Deep Tissue & Remedial Massage
Clinic, Perth

Remedial massage is an assessment-based and treatment-focused approach. Your therapist looks at your symptoms, movement, lifestyle and areas of muscular tension to help identify factors that may be contributing to your pain or restricted movement.

Deep tissue massage refers more to the pressure and techniques used to work with deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue. It can form part of a remedial massage treatment when appropriate.

At Fitlife, we tailor the treatment to what your body needs rather than assuming firmer pressure is always better.

Remedial massage is treatment-focused and is generally used to help manage specific areas of muscular pain, tension, stiffness or restricted movement. Your treatment is tailored following an assessment and may include different techniques depending on what your therapist finds.

Relaxation massage is generally focused more on counteracting the effects of stress, relaxing the muscles and promoting overall wellbeing rather than addressing a particular musculoskeletal concern.

Fitlife specialises in remedial, deep tissue and sports-focused treatments rather than traditional relaxation massage.

No. Although both techniques use very fine needles, they are different approaches.

Dry needling is commonly used as part of musculoskeletal treatment and involves inserting needles into specific areas of muscle or soft tissue. It may be used to help reduce muscle tension, sensitivity and pain when clinically appropriate.

Acupuncture is a separate therapeutic practice that may use Traditional Chinese Medicine principles and other acupuncture approaches.

At Fitlife, dry needling is only used when appropriate, with consent and by therapists who have completed the relevant training.

Not exactly.

Deep tissue massage uses techniques designed to work with deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue and may be helpful for areas of persistent muscular tension or stiffness.

Sports massage is tailored more towards the demands of training, exercise and physical activity. Depending on the client, it may include massage, compression, stretching, mobility work and other techniques to support movement, preparation and recovery.

You don't need to be an elite athlete to benefit from sports massage. It can also suit gym-goers, runners, weekend athletes and anyone with a physically demanding lifestyle.

Some Australian private health Extras policies provide benefits for remedial massage.

Whether you can claim and how much you receive depends on your health fund, your level of cover and whether your therapist is recognised as a provider by your fund.

We recommend checking your individual policy before your appointment if private health claiming is important to you.

Fitlife Sports Massage provides on-the-spot claiming facilities. However, unplanned internet outages and communication errors can occur from time to time, so you should always be prepared to pay the full fee and seek reimbursement from your fund at a later date.

There isn't one type of massage that is best for every case of lower back pain because there can be many different contributing factors.

For people who spend long periods sitting, muscular tension, stiffness and reduced movement may contribute to lower back discomfort. A remedial massage allows us to assess how you're moving and tailor the treatment to the areas that may be contributing to your symptoms.

Treatment may include remedial or deep tissue techniques, mobility work and advice to help you move more comfortably.

If your back pain is severe, follows a significant injury or is accompanied by symptoms such as numbness or increasing weakness, you should seek medical assessment. New changes to bladder or bowel control require urgent medical assessment.

Massage may be useful as part of the management of a frozen shoulder, particularly for reducing tension in the muscles surrounding the shoulder and supporting comfortable movement.

Frozen shoulder affects the capsule of the shoulder joint itself, so massage does not simply release or fix the condition. Treatment needs to take into account the stage of the condition and how irritable the shoulder is.

If you have significant shoulder pain or stiffness or think you may have frozen shoulder, we may also recommend assessment by your GP, physiotherapist or another appropriate healthcare professional.

Massage may help some people with sciatica or sciatica-type symptoms manage associated muscle tension, stiffness and discomfort, but it is important to understand that sciatica is nerve-related pain and can have several causes.

Rather than assuming a particular muscle is causing the problem, your therapist will consider your symptoms and determine whether massage is appropriate.

Massage cannot correct causes such as a spinal disc problem or other nerve compression. If you have significant numbness, weakness or worsening symptoms, you should seek medical assessment. New changes to bladder or bowel control require urgent medical assessment.

Massage may be helpful for tension headaches, particularly when neck, shoulder or scalp tension is contributing to your symptoms. Treatment may help reduce muscular tension and promote relaxation.

Migraine is different from a tension headache and has a more complex neurological basis. Some people with migraine find massage helpful for associated neck and shoulder tension or relaxation, but massage should not be presented as a cure or replacement for migraine treatment.

If headaches are new, unusually severe, becoming more frequent or are accompanied by symptoms such as weakness, confusion, vision changes, fever or vomiting, you should seek appropriate medical advice. A sudden, extremely severe headache requires emergency assessment.

There isn't a set schedule that works for everyone.

How often you may benefit from remedial massage depends on your symptoms, how long the problem has been present, your activity levels, your goals and how you respond to treatment.

Some clients may benefit from closer appointments initially, followed by longer gaps as things improve. Rather than putting everyone on the same weekly, fortnightly or monthly schedule, your Fitlife therapist will reassess how you're responding and recommend a treatment frequency that makes sense for you.

Some conditions arise from circumstances that are difficult to change, such as your work environment, and regular treatments can be a useful part of your pain management plan.

Our aim is to help you move and feel better rather than have you coming in more often than you need to.