‘Christian got me in shape'

5:05pm Sunday 31st August 2008

A Bradford sports therapist has science to thank after he welcomed a star visitor through the doors of his clinic.

Birkenshaw man Christian Platts claims to be one of few therapists in the country to be practising an advanced posture-straightening technique known as Myofascial Release.

His methods are demonstrated online and word spread to model and TV presenter Melinda Messenger, who strolled into City Therapy in Manchester ahead of her latest lingerie shoot.

Christian, a former pupil at East Bierley and Birkenshaw middle schools, swapped studying English and French at Bradford University to join therapy company Active Health Group.

He opened a branch in Cheapside Chambers, Bradford, eight years ago before relocating to Manchester.

He said: “She was in town for a while filming for Bingo Night Live for ITV and had a lot of time free during the day. She said she had a lot of work lined up and she had a few issues with her posture and had looked me up.”

The mother of three visited Christian a number of times for treatments to restructure slight imbalances in her posture ahead of her first lingerie shoot in eight years for Ultimo.

She said: “Christian’s work really got me in shape and gave me a confidence in my body, and without him I wouldn’t have got these results.”

Christian’s technique is not that common in the UK, but is popular in the USA and Australia. Myofascial Release is said to date back to the 1940s, when John F Kennedy had treatments on his hip.

Christian explained that ‘fascia’ is the body’s natural defence system. It lies beneath the skin and surrounds every muscle and organ, connecting the whole body together like a sheath.

Made up of collagen and elastin, fascia creates our body’s form and can cause the body to realign as a result of physical trauma, repetitive stress or dehydration, causing pain and muscle problems.

Christian claims the method can improve the overall well-being and health of his clients.

Christian and his business partner, Richard Johnson, run the only UK accredited Diploma course in Myofascial Release.