Sports and Remedial Massage is not just for athletes!

Sports massage was developed to help improve sports performance by adding remedial techniques to a massage treatment to improve the body’s movement and deal with injuries and postural problems. These are often caused by the repetitive movements in most sports, but can just as easily occur through bad posture at the computer, manual work or playing an instrument.

Most people will benefit from sports massage as the deep work into the body’s soft tissue will stimulate the muscular and nervous systems rather than just offering the relaxation of a holistic massage. Physiotherapy techniques such as advanced stretching are used to increase range of movement, break down scar tissue and enhance blood flow to muscles and soft tissue.

How can Sports & Remedial Massage help me?

For athletes ……… If you are an athlete or sportsperson you are likely to stress your body by frequent training and competitions. Rest days, stretching and good nutrition will help the body recover but sometimes more is needed. Sports massage will aid circulation removing waste products from tired muscles and will stretch out muscles that have become tight from repeated use.
Many athletes use regular sports massage to help maintain optimal athletic performance. Sports massage is also an effective way of detecting minor soft tissue problems & dealing with them before a more serious injury occurs. It can be adapted to enhance pre-event preparation and warm-up, to offer assistance during an event and to aid recovery post-event.

For others……… Repetitive soft tissue problems commonly called repetitive strain injuries (RSI) can affect anyone.  A common example is the person who uses the computer for hours and ends up suffering back and neck ache, possibly pain in their wrists and a sore shoulder from moving the mouse. Or the gardener who has dug over the vegetable plot and has an aching hip and sciatic symptoms in his leg. Sports massage is just as effective with relieving pain and correcting muscular stress and imbalance caused by everyday activities.

After  surgery……. Another condition where we have had great success is recovering movement in a joint or limb after surgery. Usually an operation to repair a joint or compound fracture requires immobilisation resulting in muscle weakness and stiffness. Sports massage can assist by breaking up scar tissue and stretching shortened muscles. Weak muscles can be stimulated and strengthened, and the patient will be asked to do simple exercises to help their own recovery.