To facilitate a healthy body and to keep you feeling your best between remedial massage treatments, our remedial therapists will often prescribe some simple stretches and strength exercises. For anyone who wants to learn a bit more but doesn’t want to forfeit their massage treatment time, a stretch and strength session might be just the thing.
Who is a stretch & strength session for?
We welcome anyone to book a Stretch & Strength session but we particularly like to help those who are having a bit of difficulty getting started!
Getting started with stretching
Sometimes we forget the stretches we’ve been given, or need to go through the movements a few times to feel familiar enough with them to perform at home and sometimes we just need someone else to make us do them at all! For those reasons we offer short stretch & strength sessions.
Learn routines for at-home stretching
There are also those of us who would like to learn a few home exercises to keep mobile and build strength just to perform everyday duties more easily or move well into older age. In those instances, a one-on-one Stretch & Strength session is for you.
Improving posture
Concerns about poor posture and subsequent pain is one of the common reasons for seeking remedial massage. A Stretch & Strength session can guide you through stretching associated tight muscles and activating weak muscles to help maintain good posture and reduce postural pain.
No time to stretch?
If you think you don’t have time to stretch (or it’s not a priority) but you know you feel better when you do it, then our therapist will help you find some movements that can fit into the course of your day, without needing to set aside specific time.
Perhaps you want a routine to do at work without even getting up from your chair to include stretches at work? Being given the right tools to meet specific needs will generally make people much more adherent to home exercise and therefore more likely to reap the benefits of reduced discomfort, better movement and postural awareness.
Prevent injury and exercise safely
Whatever your goals, having a greater understanding of your body might mean you are better able to keep yourself injury free, manage a group fitness class without risk of injury, bring improved strength to better facilitate reaching your goals and generally move more easily. Why not try a Stretch & Strength session today?
What does a Stretch & Strength session involve?
A Stretch & Strength session is not designed to get you fit or to take the place of your gym class, yoga teacher, personal trainer or regular exercise. Instead we aim to provide you with increased body awareness, an understanding of your body’s strengths and weaknesses and the knowledge required to better self-manage pain and dysfunction, particularly those arising from poor postures, sedentary jobs, repetitive standing or sitting, etc.
An initial session will identify your concerns, assess any poor postural and movement habits and teach you some simple techniques to practice. Our therapist uses a mixture of techniques including self-massage, stretches and strength exercises specific to each individual. Our therapist draws on experience in Alexander technique, yoga, Pilates, strength training and anatomy.
We also have a growing online library of some of the more commonly prescribed movements which can be a great resource in between sessions. To view out library please click here.
FAQs
Do you do the same thing as physiotherapists?
No. Our therapist draws on experience in Alexander technique, yoga, Pilates, strength training and anatomy. We have an excellent network of other therapies and practitioners to refer to for when we feel you might need a little bit more assistance or a diagnosis.
I’ve been given exercises previously by a physiotherapist and have them written down but don’t remember how to do them. Can you show me how to do those exercises again?
Usually, yes we can. Often we can help figure out the prescriptive exercise as many physiotherapists prescribe Pilates exercises. However, exercises given a long time ago may not be appropriate to your current needs so we will always recommend a return visit to the physio, or someone from our network of health providers, when we think it is necessary.
How often should I do a stretch & strength session?
Our aim is to teach you how to look after yourself a bit better in between visits to see us. If you struggle with body awareness or haven’t done any stretching or strengthening before or in a long while, a weekly session to begin with might be useful. We hope after 3 or 4 sessions though that you’re feeling ok to keep working on your own at home. Then, whenever you feel you need to progress the exercises (or regress them) or they’re feeling a bit stale and you’d like a few more to add to your repertoire, pop back in for a new program.
How many sessions do I need?
Initially you may like to do 2 or 3 over a few weeks to familiarise yourself with them but we find that sometimes a single session may be all you need. It varies from person to person so we will work with you to figure out what you will require.
I don’t have access to a gym or equipment. Will I still be able to do the exercises you prescribe?
Yes. The majority of prescriptive stretches and strength exercises will be similar to yoga or Pilates mat work repertoire. If you would like to increase the difficulty or resistance of your exercises over time we might recommend buying a stretchy exercise band, foam roller or small hand weights but this is not necessary in most instances.
I don’t want to do strength exercises but I do like stretching, can you just show me some stretches?
We strive to find exercises that will best achieve your goals and which you find easy to adhere to regularly. In some cases stretching works best but when a strength exercise is more appropriate, we will explain our reasoning and help you understand why a strength exercise is required. Our strength exercises are largely body weight exercises so you won’t need access to equipment to perform them.
Melbourne Natural Therapies
Remedial Massage Melbourne
Stretch And Strength Session
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