Remedial and sports massage, lymphoedema care and scar work at Cavalry Park in Peebles, since 2006.

Fascial work is a technique which is used to assist with a variety of soft tissue or structural issues. The fascia is a thin tissue which covers all the structures in the body (muscles, individual muscle fibres and organs) and which creates a supportive "web" throughout the body.

The body reacts to abnormal or unusual circumstances in its own unique way. We all know what the "startle response" feels like when we jump or tense due to a loud or unexpected noise. If versions of "startle responses" are repeated (whether due to an emotional or physical trigger) the body starts to adjust and can take on a protective mechanism which it believes is the best way of dealing with the situation. Pain and stiffness can come from this protective mechanism and are not necessarily indicative of damage or actual harm.

By encouraging the fascia to let these patterns go it can start to positively affect the nervous system by providing graded exposure to change. It is like giving the tissue different options. Reminding it that although the way it is held just now feels like "normal" perhaps we can try a new, more relaxed, way of being.

The process is not massage but involves various techniques and can include either a light stretch, traction or compression which is applied to the area required and, once the tissue begins to relax, the stretch or movement is maintained until the area has been changed.

Very often I will use fascial techniques within a massage treatment simply because that will be the most effective way of dealing with a particular issue. However, should you be interested in exploring this method at a deeper level, I can also carry out treatments which work purely with fascial techniques.

Scars are produced following an injury to the skin and underlying tissue. They can be superficial or deep and result from the natural biological process of wound repair. The scar tissue is composed of collagen fibres which makes it strong but there are fewer elastin fibres (which give flexibility). In addition the collagen fibres are laid down in a more linear direction than the natural random cross-linking fibres of healthy tissue. Any significant lesion to the body will result in scarring of some description.

Scar tissue can become adhered to underlying structures causing restriction or tugging which can have far reaching consequences to other areas of the body. They can be raised, puckered or uneven. There can be holes underneath the scar or ridges of mismatched tissue. On other levels people can feel disconnected from the scar area - this can be a physical and emotional reaction to the events which led to the scarring in the first place.

This is another medical condition which, although has very similar properties and appearance to lymphoedema, is actually an inflammatory disease of the adipose (fat) tissues. It almost exclusively affects women (or those assigned female at birth) and, although there are a small number of cases where it has been present in males too, it may manifest differently. It is characterised by disproportionately heavy hips, thighs and legs which, in later stages of the disease, stop at the ankle (like a cuff) leaving the feet unaffected. It is a hereditary condition associated with the reproductive hormones and especially oestrogen.

The legs can be cold, bruise easily, are tender to touch, feel very heavy and painful and there can be small bumps under the skin. Sadly, it is a misunderstood disease with people being diagnosed as obese or with lymphoedema. As the condition can start at puberty there can be a lot of stigma and shame for children who are repeatedly told that they are "just fat" and "need to exercise more". This can lead to disordered eating.

There is a trend towards new terminology for lipoedema and this is why you will see "lipalgia" appearing here and being used, probably, in other resources. The theory behind this is that, for some people, there is no oedema (Greek for swelling) present in their lipoedema. However lipo (fat) and algia (pain) seems to describe the condition more accurately. It may also stop the close, and sometimes misheard, word connection between lymphoedema and lipoedema which can only be a good thing when trying to describe to others your condition.