Have you ever had a “Mongrel Massage?”

21 August 2014

Have you ever had what I term a “MONGREL MASSAGE?”

It’s a “bitsa this and bitsa that” type “massage.”

It’s where you go to a therapist who has advertised remedial massage and you get a little bit of “remedial massage” with bits of one or more other modalities mixed in, and you leave thinking “That’s not what I asked or paid for.”

Those other modalities could include things like Bowen Therapy, Emmet Technique, trigger point therapy, dry needling, cupping, reiki, myofascial release, acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy, Atlas realignment, Dorn therapy and aromatherapy.  There’s also various others – some of highly questionable value.

To a competent, confident, properly qualified and experienced therapist in those other modalities above (not just someone who has done a weekend or short course), they should be capable of being “stand alone” therapies. They should work on their own if they are applicable to your problem areas.

If you try them individually and find they are not suited to you or the therapist wants to book you in for numerous sessions without giving you a detailed explanation of what they expect to achieve each session, try something different.

Some people may prefer other modalities because they do not want the pressure sometimes needed in remedial massage.

But most of the other techniques merely reflect, magnify or are an adaptation of various techniques being used by a competent remedial therapist during a normal treatment anyway.

In one way or another, real REMEDIAL massage on its own is about balancing muscles, realigning or mobilising joints, releasing tight fascia, increasing the flow of blood, oxygen and lymph fluid, opening nerve pathways, overall realignment and creating relaxation.

But most importantly, it’s also about identifying what is actually CAUSING your problems and focusing there; not just using a particular technique to work on your symptomatic areas.

When a therapist who is not highly experienced and very competent in each of the other modalities experiments with them on you in a haphazard way, they can leave you feeling worse.

That happened to two recent clients of mine. They had booked in for a remedial massage with another therapist and were given “mongrel” massage (my term!). One is a drive-in, drive-out miner who couldn’t walk or drive back to work the next day and consequently missed a full week’s employment. She needed my proper remedial massage to get her moving again.

The other person also felt much worse even days after the “mongrel massage” session. Of course, both have sworn never to go near that therapist again.

The reason most private health funds cover remedial massage is because it is proven to work as an overall treatment and preventive measure, and is widely accepted. A competent therapist should be able to make a noticeable difference in just one session with common pain areas like sore back, hips, neck, shoulders, legs, knees, arms, feet, sciatica, headaches, etc.

I specialise in remedial massage. I use a simple and quick postural assessment technique that can identify in about 30 seconds virtually every muscle in your body that will be sore or tight and contributing to your problem areas. Many of those you won’t even be aware of until they are massaged.

While I give a comprehensive fully body massage from your feet to your head (because usually just concentrating on your sore areas is pointless and can make the problems worse), I can put the focus into the areas I know really need the attention. That type of massage also takes proprioception into account.

Proprioception is another story. Ask your therapist to explain it and its role in the body and how it might be contributing to your problems. If they can’t, maybe you need another therapist. Click here for more information about PROPRIOCEPTORS.

David Hall ©

TOWNSVILLE MASSAGE – REMEDIAL THERAPIST

Townsville massage therapist based in Mount Louisa and specialising in Remedial Massage for all types of muscle and/or joint aches and pains, headaches and migraines. Guaranteed best value for money remedial massage in Townsville. CALL NOW on (07) 4774 6973 or 0438 774 819 to book an appointment.