Sports massage is a deep, purposeful massage technique that deals directly with the body’s soft tissue.
It utilises such techniques as MET (muscle energy technique), STR (Soft Tissue Release) and NMT (neuromuscular technique).

Benefits include –

• accelerate recovery after training and competition
• accelerate recovery from injury
• increase circulation to flush out trapped toxins, and thus enables blood and nutrients to flush in
• release muscle tension and joint pain
• lengthen tight muscles to increase range of movement
• refresh the immune system
• boost performance
• provide self-awareness of your body’s soft tissue which can prevent injury
• encourage and maintain healthy muscle and soft tissue
   

Now you can add Thermotherapy with cold and hot stones. Cold and hot help the pumping of blood into tissues or by simply using hot stones it penetrates upper tissues and simply melts any tension away!
A lovely addition to any therapy! Please read more about the benefits of Hot and Cold stones on my News page, under new therapies.

Back to the massage ... and here’s the science bit!

As well as muscles, ligaments and tendons the soft tissue includes a layer of connective tissue called fascia that covers our muscles. This fascia covers all the individual muscle fibres, the larger bundles of muscles, and the whole muscle groups. It is one continuous piece of tissue that never stops growing and covers our whole body.

During any vigorous exercise workout your muscles will suffer micro damage as they are placed under stress. It’s the bodies’ process of repair that occurs during recovery that makes them stronger for the next training session.

When injury to muscle tissue occurs, whether micro or severe, the muscle fibres will often misalign themselves whilst healing. Normally, when covering healthy, moving muscle it is a soft, gel like substance. However, when our muscle movement is restricted tissue fluids cannot reach the areas they need to in order to lubricate the fascia. The fascia hardens and scar tissue forms, further trapping toxins and waste materials, such as lactic acid. This causes pain and dysfunction as the body tries to remedy the situation by setting up a series of structural compensations - leading to further pain and more problems.

Science bit over.
Now you have an understanding of your soft tissue you can see how beneficial sports massage is.

So, sports massage combined with remedial massage assists the healing and rehabilitation of injuries and dysfunction and facilitates movement by stretching and separating soft tissue and so enabling the toxins to get out and the blood and nutrients get back in!

Constant contraction of muscles, whether from sitting hunched around a desk or during repetitive exercise training, can cause muscle shortening which can place pressure on joints. Sport massage incorporates effective techniques used to lengthen muscles and so regain full range of movement.

In this way a sports and remedial massage becomes just as relevant to an office worker, crippled by an unsuitable desk arrangement as it is to an athlete in training or during injury recovery!

 

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Pre-massage is best to have 48-24 hours before an event. This gives your muscles time to recover following a deep massage and make the most of the fresh nutrients delivered to the muscles following the massage.

If you don’t have this much time before an event, then a massage will still be beneficial, I will reduce the depth to which I work so as not to exhaust the muscles.

Post massage is best carried out as soon as possible after an event or training session, that’s why now you often see massages available at large events. These massages are light and work to remove toxins and encourage recovery. Working too deeply after your muscles have just exerted themselves can cause stress or damage.

A deep one-hour massage covering the majority of the body is most beneficial 24 hours after an event. Deep work can be used to assess the condition of the muscles and specific techniques applied to deliver a massage that meets your needs.

Massage is proving a vital and effective way to maintain healthy muscles and attachments, so any time is a good time to care for them.

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Yes!
I believe every body, without exception, is an active body!

Your muscles and fascia are an incredible network of activity, they are working all the time. Wether its to keep you upright at a desk, stopping your arm from coming out of its shoulder socket when you throw a ball or meeting the challenges demanded in any competitive sport.
Your body works hard and often come under considerable stress. I believe sports massage maintains healthy soft tissue and is therefore one of the best treatments in the prevention of injury.

Sports massage is so-called simply because it is a style of massage popular with sports people.

Now, if you don't want the deep deep work, but still want to feel some benefit other than a gentle tickle,  I can offer a completely relaxing luxurious massage using the baby smooth basalt stones. Come and experience a lovely melting moment under the HOT STONES and feel chilled!!

I am also fully trained to provide pregnancy massage and hot and cold stone therapy.

Whatever you do, you can expect a tailor made session every time.

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