What is Sports Massage?

Sports Massage is the term to describe the discipline of using massage for the specific benefit of all sports and exercise participants; although in theory any one can have a sports massage. It covers the management, manipulation and rehabilitation of the soft tissues of the body e.g. muscles, ligaments and tendons.

In particular sports massage involves a variety of particular techniques (which will be covered in the next post) that are used with the overall goal of improving sports performance. That does not just mean having a massage immediately before an event to improve that particular performance. In a similar way to supplements, altitude training and psychological techniques, sports massage is a tool that can be implemented into a sports performer’s regime in order to improve their performance. The massage may be to relieve soreness following an intense training session in order for them to continue their training for the rest of the week. It is natural for athletes to increase the volume and intensity of their training as they look to get better results. However, this will put their muscles, their ligaments, their joints etc under more stress and could lead to injury or burn out. Muscles will get tighter, sore after heavy training and can increase mental stress. Sports massage can reduce the risk of these issues and help keep athletes training at high intensities.

Sports massage may be used when they are injured in order for them to return to training quicker or it may be used in order to prevent injuries. There are many uses of sports massage and, with the right practitioner, it can improve performance.

What are the benefits?

• Improved Circulation
• Removal of Waste Products (e.g. lactic acid)
• Remodel scar tissue
• Decrease muscle tension
• Relax or stimulate the muscles and nerves
• Increase or decrease muscle length
• Improved mental preparation for competition

Over the coming posts I’m going to be coming back to some of these benefits individually to explain how and why sports massage has these benefits.

When is it a good time to have a sports massage?

• After injury
• During intense training periods – weekly/fortnightly/monthly
• Before, after & between competitions
• After travelling
• If you drive a lot
• If you work at a desk for more than 20 hrs per week
• If you need to relax

Hopefully this has been an brief but interesting introduction to the world of sports massage. In the next few posts I’ll be looking at the different techniques used as well as start to look at the research behind sports massage.

But, until then........

For sports massage bookings in swansea, visit www.jamiepughperformance.co.uk