The many varied roles of massage therapy

By Sarah Fogarty (TLC Massage Therapist and Acupuncturist)

 Massage therapy is a diverse therapy offering different styles of massage to suit many different health needs and different purposes in your life.  The self-care massage treatment (also known as time out, ‘treat’ yourself, pamper yourself massage).

This type of massage is for the very important purpose of looking after yourself.  Whilst you might experience some muscle aches and tightness there is no limitation in range of movement and the purpose of this type of massage is to facilitates a feeling of relaxation and self-worth through the action of taking some time out for yourself.  

In a world where everyone is getting busier and busier, it is hard to take time out for self-care.  While this is imperative for our mental health and well-being, many of us struggle to make self-care a priority especially if there is nothing physically wrong with us.  

This type of massage can also be really beneficial for those times in our lives where we experience major events such as grief or loss.  This type of massage can be a great supportive tool to help manage during difficult times. 

The maintenance massage treatment (also known as preventative treatment, self-manage treatments).

This type of massage is for the very important purpose of preventing injuries and looking after your muscles.  This type of massage is good for people for who muscle tightness and soreness is a by-product of their work, lifestyle or training. Sitting in front of a computer all day or at a desk can lead to muscle tightness and pain, as can stressful situations and hard or heavy training loads.

This type of massage is also good for people who know that stress, anxiety and tension affects them by causing tightness in the neck, back and shoulders.  The purpose of this massage aims is to maintain or prevent excessive muscle tightness that leads to muscular pain and or injury. 

The remedial massage treatment (also known as the ‘fix it’ treatment).

This type of massage is for the reduction of muscle tightness and spasm that may be causing a restriction in movement and or pain. This type of massage is commonly undertaken when there is an ‘injury’ or problem.  This again can involve muscular related conditions associated with work-related injuries, motor vehicles accidents, sporting injuries, overtraining, postural injuries such as sleeping the wrong way and side-effects of major illness such as pain related to cancer treatment etc.  The purpose of this treatment is to help reduce the muscular tension and spasm that is contributing to pain and or decreased range of movement and to help restore the body to it’s ‘normal’ state.

Pregnancy and postnatal massage treatments.

This type of massage is specifically for the purpose of caring for the woman’s changing body during pregnancy.  This type of massage can include all of the above types of massage at different stages of the pregnancy and the purpose of this treatment is specifically to help assist the changing body to adapt and manage the changes it is undergoing.  This type of treatment requires a massage therapist who has specialised knowledge of the pregnant body and the changes that occur as the massage is affecting two individuals.  

Sarah Fogarty is an accredited massage therapist with over 17 years of experience.  Sarah offers all of the above types of massage.  Sarah has experience working with professional athletes (AFL), pregnant and postnatal women, individuals who have experienced loss during pregnancy or neonatal loss, anxiety, stress, IVF support and eating disorder support. 

For further information on the services Sarah provides please go to www.drsarahfogarty.com