Self care: Recognise, Respond and Restore

Arthritis New Zealand have outlined that musculoskeletal disease is the leading cause of PERMANENT INCAPACITY; affecting 1 in 4 NZ adults (Bossley & Miles, 2009).  

Repetitive motion patterns leading to occupational overuse syndrome, non-neutral body posture and heavy lifting.  This is where having a proactive approach to your health by self-managing these aches and pains before then progress into more serious conditions. 

Massage therapy by a qualified professional is an effective way to help alleviate and prevent the affects of:
These are often a result as work environments such as Dentistry 

  • Inefficient posture
  • Repetitive movements
  • Prolonged time in same positions.

The above are often a result as work environments such as Dentistry, ECE sitting in kiddie chairs, Helicopter Pilots, Desk Jobs.

Why should I choose massage therapy?  
We can create change in the body, as part of your self-care plan, focused massage treatments can work to release tight muscles and strengthen weak muscles which over time can create muscle imbalances.   Avoid rationalising your aches and pains – “I’ve had it for years” or “I am used to it”.  We need to ask ourselves,  ‘will ignoring it lead to a more complex condition later in life?’; no one wants to be a statistic, and our numbers of musculoskeletal issues is on the rise. 

Will one session be enough?
One single massage session will alleviate some of the aches and pains attributed to poor posture and repetitive movements, however it is important to know that we don’t expect overnight change, especially if you have chronic pain (chronic pain is defined as lasting beyond three months), rather we work with bodies natural healing process.  Remember regular sessions with any health professional is always beneficial to becoming pain free and the right thing to do – we aim to assist you in how your body responds and how long it may take.

Why should massage be seen as long term?
Essentially a series of treatments is recommended to allow for a longer lasting effect.  If is also beneficial to include a regular massage into your well being routine. Sessions can be organised to 1. Suit your budget and 2. Dependent on your workload and stress levels and these can be arranged weekly, fortnightly and monthly. 

Why choose Top Notch for my massage therapy?
At Top Notch we continuously strive to create and maintain professional standards in an unregulated massage industry. We employ the highest quality therapists who have attained an approved qualification and work to a strict code of ethics.  

Headache

Massage can help to reduce the frequency and the severity of pain, therefore preventing further headaches. Treatment massage includes targeting the neck and shoulders which can greatly reduce tension headaches which affect 70% of adults.

Anxiety and Stress

Relieving the feelings of stress and anxiety through massage therapy works by reducing painful feelings, enabling deep sleep (which also reduces pain), lowering cortisol levels (stress hormone) and heart rate. 

Postural Stress

Inefficient posture, repetitive movements or prolonged time in the same positions can often lead to placing incredible amounts of stress on our bodies. There is no perfect posture, the better it is, the less likely we are to develop aches and pains or more complex conditions in the future.