Pain buster

Trigger point massage therapy has arrived in Abu Dhabi and war has been declared on muscle pain by massage and beauty therapist Suzanne Cash.

Cash, a qualified sports masseuse, is also a specialist in Deep Tissue, Swedish massage and detoxification programmes. She has used the Trigger point technique extensively in Australia where she worked in a remedial sports clinic and as masseuse for triathlon competitions.

The treatment usually takes about an hour and the first step is to locate where the pain is actually coming from. This is very important as pain felt in the shoulder could in fact be coming from the lower back, or a persistent headache might be the result of a strained neck muscle.

She then works on pressure points to release tension from head, neck, shoulders and even arms and legs. There is a little pain as pressure is applied but before Cash gets down to business she carefully establishes at what level you find the treatment too uncomfortable, working out the 'ouch' factor on a scale of 1 to 10. For best results the discomfort should not go higher than a level 6, and Cash constantly checks this with the 'patient' as the session goes on.

Cash not only treats sports injuries or accidents, she also sees a great number of clients who have injured a muscle during a simple day-to-day action like reaching awkwardly to pick up an object, opening a drawer, turning quickly or even sneezing.

Stress, that scourge of modern living, also causes muscular tension and fatigue resulting in aches and pains which can be greatly reduced by pressure point therapy. Even dedicated couch potatoes could find themselves in need of a course as a result of bad posture while watching TV, or working at a computer.

Suzanne Cash can be consulted, by ladies only, at the Sheba clinic.