Initial consultations normally involve a general health screen which encompasses detailed health history questions, postural assessment, muscle strength tests and orthopaedic tests. Your practitioner may ask you to take your shirt off so they can view your physical bony landmarks to aid assessment more effectively. The time taken to conduct the general health screen will vary depending on your presenting condition but last between 5 to 15 minutes. This is followed by the soft tissue treatment which is personalised to your individual needs and health goals, then completed with some take-home advice which may include stretching or exercise tips. Your follow up sessions and progress are generally outlined for you at the end of each consultation.

Clients may sometimes feel muscle tenderness or a feeling similar to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after a deep tissue massage. The soreness is often a result of the inflammation process that has been brought on by vigorous soft tissue work and by the muscle retraining performed in the massage session. For example, your quadratus lumborum muscle (QL), located in your lower back, may be overactive and often takes your lumbar spine into too much extension, causing you to experience tightness, stiffness, or worse. Your practitioner may apply soft tissues techniques which encourages the QL to release but all it remembers and wants to do is how to overwork and extend your lower back. This internal fight is what can cause post massage discomfort. Normally, the soreness may feel different to the initial pain and will settle down after 2 or 3 days. We suggest you contact your practitioner if you experience pain for longer than this after a massage.

It is normal to feel new aches after a soft tissue session,e specially if you've had dry needling that elicited strong twitch responses. You can apply a heat pack over the sore area to help reduce the pain. Generally, some people might feel achey on the second day after a massage but some won't feel any lingering pain or discomfort.