are and what you are suffering from, is to reduce the pain you are experiencing and look for what might be causing it; to relieve inflammation and tension in soft tissue (muscles and connective tissue aka fascia); and to improve the quality and range of mobility and flexibility in restricted joints. 

There are many different interpretations of Sports Massage around, depending on things such as the training school the practitioner went to, the techniques they are most comfortable performing, and client expectations - sometimes, it's just all about Deep Tissue, and the deeper, the better - so I can understand the confusion. Not all Sports Massage is equal. To make it even more confusing, many Sports Massage techniques don't even use oil, so they aren't really 'massage' techniques at all. It might be more applicable to call Sports Massage 'Remedial Bodywork', but then who knows what that means? 

Mobile phone deliberations!

So I need a new mobile phone!

Well, I don't need a new one. I have a perfectly acceptable, 2 years old Samsung Galaxy S3. This phone was top of the range when I bought it 2 years ago. There's nothing wrong with it, but it just feels... bulky, and slow. And I am so BORED of it. Bored of Android. I need a change. Not everyone will understand - I don't consider myself a phone or gadget geek, I don't have to have the latest of everything that comes out. I just hate 2 year mobile phone contracts. 

I've had an IPhone before, and those phones are just too small. I've considered the Note 3, but am worried that is just a bigger version of my current phone, which I am bored of. And I've been looking at the newer Windows Phones, but they don't have any that are larger than a 5 inch screen, which is really what I want - larger (current phone is 4.8 inches), slimmer, faster. 

I have 4 months to run until my existing contract runs out, so I figured I would buy a cheaper Windows Phone now (last year's model, essentially) which will give me a chance to explore whether I like Windows Phones - using my current sim, until my contract finishes. I've been playing with Windows Phones in phone shops recently, and been impressed with how fast they are. Then if I do like Windows 8, I can upgrade to one of the more premium handsets (being announced soon at the annual World Mobile Congress end of Feb, to be released in May this year) - rumour has it there will be a Nokia Lumia Windows Phone with a new 5.2 inch screen and specs to match. Sounds perfect. I can then sell the Nokia I have just bought, and together with the money that Envirofone has promised to give me for my Samsung Galaxy S3, I actually won't have spent any additional money. Bit of jiggling around, but no brainer! 

Only issues I have with Windows Phone is many of my work processes (Calendar, Records, Spreadsheets) are all heavily Google based, so I have to determine workarounds as Google doesn't like Microsoft, so Google apps as a rule won't be available, but I am relying on third-party apps to do the job. If not, back to Android in May! 

So hello to my new Nokia Lumia 925! Hurry up and arrive please!   

When I sprained my ankle - badly!

It happens to us all - the dread ankle sprain. Thankfully, this is not me now, but a couple of years ago when I sprained my ankle pretty badly while staying at a cottage in Snowdonia.

Never having had such a sprain before, I was pretty shocked at how much my ankle swelled up. I used a makeshift ice pack (bag of frozen peas wrapped over a towel), and spent the evening elevating my foot. The swelling was about half the size the following day, which was amazing. 

I spent a week on a crutch just to help ease the compressive load through the ankle, by which time the bruising came out -this is 2 weeks after the event - still resembling the Elephant Man slightly!

I went to A&E just to check I didnt have an avulsion fracture (type of fracture where soft tissue pulls away part of the bone it attaches to), but all clear there fortunately. All in all it took about 3 weeks for the swelling and bruising to die down, during which time I was sensible and rescheduled appointments. I went for Sports Massages to help minimise scar tissue. I spent a lot of time standing on one leg (the injured ankle) to re-gain proprioception. 

Looking at my ankle now, you would never know I injured it so badly - in fact, if anything, it is the other ankle, which I have never sprained or injured, that everts and could do with some attention.

Why did I choose to go to Osteopathy school?

A few people recently have wondered why I made the commitment (and not just talking time  - it costs just shy of £7k each year and I am self-funding!) to study for the next 5yrs for my Osteopathy qualification, when I am already pretty much fully booked for remedial bodywork in all of my locations (Streatham, Crystal Palace and Moorgate).

It was simple really – I want to be the best practitioner that I can. Whereas my current techniques revolve around a (massively!) wide variety of soft tissue (muscles and fascia) mobilisations and articulations (ensuring joints are free of restriction) and I often see people who have had no respite from symptoms from having seen a physio, chiropractor or osteopath, I want to be the person referred to, to help with spinal herniations, subluxations, acute nerve pain/impingement. I want to learn new manipulation techniques such as High Velocity Thrusts – these are techniques that are actually available to me now as a Level 5 Sports Massage therapist, but I think you have to be very careful about when to use them, so I want to learn them in the greatest context of the body that I can, and in order to gain that level of context, and professional confidence, in making such important clinical decisions, I decided it was worth it infinitely to sign up for Osteopathy training.

And it’s not just about the body either – this is a medical degree where we learn Physiology (the way the body works) and Pathologies (what happens where things go wrong) to the same level as your GP, except that we don’t do training in Pharmacology - one of the most basic principles of Osteopathy is that, given the chance, the body has the inherent ability to heal itself. Whereas traditional biomedical models treat disease with medication, Osteopathy looks at every aspect of the individual, from diet to posture to psychology and social interactions, to see what effect that can be having on health.

Already halfway through my first year at the British School of Osteopathy, I can hand on heart say that I have already learnt a lot more about things that I knew already, adding layers upon the layers - which can only enhance what I already do.

I look forward to 4.5yrs time when I graduate, as I will be an Osteopath specialised in the advanced Myofascial techniques that have been my signature over the last couple of years. And then I have lots of postgraduate training that I want to do, such as Visceral work and Cranial Osteopathy… the learning never ends! Well, maybe one day... ;)

Welcome to Myofascial Bodywork's new blog!

Welcome to Myofascial Bodywork's new blog! 

I have had such a busy and fascinating year, treating an incredibly wide range of people and conditions, that I feel like I am bursting at the seams and have to start sharing some of the experiences I've been so lucky to have along my amazing journey so far. 

I have a few blogs planned, in between work and Osteopathy school, which will be coming soon and along the lines of the following: 

• What is Thai Yoga Massage and how can it help?
• Common conditions to look out for in Post Pregnancy
• A different approach to Reflexology
• Working with others to keep you healthy
• How to stay on top of Desk Work #PostureControl

Plus lots of other little snippets of hopefully useful information in the meantime. Watch this space and I look forward to sharing with you!