Sports Massage

There are many examples of massage:

• Swedish (Body) is an all over massage used to stimulate and relax the body.
• Thai uses stretching and pressure to manipulate the muscles of the body.
• Shiatsu uses soft tissue manipulation and stretching aimed at acupressure points
• Acupressure applied pressure on specific points where there is pain.
• Remedial uses basic Sports Massage techniques to coax the body’s muscles into optimum performance.
• Sports: is a specific massage treatment to prepare and repair for ultimate fitness. It includes:

Pre-event: a quick and vigorous light massage used to increase the heart rate, body temperature and stimulate the nervous system. Prevents muscle and tendon injuries. The goals are to improve circulation, flexibility and to improve mental clarity of the athlete therefore old injuries found in the tissue are never discussed

Post-event: a deeper massage using many techniques to relax the athlete and remove any lactic acid from the muscles, reducing strain and discomfort. This enables the athlete to recover quicker providing a physiological boost which enhances performance.

The Sports Massage Association (SMA) defines Sports Massage as the management, manipulation and rehabilitation of soft tissues of the body including muscles, ligaments and tendons. The techniques used by sports massage practitioners have been developed to ensure effective and efficient results are gained from each massage given. The reported benefits of Sports Massage include:

• Improve circulation & lymphatic flow
• Assist in the removal of metabolic waste
• Sedate or stimulate nerve endings
• Increase or decrease muscle tone
• Increase or decrease muscle length
• Remodel scar tissue when required
• Assist in mental preparation for sporting participation

Sports Massage Therapists will have all the relevant skills to provide sports massage in all environments, this includes working with professional or amateur athletes but in addition, treating general clients with injuries, chronic pain or restricted range of motion. 

For more information about Sports Masage, visit the Sport Massage Association