Active Body Centre Nelson Services

Physiotherapy

 

A physio helps you get active and strong again if you have a health issue or disability that affects your body's functions or makes it hard for you to move around freely. They also help you prevent injuries and illnesses.

 

Physios have skills to treat and prevent health problems involving:

Joints, bones and soft tissue

Heart

Chest and lungs

Brain and nervous system

 

Acupuncture

To best understand how Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine work, it is first necessary to become familiar with some of the concepts on which they are based. An integral part of Chinese Medicine is the concept of Qi (pronounced Chee). Qi is often referred to as energy or life force, but in reality it is much more than this. Qi cannot be measured but without it we could not exist. Qi not only gives us life, but also causes the tide to come in and go out, the sun to rise and set and the seasons to follow their natural cycle. At the same time Qi provides us with the ability to move and grow, it is also inseparable from that movement and growth. This is often a difficult concept for many Westerners, with our very linear thinking, to grasp.

The second is the concept of Yin and Yang. In the West, people tend to see Yin and Yang simply as opposites. The reality is somewhat more complex than this. Yin and Yang can only exist as relative to each other - without one the other could not exist - and they may easily change from one to the other. The example of Yin and Yang in the classics is usually given as the shady and the sunny side of a hill. As the sun rises, the eastern slope is considered Yang and the western side Yin, but as the sun moves across the sky the eastern side becomes Yin and the western side yang. Same hill, different perspective.

Most people have seen the pictures or models of the acupuncture meridian system. These meridians, or channels, cannot be seen on the body but are considered in Chinese medicine to be just as real as the blood vessels or nerve pathways as recognised in Western medicine. It is along these channels that Qi flows - nourishing the body and allowing it to function smoothly and efficiently. Each of the channels is associated with a specific organ of the body and at some point along its pathway will connect with that organ. Any disruption or blockage of the flow of Qi along the meridians will in time affect the associated organ, resulting, for example, in decreased function or pain. Acupuncture aims to correct this flow of Qi, and thereby restore the balance within the body. Different points along these channels have different specific functions – some points promote the movement of Qi up or down in the body, some cool, some warm, others harmonize or balance.

In more recent times, in terms of Western Medicine, rigorous scientific research has confirmed that acupuncture promotes the production of a variety of chemical substances in the body. These help relieve pain and relax muscles, help regulate nerve transmission, enhance the immune system, regulate hormones and blood flow and reduce inflammation.

“Not everything that counts can be measured. Not everything that can be measured counts.”
Albert Einstein

Exercise Based Rehab

Muscular injury and rehabilitation after surgery
Chronic pain
Chronic fatigue
Neurological conditions, post-concussion syndrome, traumatic brain injury
Metabolic conditions, including arthritis, diabetes, cancer, lupus and cerebral palsy
Obesity
Depression and anxiety
Exercise rehabilitation for young people.

Sports Psychology

Sport psychology is an interdisciplinary science that draws on knowledge from the fields of Kinesiology and Psychology. It involves the study of how psychological factors affect performance and how participation in sport and exercise affect psychological and physical factors. In addition to instruction and training of psychological skills for performance improvement, applied sport psychology may include work with athletes, coaches, and parents regarding injury, rehabilitation, communication, team building, and career transitions.

Sports Nutrition

Sports nutrition is the study and practice of nutrition and diet as it relates to athletic performance. It is concerned with the type and quantity of fluid and food taken by an athlete, and deals with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, supplements and organic substances such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Although an important part of many sports training regimens, it is most commonly considered in strength sports (such as weight lifting and bodybuilding) and endurance sports (for example cycling, running, swimming).

Sports Massage

Sports Massage is a special form of massage and is typically used before, during, and after athletic events. The purpose of the massage is to prepare the athlete for peak performance, to drain away fatigue, to relieve swelling, to reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility and to prevent injuries.

Purpose of Sports Massage

The main purpose of sports massage therapy is to help alleviate the stress and tension which builds up in the body’s soft tissues during physical activity. Where minor injuries and lesions occur, due to overexertion and/or overuse, massage can break them down quickly and effectively. The massage will help prepare the athlete for peak performance, to drain away fatigue, to relieve swelling, to reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility and to prevent injuries. Sports massage can help prevent those niggling injuries that so often get in the way of performance and achievement, whether a person is an athlete or a once a week jogger.

Athlete Management

Customised Athlete Management services available contact active body centre to enquire