As a Soft Tissue Remedial Therapist I can offer you hands-on massage treatment and support to rehabilitate - helping relieving pain and restoring good movement whilst improving mental and emotional quality of life.
What can be done to help?
Firstly, physical activity is critical to build up your fitness and strength. This will help rebuild your cardiac and pulmonary functions which are key to long-term health. Physical activity includes walking and this is a good place to start! For people who have been severely affected by Covid-19, and perhaps have needed to recover in bed, the 6 minute walk test is a good place to start (More on 6 minute walk test).Getting back to good physical activity also means addressing some of the other long-term effects that people recovering from Covid-19 may encounter and this is where hands-on Soft Tissue Remedial Therapy can REALLY help.
Below I have listed some of Covid-18’s long-term symptoms and explained how hands-on remedial massage can help:
Musculoskeletal pain and deconditioning - this might be joint stiffness, muscle weakness and numbness perhaps from lack of movement, weakness and sensitisation of the nervous system - this can be helped by hands-on treatment of the tissues to relieve pain, encourage movement by incorporating muscle and joint activation, strength and stretch treatment, plus rehab self-care exercises.Respiratory restrictions, chest pains - post Covid-19 your body is recovering from scarring and inflammation in the lungs - this can be helped by treatment of the respiratory muscles, including the diaphragam (our abdominal major breathing muscle) and retraining the muscles with hands-on cues and breathing exercises, plus rehab self-care breathing exercises.
Fatigue, Sleep problems - treating and massaging the whole body, the power of touch helps restore hormonal balance promoting the release of serotonin (our happy hormone) and dopamine (a neurotransmitter for how we feel pleasure and brain performance) and decreasing the levels of cortisol (our stress hormone) plus massage helps build immunity increasing our T-cell levels.
Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress - the same reasoning as fatigue plus relaxing and nurturing in a giving environment, time to rest both physically and emotionally.
Exercises
Exercise techniques are used to encourage activation, joint mobility, strength and stretching and rehabilitation advice and self-care exercise programme to overcome physical de-conditionning and improve lung and cardiac function.
The benefits of hands-on Soft Tissue and Remedial Massage Therapy are many and for those who are recovering from Covid-19, or post any operation or illness, treatments can positively help recovery, re-build strength and fitness and to get you back to feeling your best.
Nicky is a Sports Massage & Remedial Soft Tissue Therapist with advanced qualifications in Myofascial Release, Oncology, Pregnancy & Post-Natal Massage.
Practicing from a Therapy room in Lindfield
Nicky Holbrook
Nicky'Sports Massage Tel. 0738257873 Email