Sports massage should play an important part in the life of any sportsman or woman whether they are injured or not. Massage is essential for optimum treatment of certain injuries and is excellent for helping prevent sports injuries

Sports massage FAQ

What can massage do for me?

1. Massage maintains the body in generally better condition.
2. Massage helps prevent injury and loss of mobility.
3. Massage helps restore mobility to injured muscle tissue.
4. Massage may boost performance. Some have claimed massage could be as effective as taking anabolic steroids!
5. Massage is excellent for reducing back pain and general relaxation.
6. Massage may extend the overall life of your sporting career.

How is sports massage different from other types of therapeutic massage?

• The basic techniques in sports massage can be the same as the basic techniques in any other forms of therapeutic massage.
• In sports massage the therapist may apply the techniques more firmly and deeper than a general massage therapist might.
• The sports massage therapist may also make more use for frictioning techniques which involves applying deep pressure to tissues repeatedly to break down adhesions (sticky bits on tendons) and soften scar tissue.
• Some sports massage techniques are designed to reduce an injury back to its acute stage in order to trigger the bodies natural healing response.

Does sports massage therapy hurt?

• Some forms of massage are very superficial. The term 'skin polisher' has been known to be used. A superficial massage can be very relaxing, particularly when applied with aromatherapy oils.
• A sports massage needs to be applied deeper to manipulate muscle tissue more effectively. This can induce a deeper relaxation although at the time some techniques (not all) may border on the uncomfortable.
• However, the important point is massage should not be so painful that it causes the patient to tighten up or tense with pain. Some techniques need to be applied deeply (requiring a therapist with strong thumbs) but not so deep that the muscles tense up. This is pointless and of little benefit as the therapist is working against the body not with the body.

How do I know sports massage is safe?

Before having a massage (or giving a massage) your therapist should check to see if the client has and contraindications. A contraindication is simply somethat the means you should not be given a massage or it could be seriously harmful. Contraindications include:

• Open wounds
• Muscle ruptures
• Tendon ruptures
• Contusions
• Burns, Chilblains and Broken bones
• Periostitis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis and Gout
• Bursitis
• Myositis ossificans
• Infections of the skin and soft tissue
• Thrombosis
• Artificial blood vessels
• Bleeding disorders such as heamophillia
• Tumours
• Absolutely anything else you are not sure of!