Bowen therapy and sports

Earlier in the month, we looked at the benefits of Bowen therapy. Today, we’re speaking to therapist Soaz Nedelec, as we take a closer look at Bowen therapy and how effective it can be for sports recovery and progress.

Hi Soaz, can you remind us what Bowen therapy is?

The Bowen Therapy, named after the Australian Tom Bowen, is a manual and remedial therapy. It aims to help resolve physical problems that people may encounter in life, with the sole use of hands, knowledge of the human body and experience – much like an osteopath or chiropractor.

What should clients expect in a standard session?

Bowen therapy focuses on the state of the soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia etc.) and strives to ensure that tissues are fully functional. To that effect, a typical session will start with a full body assessment. This will use a range of skills that the therapist will have developed, followed by targeted input with a view to correct and improve the state any soft tissue previously identified as being dysfunctional and the primary cause of the presenting symptoms (for example, any pain, aches, joint pain and/or loss of mobility or metabolic dysfunctions).

So, how is Bowen therapy effective in sports? Is it only a treatment for injury, or are there more benefits?

In sports, athletes use soft tissues like muscles, tendons and ligaments at a rate that is far greater than the average person, making the Bowen Therapy a particularly beneficial tool to have in their care package.

As a preventative measure, regular Bowen treatments will ensure that soft tissues remain in their best possible functioning state, thus reducing the risk of tears (often caused by strain and/or imbalances at work in the body).

Performance wise, a Bowen treatment will always aim to achieve balance in the body, which will, in turn, enable the various structures to function at their peak, without any added strain. This would, as an example, allow muscles, tendons or ligaments to function without any hindrance, and so potentially boost the athlete’s performance.

Thirdly, Bowen can be an invaluable tool when facing an injury, be it traumatic or strain induced. Both will cause soft tissue damage and put the body in a state of stress-response - two issues that Bowen is not only well-equipped to address, but also very effective at resolving, bringing down the healing and recovery time to sometimes impressively significantly shorter periods of time.

You can use our search tool to find a Bowen therapist in your area.

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The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Therapy Directory are reviewed by our editorial team.

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Written by Ellen Lees
Head of Content.
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