Sports Massage
Many people presume that sports massage is solely for sports people – it is not!
Another popular misconception is that it’s just a “normal” massage done harder so that it hurts! It is not!
Sports massage is for anyone who would like a deep massage combined with stretches and advice on how to prevent or alleviate furthur problems. A sports massage session involves a detailed consultation which will include a history of injuries if relevant (Again - no need to play sport, and no need to have an injury to benefit from a sports massage!), as well as deep massage techniques. The treatment may involve assisted stretching techniques, known as METs (muscle energy techniques), STR (soft tissue release) and neuromuscular techniques as appropriate. The session will usually end with aftercare advice which will include advice on stretching and follow up treatments.
Caroline is a qualified personal fitness instructor and can suggest easy exercises for you to do at home to get the most benefit from the treatment.
If you do take part in sport, then sports massage is invaluable at which ever level you participate in your sport or activity. As well as the clinic sessions mentioned above, it is also ideal as a pre and post event treatment – either invigorating and assisting in the warm up of the muscles in preparation for a competition, or flushing them out post event to help any tired, sore muscles detoxify, realign and heal in preparation for the next bout of action.
A properly qualified sports massage therapist will understand which techniques to use when to make sure that the treatments complement your training and help to keep you injury free.
Sports massage is also ideal for people who work in jobs which involve sitting in the same position for a long time. particularly desk jobs. It is extremely effective at loosening tight muscles and many clients have found that one session has relieved months of pain.
A fully qualified sports massage therapist will have spent a long time studying massage techniques, anatomy and physiology and how to adapt treatments to be appropriate for training and competition schedules. Always check that your therapist is a member of the SMA or the ISRM.
For more information on these governing bodies and sports massage itself, have a look at: