Soft Tissue Therapy

Improved soft tissue health and functioning for optimised physical performance

Why is Soft Tissue Therapy important for CrossFitters?

Soft tissue work provides excellent recovery assistance for CrossFitters of all ability levels. Getting
regular soft tissue work can assist in maintaining healthy muscles and joints, reducing soreness and
risk of injury whilst helping you get the most from your WODs.

Benefits of soft tissue therapy include:
– More efficient recovery through improved circulation and blood flow
– Helping to release muscle tightness and pain in joints
– Restoration and maintenance of joint range of motion
– Breaking down scar tissue and adhesion under the skin and
– Helping to restore balance and resolve impingements and restrictions

Soft tissue work features in almost every high level performance training regime because it can be
used to effectively resolve pain, enhance recovery, and improve athletic output. Adequate mobility
and flexibility facilitates all biomechanically sound movement patterns and positions.

What is Soft Tissue Therapy?
Soft tissue therapy includes manipulation (either manual or Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue
Manipulation (IASTM)) of tissues including muscle and fascia.

Techniques include:
– Myofascial release
– Tigger point release and
– Muscle activation assisted release

The best times for soft tissue work:
– Just before your rest day or active recovery day
– During your deload week
– Directly after your workout is fine

Booking soft tissue work around a competition:
– At least 3 days before the competition (ideally the day before your final training session
before competing)
– Directly after competing to expedite recovery and help ease muscle soreness

What to expect after soft tissue work:
– You should feel lighter, more fluid and more mobile/flexible
– You may be sore or tender or have small bruises for 24-48 hours

How to optimise the benefits:
– Do not train for at least 24 hours
– Drink adequate water (ideally with electrolytes) before and after your massage
– Doing yoga or a stretching session within 1-2 days is fantastic for encouraging retention of
the increased mobility and flexibility and improving lymphatic drainage
– A warm bath with Epsom or magnesium salts can reduce muscle tenderness
– An overnight sleep of at least 7 hours

Meet Cherie – Soft Tissue Therapist

Cherie has coached CrossFit since 2012 and has been delivering soft tissue work for CrossFitters
since 2014. After benefiting enormously from soft tissue work over the past 10 years, Cherie was
inspired to help others achieve better movement patterns and pain free movement, both inside and
outside of the box.

Cherie has assisted CrossFitters with:
– Identifying movement inefficiencies and areas for biomechanical improvement
– Resolving pain issues in knees, shoulders, necks, lower backs, hips, wrists etc.
– Restoring joint range of motion, enabling CrossFitters to achieve better positions including:
front rack and handstand positions, lifting overhead without pain, posture correction,
squatting to depth, hip-knee- ankle alignment, and improved power output
– Strategies to train around injuries and
– Accelerating recovery to enhance their training regime

Cherie has a wealth of knowledge about pre-hab/re- hab exercises and effective self-administered
fascia release, mobility and flexibility practices. Cherie is also networked with other practitioners
available to assist with other recovery and injury treatment modalities.

Additionally, Cherie has competed in powerlifting competitions with Powerlifting Australia (<63kg),
with her best gym lifts being 170kg deadlift and 120kg back squat.

Qualifications:
– CrossFit Level 1
– CrossFit Coach’s Prep Course (Level 2)
– CrossFit Strongman
– CrossFit Olympic Lifting
– CrossFit Gymnastics
– Cert IV in Massage Therapy
– Bachelor of Economics (UWA)

 

You can contact Cherie on 0400 921 836 or via hello@crossfitdignus.com.au

Pricing:
1 hour $85
1.5 hours $120

(sorry no health rebates at present)

Cat - CrossFitter

I had visited various sports massage therapists before and hadn't had a great experience, so was initially sceptic about the process. However, since beginning (and continuing) with Cherie, the change in my body has been amazing. I'm able to move better, recover faster, and all those niggles that were transforming into ongoing injuries were suddenly being treated proactively, and with an attention to detail that is unparalleled. Cherie goes above and beyond for anyone - her professionalism and expertise is reflected in her amazing results. As a crossfitter, I routinely put my body through high intensity and stressful movements, that stretches it to its limits. Further, my recovery protocols weren't great. Cherie has utilised all of her professional expertise and knowledge to transform my body to cope with movements in a functional manner, rather than slowly deteriorating into an injury, or having a body that is constantly fatigued. Cherie is about understanding movement and adjusting treatment to achieve the best outcome possible. As a result, I have set multiple PRs in the intervening months since beginning with her, including at my first RX competition. I cannot thank her enough.

Corinne - CrossFitter and Coach

"Cherie is so knowledgable in massage! I've come to her with a range of different niggles including tightness in my back, hips, legs and shoulders. Once Cherie has worked her magic, my range of motion is greater and I can move more freely. Also, I have much less pain in my back. She has helped me be able to do competitions pain free!! If I could, I'd see her every week! Highly recommend!!"

Michelle - CrossFitter

"I've been getting fortnightly massage sessions with Cherie for just over a year now and have found that my recovery times are faster and my mobility has increased substantially. Before I started to see Cherie I was struggling to squat to full depth and was experiencing tendonitis in my right shoulder when performing any overhead movements during CrossFit. Both of these issues have improved substantially with my regular visits to Cherie and I can thank her for my consistent progress throughout the year."

Jess - CrossFitter

I have been visiting Cherie fortnightly for 5 months, initially for injury prevention as my job became more manual. Before starting the sessions I was much more accepting of soreness from all the various activities I love to do including crossfit, swimming and yoga. Cherie has taught me about the importance of recovery and how to incorporate that in my training and make small adjustments in my work to avoid injury. The massage sessions release any tension that arises from training and other life stresses and I come away feeling much more relaxed and muscles released. Cherie is a wealth of knowledge on fitness, mobility, recovery and all the best coffee spots in Perth!! Thank you Cherie for all your great work!

Claire - CrossFitter, Coach and Yoga Instructor

I'm all about therapists knowing what they're doing. We put in a lot of work physically, training our bodies to be strong. Though, they also need to be put back together and tended to in only the most nourishing manner to prevent injury and optimise our performance. Cherie is a bundle of knowledge, super professional and has that magic touch. She will hunt down your inadequacy in terms of tightness, but she will also offer ways of managing a muscle imbalance or find a likely contributing factor that lead you to this pain, niggle or over-arching tightness. Having a deep understanding of the human body, and not just how to put it back together, but also how to bulletproof it from injury and heighten performance, I really cannot recommend Cherie and her service enough. Thank you for tending to my sensitive shoulder, my tight-ass calves & my greedy quads and helping me grow muscles where I had no muscles before.

Rebecca - Powerlifter and Coach

"I started getting weekly massage sessions with Cherie this year in preparation for a powerlifting competition. I had previously spent a few years sidelined with injuries and wanted to ensure I prioritised my recovery strategies. Since starting with Cherie, not only has my overall movement improved, my ability to recover from tough sessions has been amazing. I also hit some solid competition PRs that I can partly thank her magic hands for."