Emma overcomes the odds

AN international sportswoman from Warrington has overcome the odds to win a top field archery title.
Emma Shadwell, 32, from Paddington, has overcome persistent pain to be crowned the Scottish Ladies American Flatbow champion after defeating her rivals in a two-day competition in Dumfriesshire. She minimised pain in her back and shoulder with Bowen Treatment at Cheshire Natural Health in Stretton, Warrington, where she works as a receptionist.
“I was delighted to win as I’ve been fighting back from injury. Field archery is an extremely punishing sport and as I have been competing for 19 years, my body has really taken the brunt of all the long training sessions.”
“Field archery is such a precision sport where concentration is vital to performance. Worrying about a painful shoulder or back can easily upset an athlete’s balance.”
“I became aware that I wasn’t comfortable when I was shooting as I was trying to compensate my aching back by leaning which is not a good idea when you are supposed to be using your back muscles to shoot the bow,” says Emma.
At one point, Emma, who was Compound Ltd Ladies World Champion in 2000, says: “I had heard a little about the Bowen Therapy and hoped it would help me to continue competing at international level.”
The Bowen therapist relieves tension by using his/her fingers and thumbs to make a series of precise, rolling-type moves over muscles, tendons and ligaments on specific sites on the body, Emma was treated by Cheshire Natural Health’s Bowen practitioner, Sheila Hind. She treated Emma’s lower back pain and tightness in her hip and back of the left leg, which meant she suffered cramp in her leg.
Sheila also worked on Emma’s jaw which was clicking. Emma had experienced jaw problems for many years, but put it down to grinding her teeth.
Sheila says: “The Bowen treatment is particularly good for sports ailments because it offers a whole body treatment and can focus on areas of any pain or tension. Emma responded well to the treatment and she felt a marked improvement almost immediately after receiving the first treatment.
“An added bonus of the treatment to Emma was the improvement to her sluggish digestive system. Emma told me that following the two day competition she had no back or shoulder pain which she would normally have experienced before the Bowen treatment.
“I recommend sports people have a Bowen treatment a few days before competing as this can help improve performance and limits the impact of any injuries sustained. We get our car serviced regularly to ensure good performance; why not do the same with the tuned and toned body of the athlete or sports person?”
Emma will be taking part in two more national championships in the next fortnight.
For more information on the Bowen Treatment, please contact Cheshire Natural Health on 01925 730123 or visit www.cheshirenaturalhealth.co.uk