Boden Palmer

Remedial Massage and Rock Climbing

I love rock climbing. I’ve been climbing since I was 6 and have run into a lot of injuries along the way. One of the things I found most helpful for my own recovery was remedial massage. Tight forearms, shoulders, and back muscles, as well as stiff joints are all part of climbing. Getting regular massage work really helped me train as hard and often as possible. This then led me to manual therapy, specifically remedial massage. I studied at Endeavour College and found that the program there was more comprehensive than other massage schools. It also gave me the chance to study and work alongside nutritionists and Myotherapists. There was a big focus on biomechanics and evidence-based practice, which really shows in my treatments today.

What is your style of massage?

Obviously, I’m quite biased towards sports massage. This isn’t to say it’s always going to be really firm and painful, but I will always try to push and get more out of treatments. With specific issues, I might focus on fewer areas, making sure the tissues I’m working on respond and relax before moving on. This is an issue I found with many remedial massage therapists. The treatments weren’t tailored to my issues, and it felt like they were just going through the motions of a full-body session. When it comes to pain in general, often less is more. This isn’t to say I won’t do a more relaxed massage, instead I try to tailor each treatment to what you and your body tell me.

Who are your favourite patients?

Obviously, I love working with athletes. Remedial massage can really mean the difference between being able to perform at your best and recover from injuries faster. However, I also have a special interest in patients suffering from chronic pain. Long standing injuries or working long hours can often lead to neck, back and joint pain. Being able to help people who have been in pain for years is really satisfying as a therapist. Remedial massage is often overlooked in this arena, and I find that people are often quite surprised at how helpful it can be. Helping an athlete achieve their goals is awesome, but making huge changes in someone’s life and comfort is special 🙂

What to expect?

After filling out our comprehensive intake form, we’ll have a good chat about what you’re after before we jump in. However, if you’re just looking to get stuck straight in with no real issue in mind, we can do that too 🙂 it all depends on what you need. With acute problems, I’ll check in regularly to find the worst points of tension to work with you. This also comes down to the length of your session. I find that 45 minutes to an hour is more than enough time to get stuck into any problems you might be facing. However, if you’re experiencing a lot of pain and stiffness, we have our 90-minute option. Again, we’ll assess, figure out what you need, and work together to give you some relief.

How often do I need massage?

Really, it’s up to you. If you’re in an intense block of training or hectic work schedule, weekly or fortnightly sessions can be really helpful. This is really the case with athletes. When you’re training, it’s always good to regularly spend time with a manual therapist, particularly one who understands injuries. While we’re in our session, I’ll ask questions about your training and how things are going in general. Using my own personal training and injury experiences, combined with my training at Endeavour, we might be able to spot potential injuries before they happen. Alternatively, if you’re just looking to keep the usual niggles at bay, generally I get people back once a month. This kind of regular check in can keep muscles, fascia and connective tissue functioning the way they’re supposed to, whilst addressing any postural issues you might be having at work or home.

Techniques and therapies used in clinic may include:

• Remedial massage
• Sports massage
• Pregnancy massage
• Trigger point therapy
• Relaxation massage
• Myofascial release
• Stretching

Boden has worked for many years at MyoMotion in New Farm and still does! We’re so happy to have him here at Rock Therapy so he can impart his years of experience within rock climbing both in working on projects, as well as working on climbers injuries!

If you’re still unsure of whether Bo is the right person to help with your issues, feel free to contact us here and we’ll be in touch so you can make the best decision possible 🙂

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