SPORTS MASSAGE
What Is Sports Massage?
Sports massage is a targeted therapy designed to prevent and treat injuries while enhancing athletic performance. Whether you're active at the gym or play sports regularly, you may notice tightness or discomfort from overuse or lactic acid buildup, sports massage can help relieve these issues.
At Hands On, we use Trigger Point Therapy as a key part of treatment. If you enjoy the deep relief of a quality massage and haven’t tried trigger point work before, you’re in for a treat. These tight “knots” in the muscle can cause referred pain-like headaches from upper trapezius tension or upper back aches from scapular strain.
Our skilled therapists are trained to identify and treat activity-related injuries. We also offer tailored stretching and rehab techniques to support recovery and help you stay at your best.
How is it delivered?
As with all our massage sessions, your practitioner will begin with a gentle, guided discussion of your injury history and current concerns. This helps us tailor the treatment to your specific needs and give you right massage.
Your therapist may use a variety of techniques, including deep tissue work, to release tension and chronic muscle stress that can build up after exertion. You’ll also receive a personalised plan of stretches and exercises to support full recovery. Sessions typically last around 45 minutes.
Who Can Benefit from Sports Massage?
Sports massage is not just great for anyone engaged in regular physical activity, from gym enthusiasts to professional athletes, but also dealing with everyday tensions and stiffness. It helps enhance performance, supports recovery, and improves the body’s ability to cope with ongoing physical demands.
This treatment is especially beneficial after exertion, as it promotes circulation and helps flush out toxins that can accumulate in the muscles, leading to soreness and fatigue. Sports massage can also be highly effective for relieving everyday muscular tension and pain, even if it’s not sports-related.
TESTIMONIALS - here is what our customers say:
“Another belting massage. I’m tender but no dull aches and I feel great! See you soon"
"Absolutely brilliant. I feel so much better after her massage. I will highly recommend her to anyone"
"I go here a lot all the staff are very qualified, charming and really good at what they do, never had a dud, would recommend 10/10
"I had a fantastic treatment (sports massage) and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a seriously good massage! As an overworked massage therapist myself I was in pain . . . He was professional and friendly, making me feel comfortable, and providing me with an extremely relaxing yet beneficial treatment"
"Amazing. After one session I felt so much better. Cannot wait for my next session. Fantastic aftercare" (Sciatica patient after osteopathic treatment)
ARTICLE: SPORTS MASSAGE by our very own Tracey Holland
“Sports massage for recovery and fatigue
”The practise of massage is at its essence a healing art lead mostly by the intuition and experience of the therapist, but, as the use of massage in professional sport has grown, so the massage industry has aligned itself with science in the form of sports massage. Many sports people will include a regular sports massage in their training and recovery programme. Studies show that massage is effective in helping athletes to feel less sore and less fatigued however the mechanism of effective sports massage is hard to pin down. Theories such as flushing lactic acid have now been shown to be incorrect, however this hasn’t changed the effectiveness reported by sports people in terms of lessening DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and less fatigue.
”Studies have shown that massage improves sleep which is a critical time for the body to repair itself especially after exercise and has positive effects on reaction times, motivation and focus, stress regulation, muscle recovery, longevity as an athlete, memory and learning and injury risk to name a few!
”Sports massage will differ from other forms of massage depending on your goals and where you are in your training schedule. In general you can expect a more interactive experience as your therapist will use techniques that require your participation. Feedback from you is also important during a sports massage, your therapist will use information on how you are experiencing the massage to tailor it to your particular physical and mental state. To my mind a sports massage should also be a completely positive experience and as much as possible not centre around perceived problem areas - any acute injury should be deal with by a physio or osteopath in a separate session. Even with ongoing ‘niggles’ a sports massage should explore these areas with the goal of making the you feel a sense of expansion, lightness, that you have more available movement and that your own perception of your body is improved. Especially before competition you should not leave the clinic feeling like you have more problems than what you arrived with!
”A sports massage should also be adjusted according to your training schedule. In the early phase of training a massage session can be a shorter duration and firmer (but not painful) and as training progresses you may want to schedule a longer session that can be slightly less firm and include more joint mobilizations, active stretches and similar techniques that increase your own awareness of how good your body can feel, even though you are putting in a lot of training miles. Don’t schedule a massage just before a race - not within 48 hours prior is the recommendation - and massage directly after a competition should be used with caution. If you are particularly sore after a competition it is advisable to wait 48 hours to get a good handle on what is DOMS or what is a potentially serious injury that should be dealt with more cautiously.
”It’s always an inspiration to work with people who are challenging themselves in any sporting field whether a pro or an amateur. My role as a sports massage therapist is always to try and give you a little bit more of what you need whether that is relaxation, increased range of motion, stretching out a hamstring that is leaving you feeling worried and stressed with discomfort and ultimately making your time on the massage table effective, beneficial and positive.”
What is it?
Sports Therapy is an aspect of healthcare that is specifically concerned with the prevention of injury and the rehabilitation of the patient back to optimum levels of functional, occupational and sports specific fitness, regardless of age and ability.
It’s time to de-bunk the common misconception that Sports Therapy is just sports massage! Although massage techniques are a common treatment tool used, Sports Therapy employs thorough and complete musculoskeletal assessment, manual therapy and electro therapy techniques, exercise prescription, education and advice to get patients PAIN FREE, performing and living life to their fullest!
Sports Therapy is also not JUST for the athlete or recreational gym goer! Yes, it can help elite athletes complete and excel at the highest level but it can also help those who want to pick up their toddler without back pain, or those who want to be able to do more than an hours gardening without needing 3 days rest! Whatever your pain or injury, from back pain to ankle sprains, from sore necks to grumbling shoulders, Sports Therapy is here to help you!