Blackford Bodywork

Musculoskeletal therapy and rehabilitation to improve function and reduce pain

At Blackford Bodywork, I help you to achieve pain-free and unrestricted movement

Relief from pain or limited mobility can make everyday activities more enjoyable, help you to get on with your job, or enhance your sporting performance

I use a combination of hands-on treatment and rehabilitation-focussed coaching so that improvement in your symptoms is long-lasting

I specialise in treating and coaching women. However, Blackford Bodywork is an LGBTQ+ friendly space. If you’d like to chat before making an appointment, just drop me an email

Musculoskeletal therapy - more than massage

Your first appointment will start with a detailed consultation and physical assessment. Physical assessment involves a combination of movement analysis, range-of-motion testing, muscle and ligament testing, and/or nerve testing. Your treatment plan will be based on our discussion and on the results of the physical assessment, combined with evidence-based clinical reasoning.

Musculoskeletal therapy includes a wide variety of hands-on approaches that reduce pain and restore mobility. The techniques used during your treatment will depend on both your symptoms and your personal goals. However, the broad aims of musculoskeletal therapy are to:

• Reset the tone and length of muscles

• Reduce excessive stress on ligaments and tendons

• Re-align joints (including limb joints and joints of the spine)

• Relieve compression of nerves

Some musculoskeletal approaches, such as massage, will be familiar. However, musculoskeletal therapy involves a much broader suite of techniques than massage alone. I’ll introduce, for example, Muscle Energy Technique (MET), eccentric contraction methods and trigger point therapy. For some patients, joint manipulation (high velocity thrust) can also be very effective. I am qualified and insured to perform all the techniques that I use, and you will be fully involved in determining the right treatment for you.

Rehabilitation - lasting progress

Rehabilitation is almost always needed to facilitate recovery and to prevent pain or injury from recurring. I will therefore offer you an individualised rehabilitation programme for you to complete alongside musculoskeletal therapy. Rehabilitation programmes include strengthening exercises, mobilisations and/or stretches and can be adjusted to suit both your lifestyle and the equipment you have available. The major aims of rehabilitation are to:

• Give you the tools to manage your own condition on a day-to-day basis

• Address the underlying cause of pain or injury, for example: postural characteristics, muscle imbalances, repetitive activity associated with work or leisure, faults in specific movement patterns or training errors

To support your rehabilitation, I offer rehab-only appointments. These include:

• Detailed movement analysis

• One-to-one coaching from early stage rehab to functional movement or sport-specific training

• Regular re-assessment so that your programme can be continuously refined and progressed

• Access to a wide range of gym kit, including everything from resistance bands to group exercise and CrossFit equipment