My functional bodywork treatment at The Recovery Studio

Okay, so this post has taken me quite a while to write up, it’s been the trickiest of the lot cause there’s so much interesting info that I want to share and trying to keep it short and sweet is just simply not possible. So here it is as short and sweet as I could manage:

I recently popped in at the Recovery Studio in Tamboerskloof for a Functional bodywork session to hopefully try and relieve the neck and Rhomboid pain that has plagued me for ages.

My hubby went for a session before me and his feedback and response got me interested so I had to give it a go. FYI he was quite severely injured in February while working in India on a Bollywood film and being a professional stuntman and needing to recover as efficiently and quickly as possible, looked into every possible rehab solution, one of these being functional bodywork at The Recovery Studio.

From his account and the various posts I’ve seen on the Recovery Studio IG page, I expected a cupping session, but what I got was so much more!

About Heinrich:

Heinrich is a Functional bodywork specialist with over 15 years of experience in the fields of bodywork, corrective exercise, personal training and holistic therapy having practiced most of these years abroad.

He uses a combination of various bodywork therapies and his experience working with injuries, dysfunctional movement and body mechanic problems assist in effectively relieving pain, stress and achieving healthy, functional mobility.

Heinrich moved back to Cape Town 6 years ago and opened up his own practice with the intention of implementing everything he learned and experienced abroad.

Heinrich and I after an awesome first session

Let me run you through my treatment:

My session started with a thorough consultation where I described my pain and symptoms, Hein then checked my body alignment and posture etc and prescribed the best treatment plan for me. Starting with:

Auricular Therapy:

Basically Ear Acupuncture. Now, I’m not too squirmish about needles so this didn’t bother me. Some spots where a little sensitive and this I was told could be due to possible issues in the area being stimulated. For those on the sqeemish side, he uses magnets to stimulate pressure points. Although not too bothered about needles I think I’ll opt for the magnets next time. I think the sound freaked me a little.

Hein popped some needles in my ears which were left in for the entire session.

Popping some needles into my ear

There is soooooo much amazing info on this treatment I could actually do a whole post just on this, but in a nutshell:

In 1990 The World Health Organization (WHO), announced that Auricular therapy is “probably the most developed and best documented, scientifically, of all the “micro-systems” of acupuncture and is the most practical and widely used.” WHO recognises Auricular therapy as a treatment option for over 100 ailments.

A few being:

• Migraines
• Facial Paralysis
• Tennis Elbow
• Sciatica
• Peripheral Neuropathy
• Arthritis
• Pain
• Allergies
• Hot Flashes
• Dry Mouth
• Meniere’s Disease

Did you know: The ear has been used to treat and diagnose disease for more than 200 years and is known to the Chinese as the window of the brain?

Next up was:

Acupressure mat:

Acupressure mats, as they’re called, work on contact and you can walk, stand, or lie down on the mat. The tiny spikes put pressure on your acu-points (commonly known as the “bed of nails” method). Unlike acupuncture, which involves inserting thin needles at various acu-points on the body, acupressure is non-invasive and relieves aches and pains by diffusing your energy, or “chi”, as it’s traditionally known in Chinese medicine through touch and pressure.

Hein and my hubby warned me that it may be uncomfortable but that everybody’s experience is different. The mat doesn’t look too hectic and I wasn’t bothered about lying down on it. But boy oh boy, the sensations were unreal, going from hot to cold, to I can’t feel my back. It’s an interesting concept and most definitely increased the blood flow in the area, evident by my bright red back.

Fun fact: Do you know that each circle is actually the shape of a lotus flower, how kung fu panderish!

The Acupressure mat

My slightly red back

Hyperice Hypervolt Vibration Massage:

Say what? Yea I know, quite the techy word! This is basically like a mini Jack Hammer that moves rapidly delivering up to 3200 percussions per minute to treat and relieve sore and stiff muscles. It’s the ideal tool used to improve range of motion and provide relief to painful and stiff muscles and increasing blood circulation and improving the overall health of the body’s soft tissue.

While lying on the Acupressure mat, Hein started working on my shoulder and chest area. At first, it felt a little odd and got my voice sounding all shakey like I was talking into a fan, you know that thing you did when you were a kid?

It definitely offered some relief and I loved it. I actually wouldn’t mind owning one of these babies myself.

Last but not least and the part of the treatment that I was expecting.

Heing getting to work on my shoulder

Therapeutic / functional cupping and Integrated Cupping Massage: 

Have you heard of cupping? If you’re on social media, you may have at some stage scrolled past a post of someone showing some nice round bruise circles on their back.  These being caused from a treatment called cupping.

I’ve seen the posts but wasn’t too clued up on all the details until my visit.

Cupping therapy is a massage therapy technique in which suction is produced on the skin in order to stimulate blood flow and promote healing.  What makes this technique unique is the reverse massage action.  In traditional massage, muscles and tissues are compressed, kneaded and rolled whereas cupping therapy decompresses and gently suctions and lifts tissue to effectively release tight fascia, increase blood circulation, stimulate lymphatic flow, relieve inflammation, muscle and joint pain and more.

Therapeutic Cupping is an adaptation of an ancient Chinease technique used to promote health and healing by loosening soft and connective tissue including scars and adhesions and can also improve functional mobility and joint performance.

The therapy utilizes silicone or plastic cups and a vacuum pistol to create suction on the surface of the body. These cups are moved over the skin using gliding and rotating techniques while gently pulling up on the cup, or may be left in one position for a short time to facilitate joint mobilization or soft tissue release. The suction reaches deep into the soft tissue and its attachments. Another benefit is to pull inflammatory products from an injury site to the surface of the skin where the lymphatic system can more readily eliminate them.

The various cups used during my treatment

My verdict

I found the whole experience very interesting and I really enjoyed the two sessions that I had with Heinrich, but most importantly my neck and back have been A-okay since my treatment. I’ve had the odd tightness from tension but the pain I normally struggle with hasn’t come back and this is the longest I’ve been pain-free for a while now and I will most definitely check in for a session should the pain flare up again. The Recovery Studio gets 5 stars from me!

Contact

If you’re keen for a session you can contact Heinrich

• Phone: +27 72 737 4494
• Email: heinrich@n2fitness.co.za