History is on our side

There is little doubt that massage therapy was the first health procedure. The first thing we do when we feel pain anywhere in our bodies is to grab it and rub it; our primal ancestors surely did the same, long before they figured out which herbs to ingest or which gods to pray to. Massage therapy has had a long and distinguished history, having been known to the ancient Chinese and Japanese, the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, and virtually every civilization before or since.

Massage therapy was lost in our culture largely as a result of the technological revolution. The discovery­ of drugs and other advanced medical procedures caused us to believe that medical science­ would solve any problems we might have. Only recently have we begun to realise that that is not the case: that medical approaches such as drugs and surgery (whilst often life saving and brilliant) often have significant unwanted side effects­; that they are very costly (financially, physically­ and emotionally); that they often treat symptoms rather than causes; and that they are often­ better viewed as last resorts rather than pursued­ first. We are beginning to think preventively­, to value the health of the whole person­ rather than fragmenting ourselves, and to see the worth of natural approaches with little risk.

Massage therapy is one of the most powerful of these approaches.

Massage therapy is based on the fact that the soft tissues - muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia - respond to touch. Most pain is myofascial (soft-tissue­) in origin. Trigger points - sensitive points in muscles which radiate or refer pain to various parts of the body - can mimic many conditions. Muscles not only move our joints, they stabilize them, and they provide armour for the internal organs. These functions cause more pain than most people realize­. Most headaches originate in the muscles of the neck and head. Much of the pain of such conditions­ as angina comes from the hypercontraction­ of the chest muscles. Much abdominal­ and pelvic pain is caused by trigger points in the abdominal and pelvic muscles. Low back pain and sciatic pain are far more likely to originate in muscles than in vertebral disk problems­.

In our practice, we find that although some of the pain we treat in adults comes from specific injuries (whiplash, falls, sports injuries, etc.) and RSI (repetitive strain injuries, such as work-related problems), the vast majority originates in postural (structural) alignment problems that go back to childhood and adolescence. It is a simple and obvious­ fact that bones go where muscles put them; bones stay where muscles keep them. And therapeutic and preventive treatment for children and teens can make a powerful difference in their lives, both short- and long-term.