Hip-focused muscular treatment can significantly boost basketball performance by improving mobility, strength and coordination.

Since the hips drive key movements like sprinting, jumping and quick direction changes, keeping these muscles balanced and flexible helps players move more efficiently while reducing injury risk. By maintaining healthy hip function through techniques like stretching and massage, athletes can enhance agility, stability and explosiveness on the court.
​This leads to better defensive movement, stronger drives and more consistent performance throughout the season.

An Osteopathic Approach to Ehler-Danlos
Living with a condition like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) or ongoing chronic pain can feel confusing, frustrating, and at times, overwhelming. Many people go years trying different treatments, often being told that everything looks “normal” despite still feeling far from it.

From an osteopathic perspective, the focus shifts away from chasing symptoms and toward understanding how the whole body is functioning and more importantly, where it’s struggling to adapt.

What’s Actually Going On?
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a connective tissue condition. In simple terms, the “glue” that holds the body together; ligaments, fascia, blood vessels, even organs have a different structure. This often leads to increased flexibility, but that flexibility comes at a cost: reduced stability.

Over time, the body works harder to compensate. Muscles overwork, joints become irritated, and the nervous system becomes more sensitive. This is where chronic pain can start to take hold.

But here’s the key thing; pain in these conditions isn’t just about joints being “loose.” It’s about how multiple systems in the body are interacting and, in many cases, becoming overloaded.

Why Traditional Approaches Don’t Always Work
A lot of treatments focus purely on strengthening or stabilising joints. While that can absolutely be helpful, it often doesn’t address the full picture.
In people with EDS or persistent pain, there are often underlying drivers such as:

• Nervous system sensitivity
• Circulatory or lymphatic congestion
• Organ (visceral) restrictions
• Fascial tension patterns that don’t follow typical rules

If these aren’t addressed, the body can stay stuck in a loop of compensation—no matter how strong someone gets.

A Different Way of Looking at the Body
Osteopathy takes a whole-body approach. Rather than asking “where does it hurt?”, the question becomes “why is the body under strain in the first place?”
Two techniques that are particularly useful in these cases are:

• Counterstrain
• Barral Approach

Both are gentle, precise, and designed to work with the body rather than forcing change.

Counterstrain: Calming the Nervous System
Counterstrain is a technique that focuses on tender points in the body, small areas that reflect dysfunction in muscles, nerves, blood vessels, or organs.
Rather than stretching or pushing into pain, the body is placed into positions of ease. These positions are held briefly, allowing the nervous system to “reset” its perception of that area.

In patients with EDS or chronic pain, this can be incredibly powerful. Why?
Because the nervous system is often running in a heightened, protective state. Counterstrain helps reduce that sensitivity, allowing muscles to relax and improving how the body coordinates movement.

A key part of this process is the cranial scan. By gently assessing points along the skull, practitioners can identify which systems in the body are under strain—whether that’s vascular, neurological, or visceral. It becomes a roadmap for treatment, rather than guessing where to start.

The Barral Approach: Supporting the Organs
When people think about pain, they rarely think about organs but they should.

The Barral approach (often called visceral manipulation) looks at how organs move and interact with surrounding structures. Each organ has its own natural rhythm and mobility. When that movement is restricted, it can create tension patterns throughout the body.

For example:

• Digestive restrictions can influence the spine and diaphragm
• Pelvic organ tension can affect hips and lower back
• Liver or stomach restrictions can alter posture and breathing

In EDS and chronic pain conditions, these subtle restrictions can play a much bigger role than expected. By gently improving how these structures move, the body often finds it easier to settle, stabilise, and function more efficiently.

Why Gentle Treatment Matters
One of the biggest misconceptions is that stronger or more forceful treatment leads to better results. In reality, for people with EDS or heightened pain sensitivity, the opposite is often true.

The body responds best to:

• Low-force techniques
• Precise, targeted treatment
• Allowing the nervous system time to adapt

Both Counterstrain and the Barral approach respect this. They work under the body’s tolerance, rather than pushing past it.

What Patients Often Notice
While every person is different, common changes patients report include:

• Reduced pain flare-ups
• Feeling more “stable” without forcing strength
• Improved digestion or breathing
• Better energy levels
• A sense that their body is finally starting to calm down

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Importantly, progress is usually gradual and layered—because the body is unwinding patterns that have often been there for years.

The Bigger Picture
Managing Ehlers-Danlos and chronic pain isn’t about finding a single “fix.” It’s about helping the body become more adaptable, more efficient, and less reactive over time.
Osteopathy, particularly when using approaches like Counterstrain and Barral, offers a way to support that process gently and intelligently.
It’s not about forcing the body into place—it’s about giving it the space and input it needs to find a better way of functioning.

​Matt enjoys working with clients from all backgrounds - whether they are managing a specific injury, recovering from sport or gym related strain, or dealing with general muscular tightness and postural discomfort from work or lifestyle factors.

His treatment approach is focused on identifying the root cause of pain and dysfunction, rather than just treating symptoms.
Depending on your needs, Matt may use a combination of:

• Trigger point therapy
• Myofascial release
• Sports massage techniques
• Stretching and mobility work
• Functional Cupping

Matt has a particular interest in helping clients with:

• Hip Mobility
• Plantar fasciitis
• Sciatica
• Sports/workplace injuries and muscle strains
• Back, shoulder and neck pain
• Postural-related discomfort
• Sports recovery from training and physical activity
• General muscular tightness and fatigue

Matt takes pride in creating personalised treatment plans that support recovery, improve movement, and help clients return to the activities they enjoy with greater confidence and comfort.

Whether your goal is injury rehabilitation, performance improvement, or simply reducing everyday tension and stress, Matt provides a supportive and effective treatment experience tailored to your individual needs.

You can now book with Matt on Mondays, Thursdays & Sundays

What exactly is lymphatic fluid?
Lymph fluid consists of lymphocytes (a specific white blood cell that helps to fight infections), bacteria, cellular debris, plasma proteins, and other cells.

Lymphatic motion is usually slow and is dependant on respiratory motion,
arterial pressure, and muscle and joint pumps working both on the veins and on the lymph vessels.


What Is Lymphatic Drainage?
Lymphatic drainage is a specialized massage technique that uses light, rhythmic movements to stimulate lymph flow. It focuses on specific pathways and nodes within the lymphatic system in a systematic fashion. Often it is a very relaxing treatment with clear health benefits:

Benefits of Lymphatic Drainage
1. Reduces Swelling and Inflammation
One of the most immediate benefits is the reduction of post-surgical swelling. By promoting fluid movement, lymphatic drainage helps prevent fluid accumulation and reduces pressure in affected areas.

2. Accelerates Healing
Improved circulation of lymph fluid means better removal of toxins and cellular waste, which can speed up tissue repair and recovery.

3. Minimizes Pain and Discomfort
Less swelling often translates to reduced pain. Many patients report feeling more comfortable and mobile after sessions.

4. Decreases Risk of Complications
Proper lymph flow can reduce the likelihood of complications such as fibrosis (hardening of tissues) and seromas (fluid pockets).

5. Supports Immune Function
By enhancing lymph movement, the body’s immune response is better supported—an important factor in preventing infections after surgery.


When to Start Lymphatic Drainage
 In many cases, lymphatic drainage can begin within a few days after surgery or sports injury, but this depends on the go ahead from a medical practitioner.


What to Expect During a Session
A typical lymphatic drainage session lasts 60 minutes, and multiple sessions may be recommended for optimal results.
Some patients notice immediate improvements, while others experience gradual changes over several treatments.


Is It Safe for Everyone?
While lymphatic drainage is generally safe, it may not be suitable for individuals with certain conditions, such as active infections, current treatments for cancer, blood clots, or untreated heart issues.

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Tips for Maximizing Results

• Stay hydrated to support lymph fluid movement
• Follow your surgeon’s post-op care instructions
• Wear compression garments if prescribed
• Maintain light movement, such as walking, to stimulate circulation
• Attend sessions consistently if recommended

A great time for a lymphatic treatment
With winter around the corner this is a great time to get a lymphatic drainage as it supports immunity, reduces seasonal fluid retention, and boosts energy sluggishness caused by cold weather and inactivity. Gentle, rhythmic massage increases lymph flow, aids detoxification, and reduces stiffness.

Technique

• Massage: Involves hands-on manipulation of the soft tissues, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue. Massage therapists use various strokes, kneading, and pressure to release tension, improve circulation, and promote relaxation.
• Cupping: Involves placing specialised cups on the skin to create suction. The cups can be left in one place (static cupping) or moved around (dynamic cupping). The suction lifts the skin and underlying tissues, promoting blood flow and releasing tension.

Touch vs. Suction

• Massage: Relies on direct physical touch by the therapist's hands, fingers, elbows, or other massage tools. The therapist can feel the tissues' response and adjust the pressure and technique accordingly.
• Cupping: Utilises suction to lift the skin and create space between the tissues. The therapist may manipulate the cups to move them around the body, but the interaction is primarily through the suction created by the cups.

Pressure Application

• Massage: The therapist can control the pressure applied to the tissues based on the client's preferences and the specific therapeutic goals. Techniques range from light to deep pressure.
• Cupping: The pressure is created by the vacuum effect of the cups. The intensity of the suction can be adjusted, but it is not as directly controlled by the therapist's hands as in massage.

Tools and Equipment

• Massage: Typically involves the use of the therapist's hands and possibly massage oils or lotions. Massage may also incorporate tools such as rollers, hot stones, or other manual instruments.
• Cupping: Requires specialised cups made of various materials such as glass, silicone, or plastic. These cups can be applied using different methods, including fire cupping (using heat to create suction) or vacuum pump cupping.

Goals and Effects

• Massage: Aims to relax muscles, alleviate tension, improve circulation, and enhance overall well-being. It can be tailored to address specific issues, such as pain, stress, or muscle tightness.
• Cupping: Aims to promote blood circulation, release muscle and fascial tension, reduce inflammation, and address specific conditions such as pain and injury recovery . Cupping may leave distinctive circular marks on the skin, known as "cupping marks," which are not bruises but a result of the suction. These marks tend to go away within a couple-7 days depending on the client's circulation, or from having darker and more stagnant areas being released.

Sensation and Experience

• Massage: Provides a hands-on and tactile experience. Clients often feel the therapist's touch and the manipulation of their tissues, which can be both relaxing and therapeutic.
• Cupping: Involves a unique sensation due to the suction and lifting of the skin. Some people find cupping relaxing, while others may find it slightly intense or unfamiliar.

While massage and cupping can be used independently, some practitioners integrate both techniques in a session to provide a comprehensive and customised approach to their clients' needs. Additionally, combining these modalities may offer synergistic benefits, addressing both the superficial and deeper layers of soft tissues.
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