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Hope you’ve all been keeping well. We’d just like to keep you all updated about some of the changes that are happening in the clinic. Firstly we are slowly changing the name to Richmond Remedial. As much as we have loved making stories up about the origin of Beyonce Health, we feel that Richmond Remedial better represents what we do.
Secondly we are sadly saying goodbye to Adam who has been working with us for the last year. Adam has his sights set on Canada and we wish him all the luck with his trip. With Adam’s departure sees an opening for a new therapist to join the team and therefore we are extremely excited to introduced Jose Cicca. Jose has a whopping 25yrs of experience in remedial massage, with a huge amount of experience in sports and industrial related injuries specifically. He has been working with GP’s in the area for many years along with many elite athletes. So if you are looking for a new remedial therapist, we really can’t recommend Jose strongly enough!

Keep your bodies active

Beyonce Health

We’ve started up a new facebook group!  Search for Beyonce Health and join us.  We will be regularly posting valuable information on common injuries and ways to help prevent them, ways to help improve your lifestyle, fitness challenges to try and whatever other bits and bobs we can think of.  This is a fantastic way for you guys to learn a few things from us and for us to get valuable information from you through discussions.

So quickly open up another tab and paste in the following link

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=114150051962276

Speak soon

Beyonce Health Crew

Now I know that we are a remedial massage clinic, but I want to give you the best information available to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle, not just help you with your injuries/tightness or give you advice to help you manage your conditions yourselves.  That’s why I have to give a huge recommendation that you all subscribe to the podcast ‘Forever Fitness’.  Basically it is a couple of Kiwi’s (Ish Cheyne & Bevan Eyles) who have fantastic practical advice on all aspects of fitness which you can apply to your daily lives.  Since stumbling across this gem I personally have developed new workout ideas, invaluable information on diet and most importantly a new found motivation to invest in my body through fitness.

There are a couple of ways to listen;

1. Visit www.foreverfitness.me directly.
2. Download the podcasts or listen to them straight off itunes.  Simply navigate to the store, search for ‘podcast forever fitness’ and double click on the episodes you’re interested in.

The information is free and I really believe anyone who is interested in learning more about themselves and what they can do to maintain great health will get something out of it.  In no way am I associated with these guys, nor do I gain any benefit from people subscribing.  I just want to share as much helpful information I can to help you guys stay in fantastic health.

Stay out of trouble & look after your bodies

What does this mean? It means that the ITB pulls the patella (knee cap) across to the outer (lateral) side of the knee where it rubs during walking or running. This in turn causes inflamation over time and unfortunately, the longer a person ignores this issue and continues doing what aggravates it, the worse it becomes. This is one of those things that doesn’t go away when you work though it.

How do we treat it? Firstly the biggest downside to treatment for this issue is that the treatment generally hurts! No, it really hurts. The ITB is from a layer of fascia and has a very different sensation to muscle being massaged. Normally for a person to have pain in the knee, there are multiple trigger points on the ITB. Also, from deep tissue and trigger point therapy on this area, a person is likely to bruise. What you will find though, treatment works well within two to three treatments. Each consequent treatment will hurt less and if bruising occurred the first time, bruising will be less or non-existent. The ITB responds very well to massage and an assisted stretch. Other muscles that can be addressed at the same time are the glutes (the ITB is an extension of the glutes) and the thigh muscles.

What can you do to prevent re-occurrence? The use of a foam roller daily is highly effective in keeping the ITB in check and reduce or eliminate this kind of knee pain.

Typically, our clients that seem to get this symptom tend to be runners and cyclist as depending on their style and technique, there can be times where they trigger and overuse the wrong muscle especially during the fatigue stage and they continue to push themselves.

Treatment is relatively straight forward with trigger point therapy or dry needling into the the piriformis muscle and release of the lower back and the glute. As the piriformis muscle is quite deep, it is a skill of the practitioner to be able to get past the superficial muscles and actually address the problem. As in anything to do with massage, the true test is in the results of how you feel after the treatment and whether the pain has been relieved or eliminated. If there are absolutely no improvement after the treatment, be weary of having another treatment with that practitioner as they have obviously missed the point.

The next cause of action, is then to determine why you got it and what exercises and stretches will help reduce it reoccurring.

Let’s start with the most common lower back issue that we see here at Beyonce Health: Lower back pain to top of the hip where there is a hitching and twist of the hip. The hitching of the hip will give one leg an apparent shortness. The only other way you could have a shorter leg, would to actually have a shorter thigh or shin bone. This pain or ache can sometimes be incorrectly diagnosed as a disc issue. As long as you don’t have a bulging or prolapsed or slipped disc, the muscular problem comes from a muscle called Quadratus Lumborum (QL) that connects your last rib to your spine to the top of the hip bone. In treating the trigger points in the superficial and deeper QL muscle, the release will usually reduce or eliminate the hitching of the hip and also the pain. An assisted stretch for this muscle is useful in finishing off the treatment and to provide lasting relief.

Other muscles that may require attention is the glutes (the bum) and the hamstring. There is a high relationship between the hamstring, glutes and the lower back.

This has been a basic example and the effectiveness and method of treating this symptom varies greatly on the length of time that you have had the issue and how you got the pain. Our therapist will run though some questions to better diagnose the problem. All in all, a good portion of lower back pain can be remedied with the proviso that there are no structural or genetic disorders.

Like all sites that require the legalities, what can’t we help: Any muscular tears and damage (i.e these need to heal first!), structural issues such as torn cartilage in the knee, slipped disc, etc. Before contacting any masseur, it’s is always best to contact your local doctor or physiotherapist first to give you the all clear.

We hope that in time, as we update our site with more useful articles on common muscular issues, we can assist more people to live better lives with less aches and pain.

Typical Timeline of a Massage Therapy Session

Normally a massage will last from 30-90 minutes, depending on your preference and your muscular issues. Also take into consideration the time it will take for the intake form (on your first visit), as well as the exit conversation that will cover any stretches or exercises that you may need to do. More details consist of the following:

- Client usually arrives 10 minutes ahead of time
- Discussion of the clients specific needs with the massage therapist
- Once the practitioner leaves the room, client will disrobe and lie under a towel on the massage table
- Once the client is ready, the practitioner will come back to begin the massage
- At the end of the time, the practitioner will leave the room allowing the client to get dressed again. The practitioner will wait for the client in the office.
- There will then be a conversation of observations on both parties’ parts. A formulated treatment plan could be set into place for what the client may need to do to address and minimize future muscular issues

Communication with your Massage Therapist

Before the first appointment, the client will be asked to fill out a complete health history form. You’ll want to be completely honest and include everything when you answer these questions. There are some conditions that may be unfit for particular massage techniques. If you do have a condition, the practitioner won’t want to aggravate it, so be prepared for further questions if there is a concern with the condition. Other questions that you may expect will be related to stress levels, occupation, and any specific goals that you may have in mind for the session.

Once you are experiencing your massage, the practitioner will use different strokes and techniques that will help relax as well as relieve muscle tension or pain. If there is an area that is too sore, or needs deeper pressure, make sure that you let the practitioner know of these things right away. As a client, your job is to relax and enjoy the feeling of release of muscle tension and stress.

Who Gives the Massage?

You’ll most likely hear them referred to as a Massage Therapist. These individuals are trained with a specialty in massage therapy. There are many different ways to earn this training, whether it is through massage school, massage institute, or even an apprenticeship with another experience therapist. All therapist working at Beyonce Health Remedial Massage Therapy have a minimum Diploma of Remedial Massage qualification and up to an Bachelors of Myotherapy. This is also evident as all therapist are members of either the Australian Association of Massage Therapist (AAMT) or Australian Institute of Myotherapy (IRMA). Therapists are also registered with most private health funds.

Preparing for a Massage Appointment

To fully benefit from your massage experience, follow these steps to ensure you’ll get the most relaxing experience possible

- For 24 hours before your massage make sure that you get plenty of fluids into your system
- Avoid shaving or waxing the day of your appointment; this can cause razor burn or rash.
- Try to be there a few minutes early for any first time paperwork
- Make sure to disclose allergies, or health conditions before the session

The Massage Session

Once in the room, you’ll see that there is a padded table that is known as a massage table. The massage therapist will let you know that you are able to remove as much or as little clothing as you are comfortable with. Then the practitioner will leave the room allowing you to disrobe in privacy and get settled on the table.

What to do during the Massage

There are clients that find the massage so relaxing that they will fall asleep quickly. In other cases, some have a hard time winding down for their massage. Although there is no right or wrong ways to enjoy your own massage, there are some pointers that may be helpful in letting you relax during your session:

- Try to concentrate on your breathing patters for a few moments, making them steady.
- Concentrate on the music that is playing.
- Using meditation can enhance the relaxing atmosphere of a massage

Don’t try to force your relaxation, this won’t ever work. For instance, if you’re in an extremely talkative mood and feel like chatting with the therapist, then go ahead and talk with them. You’ll feel more relaxed if you go with the flow of your mood, rather than trying to tell yourself that you should feel a certain way during a massage. If there are any issues that you have, such as the table being to warm, the music too loud, speak up and let your massage therapist know right away.

Taking Care of Yourself after a Massage

In order to make sure that the benefits of your massage last as long as possible, follow these guidelines:
- As said above, you’ll want to take in water before your massage, don’t forget to do the same after the massage also.
- If your practitioner gives you any instructions to keep up the benefits between sessions, make sure you pay attention and follow these instructions.
- Don’t go right back into a stressful situation, try to relax a few hours after your massage
- Inquire about self-massage and stretching techniques in areas that you often find tension
- You may require more sessions but your therapist will advise you depending on your muscular health. You will find that at Beyonce Health, we try to manage your muscular issues with a self management plan rather than continuously requiring massages.