Congratulations on booking your first massage appointment with Fulcrum Myotherapy. If you have never received a massage before you may be wondering what happens at your first appointment...
Once you have booked your first massage appointment with Fulcrum Myotherapy you will be sent a New Client Consultation Form by email (please check your junk mail folder, incase it ends up there). The form will cover your health and medical history, along with any muscular aches or mobility issues that you might have, whether you are on any medication at the moment, under medical supervision for any reason at all, or if you have had any accidents, operations or illnesses in the past.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING MY FIRST APPOINTMENT?
Your appointment will start with a 'consultation', which is really an informal chat. We’ll discuss any particular areas of interest, concern or general questions which may arise, then I'll talk to you about what you would like to achieve from your appointment that day. Following this, we will look at your movement, posture and areas of concern in order to decide on the best treatment for you.
CHANGING FOR YOUR TREATMENT
I will leave you in the treatment room to change, position and cover yourself on the table as we’ve discussed at the end of your consultation, before I return to the room.
So how much should you undress? The key thing is comfort and that you feel safe. You are very welcome to remove every item of clothing, safe in the knowledge that you will be covered and appropriately draped at all times, which protects the modesty of both you and the practitioner. If you want to keep more layers on, please be aware that working directly on skin is the most effective way to receive massage, but we can work through drapes and thin layers of clothing if required.
YOUR TREATMENT
Fairly quickly I will ensure you are comfortable with the depth and pressure of the treatment, making sure that what you are experiencing is what you are seeking. "No pain, no gain" is not the idea...I am here to work with your body, not raise your stress levels by beating you up! Even with 'deep tissue' massage, I’m not looking to hurt or bruise you - rather to achieve relief from discomfort. More often than not, the treatment will take its cue from the areas of concern but may occasionally take a detour depending on the discovery of areas that need more focus.
At the end of your massage, I will make it clear, gently, that I have completed my work. I will leave you to take your time getting up from the table, don't feel rushed, drink some water and take your time to get dressed. I will knock before re-entering the room.
SELF CARE
After your treatment we will discuss the health of your tissues and mobility. This might lead to some suggested aftercare; exercises, self-massage and appropriate referrals; significant improvements can be achieved through small changes such as drinking more water, stretching and exercises.
FOLLOW UP TREATMENT
After your treatment you should have a greater range of movement, less muscle spasms, and an overall feeling of wellbeing. I typically find that clients continue to ‘unravel’ for a few hours or days after their appointment depending on their lifestyle and stress levels. You should also sleep better that night, and find the effects lasting for several days.
Please remember however, if the pain in your neck took a few months to get you onto the table, it is likely to creep back in as you get back into the same patterns of movement and routine.
Clients will benefit from several appointments quite close together to make significant improvement to the patterns of movement and posture that created the issues in the first place.