The main purpose of sports massage therapy is to help alleviate the stress and tension, which builds up in the body’s soft tissues.
Massage will help to drain away fatigue, to relieve swelling, to reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility, to prevent injuries and, in the case of sports people, prepare for peak performance. Sports massage can help prevent those niggling injuries that so often get in the way of performance and achievement, whether a person is an athlete, a once a week jogger or just physically active.
Massage, applied skilfully, is the most effective therapy for releasing muscle tension and restoring balance to the musculo-skeletal system. Received regularly this may 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. Sports Massage can be used to treat the stress, tension and fatigue that occurs through occupational, recreational or sporting activities. It can also be beneficial to:
Help relieve that stress and tension which can hinder optimal performance.
Reduce the likelihood of injury during exercise.
Speed up the recovery process and aid rehabilitation after injury.
Ensure full range of movement and increase muscle flexibility.
Improve postural and general body awareness.
For the more serious athletes sports massage can help at the different stages of participation. For Example:
- Pre competition
- Inter competition
- Post competition
- Injury Recovery
- Injury prevention
Who Can Benefit
You don’t have to be a sportsperson to feel the benefits! Muscular tension, stress and fatigue can affect all of us,whether we are competitive or recreational athletes, DIY fanatics, gardeners, busy housewives, or stressed executives. Active or sedentary – you should find massage relaxing and therapeutic.
Many people appreciate the deep treatment offered by a sports massage therapist as they can really feel those knots being ‘ironed out’. You will become aware of how your body reacts and tenses up under stress and by taking early action to reduce their stress levels and relax.
Sports participation is not a prerequisite for benefiting from sports massage; regardless of your activity level almost anyone can suffer from the day to day stresses and strains of life’s activities from an aching back, neck and shoulders to limited flexibility and stiffness or more chronic conditions. Periodically, most are successfully treated with sports massage.
Nonetheless, competitive athletes and active individuals looking to keep their muscles in peak condition can benefit enormously as a sports massage can help to prepare them for competition and recover quickly after an activity, event or injury; plus helping to fine tune them for their performance.
Sports massage helps promote health by stimulating and aiding the body’s processes with the following benefits:
- Relief of stress and tension
- Enhance posture
- Re-energise tired bodies
- Improve range of movement
- Increase muscle tone or muscle length
- Improve circulation and lymphatic flow
- Assistance in the removal of metabolic waste such as lactic acid
- Prepare the body for competition
- Assistance in mental preparation prior to sports participation
- Aid in quick recovery after an event or activity
- Provide injury rehabilitation
- Assistance with the remodelling of scar tissue
MJH Sports Massage 