Sports Massage (Soft Tissue Recovery)
Sports massage is a type of massage that manipulates the soft tissues of a person who engages in regular physical activity.
About Soft Tissue
Soft tissue is a connective tissue that is not “hardened” into bones and cartilage. Soft tissues include skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia (a form of connective tissue that surrounds and warms other soft tissues).
Purpose and Benefits
Sports massage is designed to help correct soft tissue problems and imbalances that are caused by repetitive and strenuous physical activity or trauma. Applying sports massage, before and after exercise, can increase performance, aid recovery, and prevent injury. Unlike a classic massage, which is more casual and even relaxing, sports massage has a much more aggressive approach, acts more stimulating and active. A sports massage therapist aims to improve the patient’s muscle tone so that they can be more flexible and stable after the massage.
How Sports Massage Works
When visiting a sports massage, the massage therapist concentrates on a specific problem area that you show them and is usually related to some kind of sports activity. The most important thing about sports massage is to choose an experienced massage therapist who is an expert in a wide range of techniques and knows how to use them.
Many different movements and techniques are used in sports massage, including Swedish style massage, compression, friction, rhythmic tapping, gliding, and stretching. These movements and techniques are used to help the athlete’s body achieve maximum performance and physical conditioning with a reduced chance of injury or pain. In the case of trauma, the goal is to improve and accelerate recovery.
The Body Benefits of Practicing Sports Massage
The practice itself is widespread and based on people’s experiences, it is possible to draw conclusions about its benefits. Some of the benefits are psychological, and some are physiological. In both cases, the positive effects of sports massage can be a combination of:
- Increased capacity or range of motion (ROM)
- Increased flexibility during exercise or movement
- A sense of well-being
- Reduced muscle tension
- Decreased neurological excitability
- Less muscle spasms.
Is Sports Massage for You?
Sports massage is a good therapeutic method if you have a specific problem, for example, an injured knee or a stretched tendon. It’s also a good idea to see a physical therapist who can help you identify and correct the source of the pain.
Through sports massage, athletes can prepare their bodies for optimal performance, recover after a serious competition, or improve their capacity during training. However, you don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from sports massage. It emphasizes the prevention and treatment of muscle and tendon injuries and can benefit people with trauma, chronic pain, or limited range of motion.
Sports massage is usually deeper than a classic massage. Squeezing in sports massage appears as a very important concept that gives the appearance of sports massage. It represents deep stroking, straight rubbing, and smudging, always carried out along the course of the lymphatic and venous blood flow. It must be used after smudging – the idea is to eliminate fatigue products.
The vibrations in sports massage are of high amplitude and low frequency. The movements, whether they are active or passive, which are applied in the sports massage, are an integral part of it and are given as the end of the massage. If the client needs and wishes, at the end of the procedure, Mass Massage specialists could add postisometric relaxation (PIR) techniques.
Treatments
Your first treatment includes:
- An initial consultation
- A treatment plan
- A free 15 mins assessment
- A 45 mins treatment
Total 60 mins £68
Your follow-up sessions can be 45, 60 or 90 mins.
How To Book
This therapy is available for bookings only over the phone. Please call 01273 911500 to book your session.