The human body is an amazing machine that can adapt and perform at high levels. However, this machine is also susceptible to injury and fatigue. One way to help prevent or treat these injuries is through sports massage.
Sports massage is a type of massage that is specifically designed to improve blood flow and help the body recover from exercise. This type of massage can also help to prevent injuries by keeping the muscles and connective tissues healthy.
If you are looking for ways to improve your performance and prevent injuries, then sports massage may be right for you.
What should I expect when visiting?
You should expect an initial visit considering the goals and outcomes you want out of the sessions. This will involve discussing about previous injuries, conditions or exercise performance, then followed by specific testing of the body through special injury tests or muscle weakness tests. This will allow the therapist to tailor the sessions to your needs.
What is a sports massage?
Sports massage is typically used before or after an athlete's game to improve their performance or to recover afterward. Don’t be fooled though, sports massage and the treatments sports therapists can offer benefit a wide range of people. Different techniques the therapist use are interchangeable and are patient-centred. Meaning the techniques can be adapted to suit you. For example, typically sports massage is well-known for the Swedish or deep tissue techniques used, but lighter and less strenuous techniques like myofascial release or muscle energy technique (METS) are also available.
These techniques allow for a blood flow increase meaning more oxygen reaches the muscles to contract for longer or at a stronger level. Also, the deep massage allows for the muscle fibres to be broken down and repaired which improves muscle growth and recovery.
A huge range of injuries and conditions can be treated. Acute injuries such as strains, sprains or tears can be treated with techniques to aid recovery and pain relief. These can be then intertwined with the rehabilitation program which will be suited to your strengths and weaknesses based around the injury.
Also, long term conditions such as osteoarthritis, tendonitis, headaches, fibromyalgia, or generalised long term muscle pain can be relieved through visiting a sports therapist.
There is a variety of techniques that can be used by a sports therapist to help relieve pain and tension in the muscles and joints.
If you are an athlete, suffer from any type of sports injury, or have generalised pain you may benefit from sports massage. It is important to find a qualified massage therapist, in which you can call or email MSK doctors to learn more.