Sports & Remedial Massage with Graham Pritchard

🌱 Reflections on 26 Years as a Therapist 🌱
When I started out as a remedial massage therapist, I believed that everyone who came to see me genuinely wanted to get better. But after a decade, I realized that’s not always the case. Now, after 26 years in practice, I’ve observed how some of us can become so attached to our physical, mental, or emotional struggles that letting them go feels like losing a part of ourselves. This attachment often persists, even after numerous treatments and consultations with therapists, doctors, and other professionals.
Sometimes, clients come to me with harsh judgments of the therapists they've seen before. While it’s true that not every therapist is fully invested in their clients’ well-being, I've noticed a pattern: when someone repeatedly tells me how all previous treatments were “useless,” I sense that no matter how much I care, I might also be unable to meet their expectations.
But then, there are those beautiful moments when healing begins in the consultation itself – when a person feels truly heard and accepted without judgment. This is priceless. The simple act of really listening can bring profound change. And there are others who come with an open heart, eager for healing, perhaps through a referral or shared trust. These clients are often the easiest to help, even if I only see them once. Years later, hearing how our work together impacted them can be deeply rewarding.
https://www.sportsmassage-swindon.co.uk/

Traditional sports massage or massage in general can be a bit of a battle between therapist and client. The client is tense and the therapist is also tense and there is resistance everywhere that the therapist, (whilst herself being tense) desperately tries to break down the tension in the client, leaving both exhausted!

This is not the optimal way After over 26 years of practice with thousands of clients and having immersed myself in the practice and study of the internal arts of Tai Chi and Qigong over 31 years I believe that I have discovered a way through the above that helps both therapist and client to enjoy the endless possibilities that soft tissue work can help in the recovery of a sense of ease and well.
being.

Check it out for yourself:

Sports & Remedial Massage with Graham Pritchard | sports massage swindon | England Swindon United Kingdom Sports massage swindon with Graham Pritchard. Professional therapist since 1997. Full member of the London and Counties Society of Physiologists ProfessionallyPracticing Advanced Sports Massage Since 1997 Professional Sports & Remedial Massage Therapist Since 1998 Why not treat family or friends to....

As a therapist its so important to keep training and learning. Very pleased to get this letter of commendaton fron the LCSP (London & Counties Society of Physiologists) which was founded in 1919 and is the oldest-established and largest organisation of private practitioners of remedial massage and manipulative therapy in the U.K.

: Not long ago, a woman scheduled an appointment with me on rather short notice. During our initial consultation, she mentioned her past as an athlete. We discussed her symptoms, and I then assessed her posture, revealing that she was harboring a significant amount of stress in her body. Subsequently, I proceeded with the treatment. As we continued, she remarked that she had never experienced sports massage therapy quite like the one I was providing and expressed her interest in returning for regular sessions. Furthermore, she expressed a desire to bring her son and husband along for similar sessions. When she departed, I decided to look up her name online and was astonished to discover that she was a renowned Olympic and Commonwealth athlete, holding multiple medals and excelling in the field of sprinting.

The majority of my clients are not professional athletes, although some of them do hold high rankings in their respective sports. Regardless of the discipline, whether it's dance, martial arts, gymnastics, table tennis, or running, each athlete's body has its unique story to tell. Accurately deciphering what the body is trying to convey is a significant aspect of our profession's challenge. We don't always get it right, no matter how diligent we are, but we always strive to do our best. This is the hallmark of our profession – we undertake the work that others may shy away from.

One of the complexities in the field of healing is that patients often closely associate their identity with the conditions they are experiencing. Consequently, the idea of parting with these conditions can feel akin to losing a part of themselves. As individuals generally resist the notion of losing their core identity, the ailment or condition tends to persist until the patient is truly ready to let go of their identification with that condition. For emerging practitioners, comprehending and internalizing this might require a substantial period of time and come as an unexpected revelation.
In my personal journey as a therapist, it wasn't until after a decade of practice that I genuinely grasped this shocking realisation.

Since 1998 I have workded as a sports massage therapist. From there to now I have done thousands of treatments to endeavour to help my suffering fellow human beings. I recently thought, "Have I really done thousands of treatments?" So I have been checking out my books. Yep. Thousands not hundreds and my body also feels this!
It has been a precious time working with folk over all these years. There is something very genuine about sports massage. It is not the kind of therapy a lazy person would want to practice and your body will certainly inform you that you have worked!
Im winding down these days and preparing for a new line of work but will continue to help those in need as long as I am able.
https://www.sportsmassage-swindon.co.uk/

Successful practicing of Sports or Remedial Massage requires good palpation skills.

These skills can be developed over many years of practice.

Remedial massage is not a question of just vigorously pounding the flesh no matter what! In fact, very often what the body needs is gentle work to encourage the person to relax and allow the body to open and free itself from unnecessary stress and tension.

Skilled bodywork can certainly point in this direction.

An open, relaxed and harmonious body-mind is the true goal of any essential therapeutic intervention.

sportsmassage-swindon.co.uk

"Would highly recommend. Early this year got some back twinges which hampered a lot of my upper body. Had a couple of sessions with Graham, and now I'm pain-free and going back to the gym."

Ashley Johns

Graham Pritchard LCSP (phys)
Professional sports massage therapist since 1998

Sports Massage Swindon Sports massage swindon with Graham Pritchard. Professional therapist since 1997. Full member of the London and Counties Society of Physiologists

Yes. I really have been practicing sports massage since 1997. I set up my practice proper in 1998. It has been and continues to be an honourable trade to practice and I am very thankful for the many clients and thousands of hours of treatment over these years.
sportsmassage-swindon.co.uk

This is my 23rd year of practicing therapeutic massage. I am grateful, despite the horrors of Covid, to still be administering this rather important soft tissue therapy.

People are often surprised at the efficacy of sports massage and wonder why they have not been told about this effective therapy before.

Often people come to see me as a kind of last resort. They have tried just about everything to help with their ailments and finally give sports massage at try. Usually they come back for more treatment and become regular clients whose testimonials are really gold.

Thinking of giving this treatment a try? Find out for yourself at:
https://www.sportsmassage-swindon.co.uk/