Sports Massage

Massage plays an important role in sports performance for social or competitive athletes. Regular massage during training and through the off-season can reduce fatigue, delay onset muscle soreness, prevent injury, help restore muscle shape and realign fibres.

Sports massage is a combination of soft tissue, neuromuscular and muscle energy techniques. It is most effective when undertaken on a regular basis.

Pre-Event

This is performed before competition to prepare an athletes body physically and mentally. Pre-event massage warms the muscles, excites the nervous system, and increases blood flow, providing a state of ‘readiness’  and helping to reduce injury.

Ideally performed within 90 minutes of play, pre-event massage is quicker, lighter, more general, and should not last more than 10-15 minutes.

Prevention and Maintenance

This type of massage is best completed when the athlete has the flexibility to recover from any soreness. This is the time to work a bit deeper to remove any restrictions in the tissues and make corrections to the body without disrupting the training cycle.

Benefits of prevention-and-maintenance can include: normalising the tissue, improved tissue healing, an improved range of motion, and the release of myofascial trigger points.

Injury Treatment

This phase of sports massage therapy can occur while the athlete is still in competition, or if the injury is bad enough causing them to be out of training and competition.

During this phase of rehabilitation it is important for good communication between the other members of your health care team.

Benefits can include: preparing the tissues to enhance treatments, improved tissue healing, normalising the tissue, and a decrease of myofascial trigger point pain

Post-Event

Suitably named, this type of massage is scheduled after your event. At this point you are likely to feel soreness, fatigue and tension - the perfect time to add a massage into the mix.

Post-event massage helps the recovery of muscles and soft tissues after exercise or sport. It prevents delayed muscle soreness, reduces the risk of injury whilst maintaining flexibility, reduces muscle fatigue and improves the feeling of recovery.

Deep Tissue Massage

Deep tissue massage is a specific type of massage that is used to treat the deep layer of fascia and muscles. It is applied with pressure and is an intense technique to reduce muscle tension and adhesions, with a key focus on the deeper tissue layers.

Therapeutic Massage

Also known as Remedial Massage, therapeutic massage incorporates Swedish massage techniques, neuromuscular and some pressure point work to address specific conditions. It can be beneficial for postural related issues, pain management, injury rehabilitation and to relieve tense muscles.

Swedish Massage

Swedish massage uses a wide range of massage techniques and strokes to promote a relaxation effect. Gentle massage techniques are performed during this relaxing massage to help warm up muscles and release tension. The health benefits of a Swedish massage can include: improved blood circulation, stimulation of the lymphatic system, prevention of muscle injury, and decreased pain.

Cupping

Cupping of muscles has a similar effect to deep tissue massage. The suction causes a change in sensory input and forces the blood and extracellular fluids to move and circulate. This movement allows for increased micro-circulation of the tissues, encouraging healing and regeneration. Functional cupping involves placing the cup where restriction is felt and then initiating dynamic, functional movement and affecting positive change in movement restrictions. The goal is to restore movement while decreasing pain in areas of previous restriction. The practitioner will move the body to the outer limits of that particular movement. As a result, tissues begin to soften, increasing the range of movement. 

Many times, people assume cupping is a painful experience due to the dark, purple spots that can appear on a person’s skin in areas where the cups were applied. This is simply the result of blood flowing to the affected area due to the suction pressure. Some believe the darkness of these spots has relevance as to how the injury is progressing - though this theory is not commonly held in Western medicine.

Dry Needling

Dry needling is also called myofascial needling. Muscles sometimes develop hypersensitive areas which can be painful when touched. They are also often the cause of referred pain. Dry needling focuses on the reduction of pain and restoration of function through the decrease of hypertonicity in the muscle.

Dry needling is not acupuncture.  Dry needling is based on Western principles and research.

Kinesiology/Sports Taping

Kinesiology taping facilitates the body’s natural healing process while providing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion.

Exercise Prescription

Exercise prescription and guidelines can be given to assist in recovery or maintenance following a treatment. This could include strengthening, range of motion and/or stretching techniques.