Workout Recovery - Sports Massage in London
So, going in my sequence of alternating weekly fitness and food posts, you may be expecting this to be another review of one of London's most hardcore/high end workouts.
However, having been suffering from a back injury for the past month or so (slipped disc compressing onto a nerve in my spine), I have come to realise how important it is to look after your body, and that constantly pushing yourself to your limits, although empowering, can also be detrimental. Unless you have enough recovery, rest and restoration in place, that is.
With this in mind, I set about seeking a professional who could help to ease my pain, which is when I came across Ben Pianese, owner of Massaggi, one of London's top Massage and Sports Therapists with over 16 years of industry experience.
Practicing the art of relaxation and sports massage, Ben is skilled at treating a whole range of conditions through a variety of different treatments:
With locations in Marylebone, Wigmore Street and Islington, it was the latter that I visited one Saturday afternoon to experience for myself the wonders I had heard about Ben, with high hopes he could release some of the pain in my lumbar spine.
As I entered, I sat in the waiting room where I was offered a cup of fresh herbal tea, and asked to fill out a form stating the details of my pain, and stress levels. Ben did pick up on the fact I am unable to switch off - something I fully admit to being bad at, with my head constantly buzzing at the most inconvenient of times (night time, mostly!).
He took me into the treatment room - bright, fresh and airy, and explained his approach. Preferring to work with the individual as opposed to a 'set' treatment menu, Ben uses a range of techniques from Sports Massage, Spinal Therapy, Lympathic Drainage, Emmett technique and Reconnective Healing.
Offering an extensive body profiling to assess injury prone and stiff areas of the body, Ben first of all assessed my alignment, where he explained that most muscular injuries stem from. He asked me to stand in a natural state whilst he took a couple of photos of my posture. Showing me the screen and using a card to demonstrate where a 'straight' line should be....it was clear just how misaligned I actually am, building up unnecessary stress and fatigue on the body.
Apparently, 9 times out of 10 this misalignment begins at the feet and, as a specialist at reading the body, it took only a split second for Ben to highlight my poor stance - with my ankles rolling inwards and overp-ronation of my already flat feet - a recipe for disaster!
A roll in of the ankles, coupled with an out of align stance....my bad!
Ben then got me to lie down on the massage bed, where he intuitively began to work into the muscles and release the tension. Now, I do have quite a high pain threshold, however I have to say - this was absolutely agony- however Ben explained this was due to the fact I was so tight and knotted.
With a natural instinct to find the 'trigger points', he put a strong amount of pressure into all the nooks and crannies within my back, following the lines of tension right up into my neck. Not only did he work on the areas of discomfort, but also worked on the connected muscles and tissue in order to balance the spine at the source. Although initially painful, with regular treatments, this would lessen significantly, reducing my chance of future injury whilst strengthening and realigning my body.
Coming out of my hour long treatment, I felt much less tense, more relaxed and certainly much more aware of my body and alignment .... and the long term importance of maintaining it all in a healthy, natural state.
Whilst I can't say my pain was cured, this was only my first treatment - so there's still a little way to go! If you are interested in trying it out for yourself, sessions with Ben cost £70 for an hours treatment, and can be booked via his website http://www.massaggi.co.uk/. Let me know how you get on!!! xxx
However, having been suffering from a back injury for the past month or so (slipped disc compressing onto a nerve in my spine), I have come to realise how important it is to look after your body, and that constantly pushing yourself to your limits, although empowering, can also be detrimental. Unless you have enough recovery, rest and restoration in place, that is.
With this in mind, I set about seeking a professional who could help to ease my pain, which is when I came across Ben Pianese, owner of Massaggi, one of London's top Massage and Sports Therapists with over 16 years of industry experience.
Practicing the art of relaxation and sports massage, Ben is skilled at treating a whole range of conditions through a variety of different treatments:
With locations in Marylebone, Wigmore Street and Islington, it was the latter that I visited one Saturday afternoon to experience for myself the wonders I had heard about Ben, with high hopes he could release some of the pain in my lumbar spine.
As I entered, I sat in the waiting room where I was offered a cup of fresh herbal tea, and asked to fill out a form stating the details of my pain, and stress levels. Ben did pick up on the fact I am unable to switch off - something I fully admit to being bad at, with my head constantly buzzing at the most inconvenient of times (night time, mostly!).
 |
| Identifying my pain |
He took me into the treatment room - bright, fresh and airy, and explained his approach. Preferring to work with the individual as opposed to a 'set' treatment menu, Ben uses a range of techniques from Sports Massage, Spinal Therapy, Lympathic Drainage, Emmett technique and Reconnective Healing.
 |
| The treatment room |
Offering an extensive body profiling to assess injury prone and stiff areas of the body, Ben first of all assessed my alignment, where he explained that most muscular injuries stem from. He asked me to stand in a natural state whilst he took a couple of photos of my posture. Showing me the screen and using a card to demonstrate where a 'straight' line should be....it was clear just how misaligned I actually am, building up unnecessary stress and fatigue on the body.
Apparently, 9 times out of 10 this misalignment begins at the feet and, as a specialist at reading the body, it took only a split second for Ben to highlight my poor stance - with my ankles rolling inwards and overp-ronation of my already flat feet - a recipe for disaster!
A roll in of the ankles, coupled with an out of align stance....my bad!
Ben then got me to lie down on the massage bed, where he intuitively began to work into the muscles and release the tension. Now, I do have quite a high pain threshold, however I have to say - this was absolutely agony- however Ben explained this was due to the fact I was so tight and knotted.
 |
| Ben in practice |
With a natural instinct to find the 'trigger points', he put a strong amount of pressure into all the nooks and crannies within my back, following the lines of tension right up into my neck. Not only did he work on the areas of discomfort, but also worked on the connected muscles and tissue in order to balance the spine at the source. Although initially painful, with regular treatments, this would lessen significantly, reducing my chance of future injury whilst strengthening and realigning my body.
Coming out of my hour long treatment, I felt much less tense, more relaxed and certainly much more aware of my body and alignment .... and the long term importance of maintaining it all in a healthy, natural state.
 |
| Strong testimonials on his website sounded promising! |
Nice Info
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