SPORTS MASSAGE THERAPY

What is Sports Massage?

The name Sports Massage defines an overall approach to massage therapy, rather than something that's exclusively for sportsmen and women.

Though it has been primarily designed to help improve performance and reduce pain and injury in sport, fitness and exercise, its results-driven approach makes it highly effective for people from all walks of life, particularly for anyone looking to improve flexibility, ease tight or painful muscles or combat postural or musculoskeletal pain – whether from an everyday injury or simply (and frequently) from spending long hours at a desk.

Sports Massage techniques can also be used to reduce the impact of previous injuries, and the resulting scar tissue or inelasticity that may be impacting on your body’s ability to heal or move properly.

What are the Benefits of Sports Massage?

There are several reasons why you would want to have a sports massage as there are many physical, neurological, physiological and psychological advantages which are outlined below:

Pain relief – Massage can reduce the feeling of pain throughout your muscles by releasing endorphins. These endorphins which are released due to this type of massage help towards decreasing anxiety, mood improvement and pain relief.

Ease of muscle tension/soreness – Throughout a session, heat is generated which allows the muscles to relax.

Reduction in anxiety – Through the release of endorphins in muscles through heat, overall relaxation is encouraged, thus reducing anxiety levels. Massage will also lower blood pressure and heart rate.

Invigoration – With a pre-event massage often involving faster paced movements and mobilisation, it can produce a feeling of invigoration which fights fatigue and readies an athlete for activity.

Increase in flexibility/strength and range of motion - Throughout a massage, the muscle tissue expands and stretches in different ways allowing for pressure to be released and a build up a swelling to be reabsorbed.

Prevent or relieve DOMS – Otherwise known as delayed onset of muscle soreness, is assisted by the enhancing blood flow delivering fresh oxygen to an area and encourages waste product removal from the muscles.

Increased blood flow – The circulation of blood is enhanced to the muscle area through massage, in a similar way to exercise. The main difference being that deep tissue massage causes your blood vessels to become wider, increasing the ability of nutrients to flow through.

Scar tissue break down – Previous injuries may result in the creation of scar tissue and can affect muscles and tendons. An increase in scar tissue can then lead to a higher risk of injury in that area, massage has the ability to break it down.

Easier recovery and prevention of injuries – Massage will enable someone to recover from activity quicker and regular massage can also help prevent injuries by keeping a person in optimum condition.