Sports Massage

What is Sports Massage?

In Sports Massage, various techniques are used to:
i) assess the state of tissues
ii) treat the same tissues and help return to normal

The above techniques will in turn:

• increase blood supply to the area
• flush nutrients and oxygen through the tissues and any congestion will be reduced and toxins cleared away.

Sports Massage covers:

• Warm up
• Warm down
• Treatment

Aims of Warm up:
Prepare the cardio-vascular and respiratory systems for the activity.
Prepare a sports person psychologically.
Increase the core temperature of the body, and that of the muscular tissues by increasing blood flow to muscular tissue.
Stimulate reflex activity related.
Achieve full joint mobility in the specific joints involved in the activity.
Achieve full soft tissue extensibility – muscles, tendons, ligaments.

Sports Massage involves warming up muscles and it integrates passive stretching that is carried out by the therapist.

Prevention of Injuries
I attach great importance to preventative measures in sporting activities. I often remind sports and non sporting people of the importance of other complementary measures. These alongside with massage improves physical and psychological well-being.

Complimentary Preventative Measures:

• Warm up session
• Cool down session – to ensure that the heart rate is back to normal before finishing a training session.
• Stretching (part of warm up and cool down) to improve flexibility and strengthen the muscles.
• Cross training: cycling, swimming, yoga.
• Specialist sporting equipments.