Tim, a keen sportsman, traces his constant back pain to 11 years spent in the screen-printing business, which involved heavy lifting and jobs such as hand printing runs of 5000 t-shirts at a time, pushing volumes of ink at arms length through mesh.

We therefore decided to send Tim to one of Mwaah’s recommended local body healers, the multi-talented Dawn Homer, proprietor of Absolute Pilates and a Deep Tissue Massage specialist who has built a reputation for repairing the most stubborn of muscular restrictions in both men and women.

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“Many men, particularly those who are involved in trades where heavy lifting and repetitive strain is common place,” explains Dawn from her bespoke studio in Sawbridgeworth, “aren’t sure whether traditional Pilates will alleviate problems that they think are part and parcel of their every day lives – it’s that macho, grin and bear it mentality that often results in permanent discomfort and leads the body to compensate for it’s weaknesses by putting strains elsewhere. And it’s not just the guys that suffer, it’s often their partners too who have to put up with the moaning! In these cases, my philosophy is to use a combination of Deep Tissue Massage and Pilates techniques to approach each client’s problem holistically – to expose and treat the cause, not just the symptoms”.

So how does it work?

“Deep tissue massage is both corrective and therapeutic. It uses two methods, direct or indirect and is effective in releasing deeply-held patterns of tension, removing toxins, relaxing and soothing muscles,” Dawn tells us. “The direct method applies pressure to the muscle with the intention of finding resistance in the body, and maintaining the pressure until the resistance is released. The indirect method moves in the opposite direction of the resistance”.

We asked Dawn how Tim may be best able to benefit from her expertise:

“Unlike a regular relaxation massage, deep tissue massage works on the skeletal structures that lie deep within the body, meaning it can be used to treat crippling diseases, muscle, tendon and ligament injuries. That’s why I work with a lot of sportspeople – runners, golfers and contact sports - who can all have programmes adapted to their own disciplines. When Tim’s muscles are stressed, they block oxygen and nutrients, leading to inflammation that builds up toxins in his muscle tissue. Through controlled manual manipulation, I will break down scar tissue and crystallization, loosen the muscles, release toxins and allow blood and oxygen to circulate properly”.

We watched Dawn skilfully use her fingertips, knuckles, hands, elbows, and forearms - all used with long, slow strokes – on Tim’s back and shoulders. The next session would consist of Pilates stretching utilising the Reformer, Cadillac and Chair equipment in Dawn’s studio. “I see it as a doubling of two highly effective techniques that are both proven to work within their own right – but together they will impact upon both the speed and sustainability of Tim’s treatment”. On leaving Dawn’s studio, Tim was advised to drink plenty of water to flush away the toxins released during the session.

And Tim’s verdict after a few sessions with Dawn? “I’m hooked! I’ve always been sceptical about the idea of spending my hard earned cash on treatments that I’m not convinced about, but I guess Dawn was patient with me and really wanted to make a difference. I left the first session a little tender – she gave me a right working over! But since then I’ve been waking up with my neck definitely less restricted than usual.

I’ve been baling hay on a friend’s farm which would normally leave my shoulders feeling pretty wrecked , but Dawn has given me some simple exercises that I can do myself at home or at work to keep my body flexible and free from stressing....the warm up and warm down exercises that I’ve learnt from her are also gradually finding popularity on a Saturday with my team mates at Sheering FC!”