Jennifer Robertson - Massage Therapist
Certificate Swedish Massage | Certificate IV Remedial Massage | Diploma Remedial Massage | Senior First Aid Certificate | Sports Massage | Myofascial Release
ATMS member - rebates available from most health funds
After studying at Nature Care College, Sydney, I have worked in a thriving clinic on the North Shore, from home in Newcastle and as personal consultant and massage therapist for the Australian Ducati Formula 1 Motorcycle Racing Team.
With personal experience of both competitive sport, and intensive rehabilitation after a car accident, I have developed a great sense of empathy and understand what is required to restore and maintain health and wellbeing. I am aware of the importance of movement and how massage can be used to treat various specific needs, including relaxation. I have a particular interest in Corrective Exercise Therapy and enjoy treating people with a variety of needs. I treat clients with acute injuries, chronic conditions and those who just want to relax.
1 or 1.5 hour treatments
'Kickstart' Program (a personalised program to help you kickstart your health)
Deluxe Massage (pamper package with attention to detail)
Gift vouchers
Group bookings available
Massage techniques include:
Remedial Massage
Remedial massage is massage with the intention of ‘remedy’. That is, in order to initiate or maintain optimum health. The nurture and healing of human touch has been somewhat lost in our culture and returning to it through massage and other manual therapies is beneficial to the health and wellbeing of every person. The intuitive awareness and ability of a skilled bodyworker to assess a person and adjust treatments accordingly is something no machine can match. Everything from sports injuries and other injury rehabilitation to posture and general relaxation can be effectively treated with Remedial Massage. Combining deeper techniques, such as Sports Massage and Triggerpoint Therapy or more gentle approaches of Myofascial Release and Lymphatic Drainage, with general massage techniques, means there is a massage to suit everyone. Corrective exercise therapy is also available to those interested in facilitating and maintaining balance in themselves outside of the treatment.
Sports Massage
Understanding the relevant sport and main muscle groups used allows specific massage techniques and preventative measures to be applied. Although this type of massage and assessment is most commonly sought after a sports injury has occurred, it is beneficial to anyone involved in sports, particularly as a preventative measure. Corrective exercises can be used to complement this technique.
Triggerpoint Therapy
Triggerpoints are small taut bands in the muscle tissue which, when pressed, cause ‘exquisite pain’. Quite gentle pressure can seem intense but usually is brief and then relaxes. Triggerpoints can often refer pain elsewhere in the body. Have you ever experienced sharp pains for no apparent reason? And no matter how much you might concentrate on the painful area, the pain doesn’t go away? This is the kind of referred pain that can come from triggerpoints. For example, active triggerpoints on muscles in the neck often cause pain or throbbing around the temple, forehead or eyes. By treating the triggerpoints of the neck muscles, the headaches or facial pain can be eased. For this reason triggerpoint therapy is effective in treating referred pain at its true source.
Corrective Exercise Therapy
Creating balance in the body is simple when you look at stretching and strengthening opposing muscles. Someone with tight hamstrings (backs of thighs) can stretch the muscles but without strengthening the opposing muscles at the front of the leg, the stretches may not have much effect. Think about it – if you tackle the problem from both sides you’ll fix it twice as fast! The best exercises are simple. You needn’t go to a gym or run marathons. Simple exercises can be done at home, or even at work, and are just as effective.
Myofascial Release
Imagine one giant sheet of cling wrap surrounding each and every piece of the body – bones, muscles, organs – holding them all in place and giving your body its shape. This is a simple description of fascia, a connective tissue in the body. Now imagine something between having your skin gently stretched and just being held in a certain position, allowing tension to unravel itself. This is a description of what you can expect from myofascial release, a non-invasive method with very deep, relaxing effects. Myo, meaning muscle, means this technique works on the fascia of the muscle and therefore relaxes and re-aligns the muscles.
Lymphatic Drainage
The lymphatic system initiates responses of the immune system to clear toxins in the body. In extreme cases, where a lymph node has been damaged or removed, drainage can be an important tool for helping the body do what it can no longer do alone. For example, after a mastectomy (removal of the breast and lymph node under the armpit) the lymph will continue to flow to where the node was, waiting to be re-circulated. If the node is not there or not functioning, the lymph accumulates and creates swelling. Manual drainage will re-direct the lymph, re-establishing normal flow. This is also a good approach for women who experience swelling, particularly at the end of the day. In ordinary circumstances, drainage promotes good skin condition and can boost the immune system.
Other benefits of massage
In society today, the importance of human touch is neglected and an increasing emphasis is put on image, particularly for women. Ideal image is usually based on youthfullness and superficial beauty. These ideas are a distraction from looking to more important aspects of life and deeper human beauty. For women in particular, the obsession with image becomes another constant stress which directly affects the body and its health. Massage helps give a greater sense of being present in one’s body – receiving nurture and healing as well as being recognised and accepted without judgement or condition. In addition to having positive effects on self-esteem and confidence massage creates a positive cellular response through the body’s feedback mechanisms to the brain (this is also helpful during pregnancy, where the brain can be given sensory feedback about the body’s changing shape and size, thus reducing clumsiness). Apart from its many other specific effects, regular massage leads to greater awareness of the self physically and more generally, giving you an enhanced sense of your body’s needs. This means you will be aware of pain or tension in the body more quickly and will have the means to intervene before it becomes a problem. You will also become more relaxed and content in the skin you’re in!
Whether you have injuries, a specific condition or just need to relax, you will receive individual, professional treatment in a safe, nurturing environment. It is my aim to help you achieve your goals.
More about Jennifer…
After a serious car accident and my own experience of rehabilitation, it made perfect sense to me when, in 2000, I began to follow a path in natural therapies, in the form of bodywork. Having earlier been involved in competitive gymnastics, and now in other exercise such as yoga and tai chi, I thoroughly enjoy having the knowledge of corrective exercise both for myself, and others. It is a pleasure to be able to do something I love, which encourages my own health and growth, and helps other people seeking good health and happiness.
Please also visit my personal web page
or call now to make an appointment
0409 242 294.
"My body is like the body of the earth, which with its mountains, valleys, river beds and uneven topography tells the story of its history and creation as surely as my body expresses the trials and creative changes that I have experienced throughout my lifetime" (Dychtwald, 1977)
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