Sports massage when delivered by experienced hands will give you an edge. Yes an edge over your fellow competitors, benefits include: less injuries, greater range of motion, more power available as well education about your body. Your body becomes your instrument within sport, the better the tune, the better the possible outcome.
Do you need Sports Massage Therapy?
- Do you train more than four times a week?
- Do you want to train pain free?
- Do you want to train with less injuries?
- Do you have persistent niggles?
- Do you want to lengthen your career?
- Do you want to achieve your potential?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, Sports Massage is for you!
Choosing the right therapist is an art. Some questions to ask if you are after the best outcomes for your sport:
- How long have you been providing these services?
- What teams or athletes have you worked with?
- How long in hours was your qualification? (My first one was 1200 face to face).
- Have your worked with my sport before? (Knowledge only comes with experience).
- How do you believe you can help me?
- Have you worked with this injury before?
Get a feel for confidence, not cockiness. The answers should be quick, clear and smooth indicating experience.
Put simply, if your muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia are all at an optimal length, the following applies: Loose Muscles the Positives.
- Increased range of motion.
- Less friction/resistance over the joint.
- Less potential joint degeneration.
- Less likelihood of injury.
- Maximizes available power potential.
- Less energy wastage.
- Allows maximum storage of nutrients.
- Enhances lymphatic and venous return.
Conversely, Tight Muscles the Negatives:
- Restricts joint range of motion.
- Increases friction/load over joints!
- Can cause or lead to muscle cramps and tears.
- Predisposition to potential injuries.
- Carrying around dead weight. (Unproductive muscle mass).
- Reduces maximum available power output.
- Deceases energy as it takes energy to keep muscles tight. (Semi-contracted).
- Restricts maximal nutrient/oxygen storage.
- Restricts lymphatic and venous return.
In summary, a good Sports Massage can help assist in restoring normal functioning of your muscles, lymphatic, neural, circulatory, skin and connective issue systems. After training/competition or to enhance the abilities of the above mentioned systems prior to training competition by:
- Releasing muscular spasms/tension.
- Releasing fibrosis and adhesion’s within soft tissues.
- Stimulates local blood supply.
- Increases venous return to the heart.
- Increases nutrient supply to the muscles.
- Reduces fluid retention and edema.
- Restores and re-integrate proprioceptive and kinaesthetic awareness of joints.
Sports Massage can be a valid form of “Health Insurance” to help you within your sport.
