Sports Massage

In the sports world a pre-event sports massage is delivered about 30 minutes before a competition. It should be brisk and light and complement a warm-up. This can apply to anyone undertaking an event whether it is on a track or sports field or maybe a warm up for a sponsored walk or day event and it can be delivered the morning or the day before an event.

A post-event massage should be given within an hour after the event to flush the body of lactic acid that builds up during the activity and to focus on places where the athlete feels pain. This is not always possible unless I am at the sporting event or activity but a massage the day following an event works in just the same way. Removing the lactic acid build up in the muscles helps to remove stiffness and improve normal range of motion and flexibility.

For those of us who feel pain after an activity or over-use or, the re-occurance of an old injury any time after the pain begins is a good time to start treatment.

What to expect from a massage
I design the treatment around the requirements of the client. If you have an injury I will assess the current range of motion and flexibility, the pain involved in movement and what you need to achieve from the massage.

The techniques I use involve movements to increase blood flow to the muscles which provides nutrients and oxygen to an injured muscle and removes any toxin build up. A kneading technique designed to stretch the deeper muscle fibres and a friction technique for exploratory and deeper massage purposes, aimed at breaking down lesions, separating muscle fibres, and even breaking down recent scar tissue.

In many cases that I treat, the injury is an old one that reoccurs and so there is often additional stress placed on the tendons and the ligaments as well as the muscles. By addressing and understanding these issues I may be able to help you reduce the chances of the injury getting worse and work on restoring the musculo-skeletal system back to its normal working position.

Depending on the severity of the injury will depend on the time required to treat but in most cases a back, neck and shoulder massage will take 30 minutes. A back, neck, shoulder and legs massage will take 45
minutes. There is also a further 30 minutes for each appointment for consultation and any clinical examination of muscles and joints that may be required.

In the event that an injury is very recent (within 24 hours) I would start with an Acupuncture treatment to reduce the pain and then commence with sports massage treatment or a combination of the two.