Prevent. Recover. Improve.

If you have taken a look at one of my business cards in the past year, you've probably noticed the above words as my slogan. Recently I've had a few clients inquire what exactly it is that they mean.

Prevent.

One of my major aims for all my clients, but especially for my more active clients, is to prevent injury and dysfunction. Whether the threat of injury comes from sport, work, or hobby, it is important to ensure effective precautions are taken to avoid the downtime caused by an injury.
Injuries are any damage to your body, the most common injuries we think about result in inflammation; sprains, strains, bruises, cuts, etc… but injury covers many other forms of harm, including injury to your mental health. Learning (and practicing) stress reduction and relaxation techniques is also vital to your wellbeing.

Decreasing muscle tension, decreasing mental stress, improving circulation, increasing flexibility are all important aspects of injury prevention. They are also all benefits of massage. Balance in the 4 aspects of your life will mean you did the best you possibly could to prevent injury. Some injury is inevitable, and that's when we move to recovery.

Recover.

If one does happen to injure themselves, which depending on your sport or daily activity of living, is sometimes unavoidable; my goal is to help you recover from said injury as soon as possible.
Reduce pain caused by chronic and acute injuries, decrease the restriction in joints and muscles that originates from scar tissue, and promote relaxation to support the healing process. Acute injury includes a very common one many don't even consider an injury; Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). DOMS is muscle pain, soreness or stiffness as a result of exercise, usually occurring 24-48 hours post-activity.
Massage aids in recovering from injury by countering the negative effects of the inflammatory response. Recover any loss of range of motion, through instruction on daily stretching, PNF stretching during treatments, and going back to prevent, taking the precautions to avoid this injury from recurring.

Improve.

If you're doing an amazing job at preventing injury, and have no need for recovery, then I want to improve your overall wellbeing. This is done through the many benefits of massage, including enhancing immunity, reducing spasms and cramps, the release of endorphins, improve skin condition, improve concentration… You get the point! There are many reasons to get a massage even if you don't get injured.
Enhance sports performance through increasing range of motion, improving circulation, and heightening proprioception. Just because massage feels good, doesn't mean it's any less therapeutic.
Reinforce healthy habits of nutrition, fitness, stretching, and relaxation techniques for the attainment of your long term treatment (and general health) goals. Budgeting both time and money for massage at regular intervals throughout the year is an investment in not just in health, but vitality.