What is Sports Massage?
Since 3000BC in China it has been documented that massage efficiently encourages the healing of body, mind and spirit. The Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and all major civilisations have recognised the benefits of massage. Massage, applied skillfully, is the most effective therapy for releasing muscle tension and restoring balance to the musculoskeletal system.
Sports massage is a specific area of massage therapy that has been developed to help improve sports performance. Remedial techniques are incorporated into a massage treatment to help improve the body's movement and to help deal with injuries and postural problems. Sports massage is deep tissue massage which will stimulate the muscular and nervous systems rather than just offering the relaxation of holistic massage. It can be adapted to enhance pre-event preparation and warm-up, to offer assistance during an event and to aid recovery post-event.
At Achilles Heel Clinic our sports masseurs are all appropriately qualified with the relevant qualifications and insurance cover.
How Can Sports Massage Benefit Me?
Received regularly sports massage can help athletes prevent injuries, which might otherwise be caused by overuse. A constant build up of tension in the muscles from regular activity may lead to stresses on joints, ligaments, tendons, as well as the muscles themselves.
These muscle imbalances may develop and often go undiagnosed until they are serious enough to cause the athlete discomfort or impede performance. The skilled massage therapist will be able to detect variations in the soft tissues and by using the correct techniques, help the sports person maintain a much healthier physical state.
It may therefore be reasonably claimed that one of the greatest benefits of sports massage is in helping prevent injury.
What to Expect on Your First Visit
At your first consultation you will be asked to complete a short form providing personal details, any relevant medical conditions and any previous injuries you may have experienced. Your sports masseur will then speak with you at the start of your session to determine exactly what your needs are from the visit. You may be asked to remove some clothing depending on the area which needs to be worked on. We will provide shorts if necessary and during the treatment your sports masseur will ensure your dignity and comfort is maintained at all times. Sports massage can be a little uncomfortable however it shouldn't be painful and your masseur will continually ask you if the treatment is too deep or perhaps not deep enough in order to ensure that you are getting the most from your appointment.
Appointments can last 30 minutes or 60 minutes depending on what your needs are however we recommend that you take a full hour for your first appointment. This allows the sports masseur to give a much thorough treatment and enables them to focus on particularly troublesome areas. During the session your masseur will be constantly assessing for areas of muscle imbalance or tightness, trigger points or areas of tissue thickness. Your masseur will then discuss whether or not further sessions are necessary. During the appointment your masseur may feel it necessary for you to be referred onto another health professional if the problem does not seem straightforward. Our clinicians are always on the look out for your best interests. If they don't feel that your symptoms are improving after a course of massage appointments they will discuss what the next course of action would be to help resolve any problems. Courses of massage can typically last 4-6 appointments performed once a week however this is just a guide as everyone's needs are different.