Welcome back again to the blog for ThreeSpires Physiotherapy and once again Happy New Year! In keeping with most people's New Year resolutions to get fit and do more sport and exercise, I thought it might be good to have a brief look at one of our very popular home visit services - sports massage. For anyone reading this blog for the first time: we are a home visit physiotherapy service based in Lichfield and offering a wide range of physiotherapy services in areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Rugeley, Cannock and Walsall to name but a few. Sports massage is one of the services that we are able to offer at home to our patients who want to have some deep tissue work to improve their recovery after exercising. Sports massage and deep tissue work is a great way to relieve aching muscles, stretch out and elongate tissue fibres, get rid of any knots and generally promote faster recovery from training. It is well accepted as a key part of elite sports and is slowly becoming very popular amongst all levels of athletes as a way of improving recovery and avoiding injury. Here at ThreeSpires physiotherapy we find it to be a very popular and effective service amongst our many sporting clients in and around Lichfield.

What is Sports Massage?

Sports massage is a massage technique and process that is aimed at promoting recovery amongst sports people, it uses deep tissue massage and would in general be much firmer and possibly a bit more painful that the usual Swedish massage that many people who have been to a health spa will have experienced. Our sports massages use advanced manual techniques such as soft tissue and positional release, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) and various muscle energy techniques. All of the above, sports massage techniques aid recovery, improve blood flow and are used to specifically target problem areas with build ups of scar tissue or trigger points.

 

What will my Sports Massage Involve?

A usual question when people inquire about a sports massage is: what will it involve? Well firstly your therapist (in this case one of our chartered physiotherapists) will discuss your background and find out what you want to achieve, if there are any old injuries or problem areas that you want targeting. This will give them sufficient information to ensure that they use the most effective techniques and target the most important areas of the body for you. Next a movement assessment will take place which enables us to see your mobility, flexibility and assess further which areas might be of benefit to target. The sports massage itself then takes place during which you will be lying on the massage plinth that the physiotherapist has brought with them. Whilst on the plinth the physio will target various areas such as legs and back muscles with a variety of deep tissue techniques aimed at improving your recovery. Which areas receive the most focus in your sports massage depends upon the results of the initial assessment and the sport that you do. For example if you are a runner or hockey player it is likely that a large proportion of your sports massage session will be spent on your legs whereas if you have described your main issue as low back pain our physio is likely to target your sports massage towards the structures of the back.

Will Sports Massage Help if I Don’t Do Sports?

Another common question is: Do I need to do sports to benefit from a sports massage? The answer to this is emphatically no! Obviously if you are doing a lot of sport then a sports massage will certainly help but a sports massage can also help people with aches and pains and those with poor flexibility or stiff joints. Certainly here at ThreeSpires physiotherapy many of our patients in and around Lichfield who have a sports massage from us are not athletes. Sports massage is mainly the use of an array of therapeutic massage techniques that are much firmer than your typical Swedish massage and help relax stiff muscles and alleviate aches and pains.

 

Will My Sports Massage Hurt?

The last question that many of our patients ask is: Will it hurt? Here at ThreeSpires physiotherapy we believe that you the patient are in charge of how much pressure our physiotherapists use when doing a sports massage. All of our physiotherapists will communicate clearly with you about what they are doing and how you are feeling about it. If things are painful or hurt we want you to tell us, so that we can change what we are doing and use a more comfortable technique. The short answer is that no it shouldn't hurt, it should be a pleasant sensation and one that creates a feeling of looseness and release. For some people this will require more pressure than with others and your physiotherapist in conversation with you will adjust their pressure accordingly. As I always say: "remember this is not a test of your pain threshold!"

 

How Often Do I Need A Sports Massage?

There is no simple answer to this question about sports massages unfortunately and as with many things the answer is: “it depends!” Now, clearly in the world of elite sports, athletes will be having a sports massage after every single training session however this is obviously an extreme example and doesn’t really relate to your normal amateur sports person doing their sport 3 times per week. In generally if you are doing your sport and feeling good about things but have a few concerns about various issues such as tightness in your back or calf muscles then it would seem reasonable to have a monthly session and then if needed possibly because you have a competition coming up increase the frequency at various times of the year. Obviously this is just a guide and I say there is no clear answer to how often you should have a sports massage

Okay, I hope you have found this blog about sports massage, what it is and the benefits of sports massage useful. As ever if you have any questions, would like further information or would simply like to book a sports massage then please don't hesitate to get in touch.  For anyone who hasn't read this blog before or visited the website before: we are a home visit physiotherapy service based in Lichfield and serving anywhere within a 20 minute radius including areas such as Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Rugeley, Cannock and Walsall. You can contact us via our email: enquiries@threespiresphysiotherapy.co.uk phone: 0788 428 1623 or use the contact form on the main menu.