What is Sports/Remedial Massage?

This is the assessment, manual manipulation, rehabilitation, and management of the soft tissues within the body (muscles, tendons & ligaments).

For thousands of years massage has been used as a treatment to deal with soft tissue problems i.e. muscles, tendons & ligaments and the benefits today are the same as they ever have been. Generally aches and pains are caused by minor soft tissue problems. Although the soft tissue may recover over time themselves this is quite often not the case, but developing into more complex and serious matters. Massage has excelled over the many thousands of years, as being a quick and effective way of treating soft tissue problems to allow the body's own natural repair process to be accelerated.

This is done by:-

• Increasing the blood flow through or around the damaged soft tissue.
• Assist in the removal of waste products from soft tissue, and then to supply the tissue with vital nutrients to help the area recover quickly.
• The re-modelling of scar tissue, around a problem area.
• The use of techniques to re-educate muscles so they stay at their proper state.

The Aim

•  To restore function back to the damaged tissues after an injury or trauma has taken place.
• To prevent & manage pain, injury, dysfunction within the soft tissue, and give support and advice on exercise/training to help the rehabilitation of the problem.
• To improve self-awareness by helping a person monitor their own condition and adjust things accordingly.
• To improve the performance of that person whether they are an athlete or a member of the general public.

Benefits of Sports/Remedial Massage

• Improve circulation

• Help in the removal of metabolic waste from tissues.

• Help to prevent injury.

• Help to recover after an injury.

• Improve performance/recovery.

• Improve self-awareness by monitoring your own condition.

• Increase muscle elasticity and joint mobility.

• Improve relaxation and stress relief.

• Reduce muscle cramps/spasms

• Relief from general aches & pains.

Minor injuries are the most common muscular-skeletal problem, and if they are not treated in a correct and proper way. In the early stages they can sometimes lead on to more serious complex matters in the long term.

Who would benefit from Sports/Remedial Massage?

As a sports & remedial massage therapist I deal with a wide variety of clients from International Professional and amateur athletes, club sportsmen to people who just need relief from the riggers of their day to day lives.

There are tight, sore neck & shoulder muscles which are the result of long hours using a computer or driving. For older clients where years of bad posture, or old injuries begin to catch them up or if you are about to start a fitness regime and you want to be able to recover more quickly or improve your performance.

Local businesses that are going through stressful times in the year can reward staff for their efforts by organising on site massage, to help with a their occupational health matters.

There are many types of injuries that sports/remedial massage can help with:-
 

• General aches & pains

• Muscle strains

• Ligament sprains

• Ligament/tendon/muscle damage

• Sore lower back

• Tightness in the neck/shoulders

• Inflammation around joints

• Pre/Post operative

• Formation of scar tissue

• Occupational pain

• Overuse injuries

Rehabilitation & management of soft tissue injuries

After an injury a programme of treatment is designed using specific massage and stretching techniques, all according to the type of injury and the client's own objectives to be reached. The client would be advised on specific strengthening/stretching exercises, or any other type of training that would help improve the recovery process.

I work within a referral system of physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors and GP's . This will help to ensure that the client will have the best treatment and advice available to them, to reach the final objectives.