Goodbye message from Fabiola

Hands On therapist Fabiola Velásquez recently emigrated to Greece with her husband. Here is her goodbye message to all of you.

"After working for five months with Hands On Walk-in Backrub, I can say that this has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had as a therapist and as part of a multidisciplinary team of profesionals working to provide the best diagnosis and treatment required by each individual.

"Furthermore, all the products used for treatment at Hands On are meticulously selected to ensure that only natural and ethically produced ingridients are used. Adhering to these values has been very important for me and one of the reasons I decided to collaborate with Hand On. 

"Understanding the workings of our biological nature is very important when offering holistic therapies and therapeutic massage to improve people's quality of life, and therefore carefully selecting the treatment products with a respect for nature can only complement this process.

"Massage and therapy for the body and mind can be a tremendously powerful tool when applied by professionals with high levels of experience and knowledge, but they also require significant knowledge of patients about the biology of their body. We should be conscious of our body and what it requires to fuction properly and especially to prevent injury. To offer our body a good rest, proper nutrition and hydration should be a daily habit.

"Modern life has made great technological advances, but at the same time people increasingly live in environments with high levels of stress and long working hours in front of a computer without giving our body the natural flexibility and mobility required to live in harmony. Our body doesn't have the natural ability to face those levels of stress and long hours of seated work. In this context people are more susceptible to accumulate stress, and this has a huge impact on our biological and psychological health.

"Hands On is aware of the need to provide services to the public that include a variety of treatments, but also to include a high level of empathy and love for people, who need care and support  in order to improve their health and quality of life. 

"Therefore my experience at Hands On has been very important because I have been given the opportunity to work in an environment where people are truly important and not a mere pursuit of profit. This principle for me as a therapist is the basis of everything.

"Last, but not least, a special thank you to Dominc Neate for trusting me to work at Hands On and for being so generous and consistent with his principles and human values. I hope I have contributed something to improve the physical and emotional health of  the people that I have treated.

"Thank you very much," Fabiola said recently in a mail from Greece.

Responding to her, Hands On director Dominic said: "Fabiola was a really fantastic therapist and we are so sad to be losing her. She was a masterful inspiration to our new therapists and gave them some very useful tips and she was a much loved therapist among our clients. She will be very sorely missed, but we wish her and her husband all the best in their new life."

Introducing therapist Patrick Meyer

Hands On's Patrick Meyer tells us what got him into physical therapies.

"My first venture into the world of biomechanics and physical therapies came many years ago when I first made the transition to barefoot running in California. At the time I was running quite a high mileage routine and would pick up the same debilitating injuries: runner’s knee, ITB (Iliotibial band) syndrome, top-of-foot pain – the list goes on," Patrick says.

"Finally I began searching the internet (as you do), and I came across Barefoot Ken Bob (whose site is well worth a read even if you’ve no athletic interest) and the idea that we may well have gotten it all wrong with the way we were taught to run in high school and college. The idea of stripping away all the gadgets and ‘help’ we are sold in the name of our ‘imperfect’ human bodies was one that was instantly appealing to me."

Since that point, Patrick's passion for tapping into the human body’s innate ability to regulate and heal itself has led him down many paths of learning, from the most basic massage techniques to less mainstream methods.  

"Most recently I have finished my training as a registered osteopath, which I felt was the next logical step in building my professional portfolio.  This principle of working with the body not just to lessen painful symptoms but to improve health and well-being is central to osteopathic practice, and one which I found myself perfectly aligned to.

"In my treatments, I prefer to adopt a ‘patient-centred’ approach- explaining clearly to my patients exactly what seems to be causing their pain or symptoms and what options we have for treatment.  To this end, each patient’s session is completely individual."

Some basic principles that guide all his treatments:

• Wherever possible, use evidence-based techniques and exercise;
• Be realistic about treatment expectations and limitations – and be clear about what to expect from a session;
• Always incorporate remedial exercise or self-help which is relevant to and practical for each patient.

"I’ve been very privileged to work successfully with patients across a wide spectrum, from the elderly and chronic pain sufferers to nationally ranked athletes and everyone in-between.  My treatment methodology is largely founded on the functional use of the body and restoring as best as possible correct, normal movements to it," he concludes.

To book a session with Patrick Meyer, please call us on 01242-243333.

The Feldenkrais Method

Why I use the Feldenkrais method, by Dr Romyna Menéndez

It was while Hands On's Dr Romyna Menéndez was working and studying at Sapienza University in Rome between 2002 and 2005 that she was introduced to the Feldenkrais method by her mentor Doctor Pina Guadagnolo. This led to a further four years of study with Ruthy Alon in Florence.

"I was very curious about this discipline because I started to notice changes in my habits," Romyna writes.

"I started to discover that each part of my body had a different way of moving and if these different parts are connected, I can improve my movement overall.

"It was an amazing experience  because I could see the potential that this form of movement-based therapy could have for the rehabilitation of patients; I was excited to learn more about this discipline in order to develop a treatment programme designed to address postural dysfunctions, alleviate chronic neck, back, shoulder, and knee issues, and to re-educate bodies about balance."

Romyna says that each patient is given an individualised assessment and is taught how to support their bodies from the centre.

"I worked in Italy for the Israelite Hospital in Rome for seven years and I learned to work with elderly people in the geriatrics department. I started to introduce the Feldenkrais method to my patients with wonderful results.

"People who had had a stroke, or were suffering from multiple sclerosis, muscle weakness, joint problems, pain, neurological problems (of the brain and nervous system) had the opportunity to receive this kind of therapy with excellent results.

"Improvements in posture, range and ease of motion are common. Many patients were able to reduce tension and live calmer, more relaxed lives. Chronic discomfort and pain may lessen, sometimes disappearing entirely.

"Those with limiting conditions such as stroke or cerebral palsy found their restrictions reduced, as they learned to function more efficiently in spite of their conditions.

"The lessons learned can generalise, leading to enhanced flexibility in all areas of life.

"Benefits are usually quickly apparent, so that you can generally tell after a few lessons if the Feldenkrais method is working for you.

"That's why I continue to teach people about this discipline."

Read a recent review of Romyna's work in this newspaper article.

To book a Feldenkrais appointment with Dr Romyna Menéndez, please call us on 01242-243333.

We are Hands On

Hello from Hands On Walk-in Backrub, the first walk-in backrub and massage centre outside of London, on Cheltenham's Regent Street, next door to the Everyman Theatre. We use the TouchPro method which an American, David Palmer, created by cherry-picking the most stimulating, tension-relieving moves from the 1,300-year-old Japanese massage technique called Amna. This results in a sensational 20-minute routine (which can be adapted down to 10 or up to 30 minutes). It comprises 28 acupressure techniques and targets 60 specific points on the head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, back and top of the glutes. It feels truly amazing; fantastic for relaxing tight spots and tension, leaving you feeling light and revitalised. At the end of a routine you feel like you're fizzing with delight.

This is seriously good value massage, starting at £10 for the 10-minute session, becoming relatively cheaper for longer sessions. You can ring in and book for the other massage techniques which include, deep tissue, reflexology, Shiatsu, holistic, Swedish, Thai, Indian head, Reiki, or just a lovely foot rub to ease those aching feet.

We have set up this blog to write in more detail about the techniques we use and about upcoming events. We will also introduce you to our wonderfully skilled staff and tell you more about their areas of expertise. 

Please do get in touch with us if you have anything to share.

Call us on 01242 23333, or come to the shop in the basement of 11 Regent Street right next to the Everyman Theatre. Find us on the internet at www.handsonbackrub.co.uk, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/handsonbackrub, or on Twitter at twitter.com/handsonbackrub.