Sports Massage | The Rehab Centre
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What is Sports Massage? 

It is a type of deep tissue work that uses a variety of techniques to help you perform at your best, address any tight or sore areas in your body, and potentially speed up the recovery process.

Professional athletes of all kinds, whether in football or baseball, need to recover quickly from their intensive training and games. And one method they use to expedite recovery is through sports massage. Sports massage is a general term for different styles of massage fused together that specifically aims to help the athlete recover or enhance performance. There are broadly two types of sports massage: post-activity massage and pre-activity massage.

What are the benefits of having a Sports Massage?

The advantages of receiving a sports massage could include:

  • Enhanced blood flow
  • Breakdown of adhesions and scar tissues built up which causes tension in the muscles
  • Muscle pain relief
  • Greater flexibility and range of motion
  • Enhancing the removal of waste products from high-intensity exercise, such as lactic acid post activity
  • Preparing physically and mentally for a race or event

How often should you do a Sports Massage?

We advise coming in once a week or twice a month if you are an athlete in training for a competition or if you play sports frequently. This will enable you to train more productively, enhance your performance, and reduce any muscular soreness or tension you might experience.

However, we advise getting a sports massage once a month if all you want to do is relax your muscles.This will promote better blood flow and circulation, which will make it easier for you to unwind.

Why might Sports Massages hurt?

The pain felt during and after a massage is completely normal and ensures that the treatment is overall effective. You should never, however, get a sports massage that is so painful that you have to stiffen up to bear it. If your muscles are tense, the treatment will be ineffective. Each person’s ideal level of pressure is different. Our sports massage sessions are catered to you are able to handle and will adjust the pressure accordingly to ensure an effective session.

How does Sports Massage and Physiotherapy work hand in hand?

Sports massage has multiple advantages as a standalone treatment, but the advantages can only be fully realised when combined with Physiotherapy treatment especially if you’re injured. Sports massage is used to release muscle tension, but not muscle recovery as it involves a variety of aspects ranging from psychology, to nutrition and physiology. If you have an injury and just rely on sports massage, it may make your injury worse. For an acute injury, a contraindication would be massage itself. In this case, if you’re injured or have experienced pain for a prolonged period of time, we suggest that you seek help from our Physiotherapist to understand and seek out the root cause of your problem first. Thereafter, a sports massage may form part of the treatment option, which will be discussed with your Physiotherapist. A sports massage does not address the cause of your injuries. 

Is there a difference between Sports Massage, Swedish massage and deep tissue massage?

A Swedish massage is a type of massage that is more general in nature. Massage of this type focuses on tailoring pressure and circulation to your needs. Heart movements are the primary focus of this type of massage. As a result, it promotes relaxation and increases blood flow.

Deep Tissue Massage employs slow and direct pressure to break up painful trigger points and adhesions. This technique enables the therapist to target specific areas of pain. This massage will usually target specific trigger points to alleviate pain or aid in recovery.

A Sports Massage, on the other hand, is a customised massage therapy regimen that focuses on increasing tissue suppleness and relieving tension in muscle areas of the body that are prone to injury or pain prior to or after participating in sports. Sports massages will benefit both professional and amateur athletes, as well as anyone who enjoys staying fit, whether you are a runner, work out in a gym, or both. A sports massage can include techniques from both Swedish and deep tissue massages.