The Repair Shop
Set in on the Sussex Downs, in an ancient barn, the craftspeople of The Repair Shop take in broken items from the general public and turn them back into working items, or restore them to a near original state. These amazing people take the items – in all sorts of states, from something needing a polish, to things that are in pieces or might not even have all the pieces.
Whilst watching this, it struck me that what The Repair Shop does is similar to what I do as a Soft Tissue Therapist. To some extent. I was alerted to this at the time when one of the crafters was being introduced to the object to be repaired. Whilst trying not to look over-awed at the challenge in front of him, he wanted to reassure the owners that it wasn’t going to be an impossible task. In the same breath however, he also gave a caveat – that he would try his best to restore it.
And still you’re wondering what this has to do with soft tissue therapy.
It’s the bit about trying my best to help you. Although I would love to be confident that I can “fix you”, it’s not quite so easy to restore the human body as it is some other objects and so you won’t hear me say that.
Get in touch to find out about massage appointments
What I will say is that I’ll do my best to help identify any causes of pain that might lie within the soft tissues, and I can advise you on how you can take responsibility for keeping your body moving and pain free.
Unlike the Repair Shop, you aren’t going to be restored, fixed and returned to working order in one hour-long appointment. It will take longer to help with pain reduction and to implement advice on re-educating your body - but how long it takes is, in part, up to you as well. If you do the recommended exercises it will be quicker than if you don’t and if you keep doing the exercises, and loading your body, you will stay away from the massage couch for longer.
Massage appointments aren’t just for fixing when you’re broken – you can also benefit from massage to help relax and reduce stress: the Repair Shop equivalent of giving something a good polish. Your soft-tissue therapist can help to ease the stresses out of your muscles and can work with you to help you to manage your stress better – again through relevant exercises alongside stretch and strengthening routines. One treatment can be improved by a return visit – you may need several coats of polish before you’re fully restored – but the frequency can be determined by you.
Sports massage, deep tissue massage, myofascial release or any other type of soft tissue therapy is never going to be a quick fix. I hope there will be some immediate effect of feeling looser, more relaxed and more mobile, but our amazing bodies have a habit of remembering tension and can default to this quicker than we would like. As always talk to your therapist about the treatment that’s right for you.