Sports Massage in Singapore for the active lifestyle and deskbound

Alleviate muscle tightness, runners knee, lower back pain and more with FHYSIO

Making myself comfortable ahead of my fortnightly massage therapy sessions at FHYSIO.

Whether you are an athlete, an active person, or just someone who is starting to feel the effects of working long hours from home in front of your laptop, we have all at some point experienced the discomfort and pain of muscle tightness and soreness.

As someone who has led an active lifestyle all my life, the latest tightening of Safe Management Measures in Singapore due to Covid-19 also meant I started spending more time in front of my desk working from home.

This has resulted in new areas of muscle tightness than my usual - with my shoulders and neck now becoming new additions to the muscle soreness family.

My first visit to FHYSIO in February this year, with Joe (left) and Shaun (right).

Benefits of Sports Massage Therapy for Athletes and Runners

I therefore consider myself lucky to have been on an ongoing journey with FHYSIO as part of my rehabilitation efforts.

What I have come to realise over the seven sessions I've had so far, is that not only does regular sports massage therapy allow me to increase my range of motion (it is still not yet 100 percent of course), it has also sped up my recovery the day after my workouts.

This combined with regular rolling and stretching before and after my runs and workouts has seen me in better shape when I hit my weekly runs or the gym at Grityard, compared to how I was the past couple of years.

Shaun Toh, Lead Physiotherapist at FHYSIO, helps to answer questions from my Instagram followers in this Q&A session.

Favourite Massage Technique

"Whether your muscles are tight because of active shortening or positional shortening (from sitting too long), STR is supposed to help individuals suffering from tightness, localising a stretch to specific areas of tightness."

Apart from limbering up and loosening my tight hamstrings, glutes, calves and IT bands - the added knowledge from speaking with professionals have also helped me in reducing the risks getting new injuries.

Different Types of Massage Techniques and their uses

Some of my personal favourite massage techniques include short tissue release (STR), trigger point therapy, and heat therapy.

Short Tissue Release is particularly effective on me as it helped to stretch and lengthen my soft tissue: muscles and tendons, particularly as I sometimes have poor habits of not stretching sufficiently after my workouts.

Massage therapist Joe assisting to release the tightness in my calf muscles at one of my sessions at FHYSIO.

Whether your muscles are tight because of active shortening or positional shortening (from sitting too long), STR is supposed to help individuals suffering from tightness, localising a stretch to specific areas of tightness.

The two therapists I have had the benefit of working with are Joe and Sally - with contrasting approaches and uniquely different styles, adding to the versatility and range of massage techniques on offer at FHYSIO.

Posing at the front desk after my first session at FHYSIO, Delphi Orchard.

Joe's style is somewhat more soothing and gentle, so if you've just had a hard day of training and want something that is more relaxing and less painful, he would be a great choice.

While Sally's is different and bit more painful, they have been perfect for me in recent times - targeting the deep tissues of my aching muscles, even some of the ones that I didn't even realise I was tight in!

You should also check out some of the questions asked on Instagram from my recent Q&A session on this topic - where I managed to get Shaun, Lead Physiotherapist of FHYSIO to answer them!

Safe distancing and other Safe Management Measures being practised at FHYSIO, as part of keeping their customers safe.

Updates on my Personal Journey with FHYSIO

At the point of writing this blog entry, I am about 3 months into my journey with FHYSIO, as part of my pain management and rehabilitation efforts from old sports injuries I first picked up while I was a footballer.

These include rupturing my deltoid ligaments, a fractured fibula and dislocation (right ankle) in 2007, torn hamstrings (left and right) 2010, 2013 and a partial tear to my MCL in 2016.

All these have left me with having a very limited range of motion in the present day whenever I do my workouts. This indirectly translates to me not being able to lift heavy weights and many weighted workouts (including dead lifts) for fear of causing new injuries to arise - particularly for my lower back.

There are three types of massage therapy sessions available: Functional, Hala (håla) and Ya (压).

So where exactly is FHYSIO and what services do they offer?

Squirreled away on the second floor of Delfi Orchard, I find that FHYSIO offers both the feeling of cosiness amidst what is normally a bustling district, as well as the convenience of being right in the heart of town - easy to reach regardless of which part of Singapore you are living in.

And while my staple has been the massage therapy service, FHYSIO also offers a suite of other services that include physiotherapy, sports massage courses (which are fully booked at present!) - making it a holistic approach to wellness and pain management.

They have a spacious venue, which includes many rehabilitative equipment that is used in helping athletes and active individuals get back on their feet on the road to recovery after injury.

FHYSIO has a range of rehabilitative equipment to aid in the recovery of active individuals and athletes, on the road back to full fitness.

Professional, Clean and Safe

At a time where public health is of great concern, it's also signficant to note that I have found FHYSIO to be incredibly professional in upkeeping its safe management measures.

All equipment are regular cleaned and sanitised, towels and linens are all single use only, therapists regularly wash their hands, and masks are worn by staff at all times.

These may not mean as much to some, but I've found that it's usually in the little things that the values of a brand or company are most pronounced, and also cannot be hidden.

FHYSIO staff and therapists regularly wash their hands, and sanitise all equipent, while keeping to a one use only policy for their linens.

Personal Recommendation

All in all, I've had a fantastic experience with FHYSIO, and I would highly recommend it to my peers - fellow athletes and those leading an active lifestyle.

And even if you don't consider yourself super active, but are having muscle aches from slouching over your digital device a tad too much, this is a great place to consider to alleviate your pain.

FHYSIO is located at Delfi Orchard, 402 Orchard Rd, #02-01/02, 238876.

If you are interested to trying out a session at FHYSIO, remember to mention 'JOHNYEONG' to enjoy 45% OFF your first massage therapy session. You can make a booking here.