Remedial Therapy Testimonials

I contacted Denise on recommendation from a music professional.  I had suffered a shoulder injury and this was affecting my work as a professional guitarist.  I contacted Denise and booked in for treatment.  Denise met me in a lovely treatment environment.  She was a complete professional and made me feel totally at ease on my first session.  Her knowledge of anatomy is second to none and within moments she had found out my arm pain radiated from, in fact, my shoulder.  Denise was able work on it in a holistic manner by aligning my whole frame – this made sense.  Her movements were confident and she found areas of tension I didn’t know I had with almost a 6th sense.  This was my first of many treatments, I will be going back for more for sure. Denise is a warm kind person with an innate sense for her craft.  Her qualifications are exemplary but this isn’t just why she’s an excellent practitioner. She’s a natural at detecting and treating injuries that are not visibly obvious until she finds the root causes.  I would recommend her skill set to anyone looking for therapy and well-being.  She is a body master and she excels at her craft -book with confidence that you are receiving a top-class professional treatment from a first-class practitioner.

Suffering from arthritic knees, twisted ankles, a dislocated & broken thumb, hockey & cycling injuries…as well as wear & tear from other sports & poor posture from sitting in an office… Denise has always found ways to help my rehab & improve my body mechanics. I can’t thank her enough for helping me over the last 7+ years

I was suffering very badly from Sciatica but Denise was able to alleviate a lot of that pain and discomfort. Denise has great knowledge about how the body works and I’m so glad I found her. I would certainly recommend her and I will definitely call upon her services again. Thanks Denise, for today I can walk properly for a change.

I had been experiencing terrible neck and shoulder pain for a number of months which eventually resulted in chronic pain/daily muscle spasm and having to take two lots of pain killers four times a day just to get by with the pain.

I found Denise’s details online and booked in a consultation. In the space of a few weeks and two consultations my pain level was 1/10 and I was off of the pain killers.

Like lots of people working from home I had developed issues as a result of poor posture. Thanks to Denise’s treatment and great advice I am back in a position that I can now work on a rehabilitation and core strengthening exercise programme to ensure this does not occur in the future.

My advice is that a little prevention is better than a cure so if you have any niggles get them dealt with by Denise early and avoid a ‘crisis’ later!

Denise has been an absolute lifesaver!

She’s fixed my various sporting injuries over the years and understands body mechanics so well to provide holistic treatment.

Denise is by far one of the most professional and knowledgeable Sports Therapist I have known. If you book in to see her I can guarantee you will not be disappointed as her assessment and treatment protocols are first class.

Denise has the amazing ability to help people where others can’t. She treats what she finds intuitively and this process works exceptionally well for all of her patients as everybody improves, not just physically but psychologically and emotionally as well because she is very empathetic as well as a great listener. If you are struggling to find a therapist then please get in contact with Denise as I guarantee you will not be disappointed as she is a true professional.

I am an Osteopath and I often refer my own patients to Denise before they have a consultation with myself as she basically decides if I actually need to get involved in the process and most of the time my skills are not required because she has basically fixed them.

Denise has trained for many years and is qualified in a variety of disciplines of Sports therapy and Remedial Massage therapy so she is very experienced and a knowledgable practitioner.

Denise is truly unparalleled! She combines such a wide range of expert techniques and a deep understanding of the body and how it functions as a whole. In addition, her interest in you as a person and her gift in identifying the real root of problems (even ones you didn’t realise you had) make her seemingly miraculous in her abilities to remedy, strengthen and optimise your performance.

Dancing requires your body to be strong, powerful as well as limber, perfectly balanced and graceful. As a female ballroom dancer, we are required to create huge curves and shapes with our body, which sometimes looks like we are bending over backwards, while dancing backwards and spinning at high speed in — all in 3″ heels!

This puts huge and dangerous strains on the body if done incorrectly. In addition, learning to do all this correctly takes years of training — most dancers start aged 6 so their bodies are conditioned correctly during development. I started age 21, and Denise’s magic has helped to free my muscles so that I can learn to co-ordinate my body naturally from the start and prevent dangerous injuries. She has helped both me and my partner work at our full potential (and even improved his posture so he looks about 15kg lighter!) which has resulted in us achieving a huge amount in a very short space of time.

I first went to Denise for a sports massage as a one off with some general aches and pains – hoping to get some relief when my body was feeling really run down before a competition. That weekend, I dropped 2 seconds off my PB and since then have been going before every race.

Denise understands my body better than I do myself; often I come in with one part of my body in pain and she realizes that the cause is somewhere else I hadn’t even noticed. Denise allowed me to get the most out of my body, to be healthy and pain free.

When the swimming season was over and I was busy revising for my Exams, I started to get really bad headaches so i went to the Doctors and they said it was stress related, but something in my neck just didn’t feel right. I went to Denise for a session and she worked out it was all coming from my poor posture at my desk. Following a few sessions I was completely cured and able to work at my best.

Denise is professional and extremely knowledgeable in everything she does. Her full massage is by far the most relaxing massage I’ve had and travelling around the world I have tried a few. She knows exactly how to treat your ailments and does a fantastic job if you have any aches and pains. Denise is very approachable and discusses any issues you may have and treats you as an individual explaining exactly how she will treat you as you go on.

Doing a multi-disciplined sport your body is put under a great many physical demands, from impact sports to explosive movement, and in the running domain especially, I had numerous injuries and constant niggles.

Whilst at Oxford, Denise helped me to maintain a hard training regime through remedial sports massage, flexibility help and rehab exercise. During my final year at Oxford, Denise allowed me to maintain a higher level and intensity of run training than I had done in previous years at Oxford, and thus in the summer I ran ‘personal bests’. I was able to stay injury free and found the flexibility and core exercises a great help as I was able to train harder and longer, and this was a direct result of the therapy and advice I received from Denise

Rowing in the Boat Race for Oxford University requires quality recovery, not just effort in the gym. I tend to develop tightness in my legs, shoulders and back, which effects my performance and increases the chance of injury. After 13 years of rowing, I have seen dozens of massage therapists.

Denise is by far the best. During each visit, she was able to identify and fix my concern. I was amazed at her level of knowledge and ability to identify ailments by touch alone. She understands the body holistically – how the body’s movements are linked together – and fixes muscles in the body, which at first seemed unrelated.

Denise is incredibly professional and a lot of fun. Since working with her my rowing performance is better than ever

Denise’s sports massage treatments helped my training for a rowing marathon. Because Denise was able to release knots and tension in my muscles and give me exercises to strengthen my core, I was able to train much harder without suffering an injury. In my rowing marathon I attained a personal best time and finished as second fastest female sculler.  A few weeks later I completed a hat trick of wins at Wallingford Long Distance Sculls, Weybridge Silver Sculls and Marlow Long Distance Sculls, establishing a new course record for the women’s veteran B event at Wallingford.

The pinnacle of my racing season came at the international endurance regatta in Turin, where I achieved a bronze medal in the women’s masters B event at the Trofeo Silver Skiff.

Beth – No 848

After a large block of training, there is inevitably going to be some fatigue in the body. Therefore, when I come to Denise she aids recovery by flushing out areas of tightness and stress. Alongside this, doing MET work also improves flexibility allowing me to have a lengthened and more relaxed stride and style. This then allows me to be able to perform at my best at competitions where the good work of training has been able to settle in.

Sports Massage Therapy with Denise has been an integral part of my training programme for more than 12 months. Training for Ironman distance triathlon is a demanding regime and sports massage with Denise has been essential component in my programme. It helps me recover from long and demanding training sessions, helps keep injury at bay and keeps me loose and supple. I recommend Denise to anyone pushing their body to the limit!

My training consists of a lot of power and sprint work, and it is essential that I recover as best I can between sessions, whilst remaining supple and flexible. This year, when I pulled a hamstring in the middle of the season, I started regular sports massage sessions with Denise.

I am convinced that her expert approach and knowledge sped my recovery and significantly benefited me during my subsequent escalation in training intensity, allowing me to reach peak condition for the World Ultimate Club Championships in Prague. As a result I intend to build regular sports massage sessions into my training regime this coming season.

Ms Denise Thomas, in the capacity of a sports/remedial massage therapist had already helped me recover successfully from injuries sustained from a motorbike accident when I went to see her to help me with work related stress. At the time of this particular treatment I was suffering from very bad IBS, insomnia, joint pain, muscular spasm, and stress. Due to my condition being chronic, following the first treatment I experienced a massive healing crisis that made me really sick and emotional, so I stayed home for a couple of days, as Denise had already advised this may happen.

Denise was available on the phone for further advice about how to help my symptoms the day after therapy, and give emotional support. It took only a couple of days for me to feel a real difference, and after just a few treatments I was feeling so much better. My joint and muscle pain subsided, my stress reduced, I started sleeping better, and amazingly my IBS started giving me a break. It has been a great relief for me, and in the event of need I would not hesitate to ask Denise for likewise help again.

As a multisport/endurance athlete your body is placed under a huge amount of different stresses and demands, and so injury prevention and treatment is a major aspect of day to day management. It is a running joke amongst my friends how injury prone I am, and Denise has been an absolute life saver in keeping me fit and competition ready. I’ve been competing in a variety of disciplines for over ten years and have seen more sports injury therapists than I can remember, and Denise is in a different league to all others! Through regular massage, new core and stabilisation exercises that she has added to my training and specific injury treatment and rehabilitation, I’ve been able to train harder and been more successful than ever.

Denise’s holistic and in depth understanding of the body is incredible and she has often identified issues which I wasn’t even aware of just by touch, enabling us to adapt my training before they became full blown injuries. Her experience in a wide range of sports is unparalleled – she has kept me on the road for marathons, helped ease recurring rib fractures and disc problems sustained through rowing, helped me take seconds off my swim times and got me back into the gym after bike crashes and riding accidents, to mention just a few.

Her personal experience as a rider has also been an incredible asset – she has come to watch me ride and seen things my instructor hasn’t which have enabled me to make great improvements, both in terms of enhancing my riding and my horses way of going. Denise is a great listener, as well as an incredibly approachable and professional therapist who is deeply committed to all the athletes she treats. I could not achieve half of what I do without her!

Denise has been my remedial massage therapist for nearly a year now. Having had several operations across both shoulders, my rugby career should have been over. I suffered from aching joints, impingement pain, a lack of mobility and a lack of strength, due to stiffness and tightness as a result of the operations. I thought my playing days were limited, if not over, and was on the lookout for some help to enable me to train at a level suitable for the Varsity match. After a few sessions with Denise, I felt vast improvements in the range of motion and as a consequence, an increase in strength and power, not to mention a huge reduction in the amount of impingement pain and aches across my shoulders and back. Denise’s magic hands enabled me to train and perform once again at a high level in sport, and contributed to my ability and confidence on the pitch.

As I look forward to preparing for another Varsity season, one thing is for sure: that Denise is fundamental in my personal training plan to be ready to play rugby at a high level again. I cannot recommend her highly enough – her knowledge of the body and application of the practice is outstanding!

Thanks for all your help, I look forward to working with you through 2012

Oxford University Rugby Football Club Blues team win 2011 varsity Rugby match at Twickenham

Denise treated me using deep tissue and sports massage while i played rugby. She was able to work at depths previously unknown to me, which was matched by her acute understanding of physiology and the specific needs of me her client. If i still lived in the area i would seek her services on a regular basis for bodily health. I highly recommend her for anyone, but especially for sports people.

Tara Miller (centre)

I went to Dee after she was recommended by someone from the CLEAR Unit (mainly for brain injury) at Oxford Brookes University. i had a brain hemorrhage in 06, I’ve been left with so many problems, including walking and some joint stiffness. I did Race for Life this year with help of many and the help of Dee. Thank you very much for your help xxxx

Dear Denise

It’s Joel Howley the water skier, I have recently returned home to Australia so I thought I would write you message.

Despite coming to you with a rib injury that had been getting progressively worse for 12 months you managed to get me back on the water in just two weeks!!

I returned to the USA to continue with the Pro Tour and broke the Australian record for slalom Waterskiing at my very next tournament.

None of the medical professionals I saw in the USA could relieve my pain and you fixed me in two weeks. I would not have continued skiing without your treatments.

Thank you, thank you, thank you… I have now signed with Connelly Waterskis and I am begging my career as a professional waterskier injury free.

Thanks again…

I have been having sports massages with Denise for almost 7 years. She is by far the best therapist in Oxford. Denise’s extensive knowledge and experience combined with the variety of treatments she can offer make her a therapist who has successfully treated many of my injuries over the years. As a client of Denise’s, I also appreciate her supportive, caring and kind approach. Knowing Denise has my best interests at heart is an important part of trusting in her as a therapist.

I have greatly benefited from Denise’s ability to apply the technique she believes appropriate when treating my occasional shoulder pain as well as a long-standing issue I have had with my ankles.

Denise instinctively knows how much pressure to apply to my body and never leaves my body sore, which is very important to allow me to return to my triathlon training.

As a Personal Trainer, I have no hesitation recommending Denise to my clients as I believe she has the knowledge, experience and personality to make my clients feel very comfortable.

In 2016 during the build up to the Triathlon World Championships I saw Denise regularly, almost weekly so she could help me to prevent any niggles becoming injuries and to keep my body moving well during a period of hard training. A large part of successfully getting to the start line without any issues was having Denise as part of my therapy team and I feel extremely grateful and thankful to be able to have treatments with her.

Denise has been treating me for a number of years both as an athlete and now as an international weightlifter. Denise’s approach to sports therapy is holistic, thorough and methodical. She has got to know me as a sportsman and exactly how my bodies physiology works within the context of weightlifting, both competitions and training.

Denise is a sports therapist who I have complete trust in to ensure that my musculoskeletal system is able to perform at its highest level when called upon. Next year, the aim is to win the British Masters 85kg weightlifting title and then to medal at the European Weightlifting Masters in Budapest (June) and then the World Weightlifting Masters in Barcelona (August).

Denise is absolutely, crucial, to any future weightlifting successes and her regular input into my training program, injury prevention and physical wellbeing is imperative, short, medium and long term. Denise keeps completely up to date with any advances in current practices and as such, always provides me with the highest quality treatment.

I came to Denise in a lot of pain with damaged tendons in my wrist. Denise takes a holistic approach so she doesn’t just work on the area of pain but looks at your whole alignment. I felt a marked improvement after my first session. Denise has a natural talent and I would recommend her to anyone. She has also helped my 15 year old stepson with sporting injuries from American football. Such a lovely lady and just brilliant at what she does.

I have had back problems all my adult life since age 18. Now age 56 and have a degenerative scoliosis and had a recent spinal fusion. I have seen many many therapists over the years including chiropractors, acupuncturists, physios, osteopaths etc etc and Denise is the best. She is innovative, confidence-building, sensitive, but above all, is a superb soft-tissue therapist. Cannot recommend her highly enough.

I have been to a number of therapists and medical professionals of various backgrounds and qualifications, but Denise is the only one who consistently resolves my occasional wonkiness and tight back problems. I highly recommend her!

Denise has helped me manage my pain for a very long time. Her knowledge, compassion and frank nature have made the treatments enjoyable as well as therapeutic. I highly recommend her and look forward to continued treatments in the near future.

I suffer from severe tennis elbow from time to time, and rather than see the doctor for steroid injections like I had done in the past, this time I went to see Denise. Denise used a combination of massage, acupunture and kinetic tape and I was amazed at the results. Would highly recommend.

I go to Denise for all my aches and pains, more from an equestrian perspective and wouldn’t use anyone else. She is thorough and is honest if she thinks I do need to come back to have more work done. Lovely lady, who takes her time making sure you walk out feeling better!

Dee is a fantastic therapist! I’ve worked closely with her over my career in international sport for many years. I highly recommend her to all levels of athlete from community to elite!

I have a back problem and sciatica which was treated by Denise Thomas which was a great help, I would certainly recommend for any muscular skeletal problem as Denise is very professional and competent in her treatments. Thank you Denise!!

Over many years Denise has done a great job in solving the innumerable niggling injuries of an aging triathlete and long distance cyclist. Highly recommended.

Denise’s skill & expertise in her field is quite simply superb. Have had a number of other practitioners work on my neck & shoulder but no one comes close in terms of real results. I can’t recommend her highly enough!

Denise has worked wonders to manage my back and neck pain which I have suffered from for years. I started seeing Denise after years of unsuccessful chiropractic treatment. After the first appointment it was quickly identified that the cause of my pain was from soft tissue and muscles damage rather than my skeleton. Due to a physical job I now see Denise on a regular basis to keep me moving freely and without pain. I have recommended Denise to many friends and they have all been successfully treated for their aches and pains.

Denise has helped me so much: all the more impressive since I had continued to have some problems even after seeing other physios. She really listens and approached my particular issues with a great deal of thought in order to work out exactly what was needed – which, I have discovered, is not always the case. I am extremely grateful to her and would highly recommend her for even the most difficult of cases.