What is Sports Massage?
While Sports Massage may have been developed to prepare athletes for optimal sporting performance, like all types of massage it is for everyone. Sports Massage is used to treat and rehabilitate the soft tissues of the body including the muscle, tendons, ligaments and fascia.
Sports Massage tends to focus on a particular problem area and the surrounding tissues, be it low back, shoulders or neck, rather than being a full body massage. It involves many techniques including deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, soft tissue release, stretching, frictions and Myofascial Release.
Treatments may also involve assessment, muscle testing and range of movement testing – the treatment may not consist entirely of massage.
What can Sports Massage be used for?
Sports Massage can be used to treat numerous conditions including sports injuries, occupational injuries, postural problems and stress conditions:
- muscle strain and tight muscles
- restricted range of movement
- chronic pain
- lower back pain/sciatica
- neck pain/headaches
- frozen shoulder
- Repetitive Strain Injury
- shin splints
- achilles tendonitis
- knee pain/tracking problems
- tennis/Golfer’s elbow
- carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- rotator cuff injuries
What are the benefits of Sports Massage?
Sports Massage can provide many benefits to muscle and soft tissue including:
- relieving pain and muscle tension
- improve flexibility of muscles and range of motion
- reducing scar tissue and reducing swelling.
- Sports Massage can relieve tension and anxiety and result in greater energy and a positive attitude due to being relaxed and pain-free.
Who is Sports Massage good for?
Sports Massage is for everybody, not just athletes, people in physically demanding jobs, people who sit at a computer all day and people running around after children can all benefit from this treatment. Occupational, emotional and postural stresses produce many similar conditions to sports injuries and can be treated in the same way.
