
THE HEALING SHOP NO LONGER OFFERS THIS TREATMENT.
WE DECIDED TO LEAVE THIS BLOG FOR INFORMATION AS WE BELIEVE
THAT MASSAGE IS VERY BENEFICIAL Whilst the treatment is called Sports Massage it really deals with any muscular injury no matter how it was caused. Any repetitive movements such as working on your feet all day, delivering parcels, working at a desk or indeed training for a sporting event can cause tight and achy muscles. Whilst originally used by athletes post event, to help improve performance and prevent injury, anyone can benefit from a sports massage.
What does Sports Massage do?
In order to achieve the daily tasks we ask our bodies to perform our muscles need to get stronger and or bigger, our muscle fibres are constantly tearing and repairing. In response to this our body lays down little plasters of collagen to support the muscle whilst it is making repairs. The repair plasters should be easily removed from the body with our normal daily movement. However, if we continually repeat the same movement and do not give our bodies the time, hydration or right nutrition (whole other subject) to repair then these can build up in the muscle becoming what we think of as ‘knots’. These may restrict movement, encourage tightness or stiffness in the muscle as we are not using the full range of movement and may send pain signals to the brain.
Injuries can be caused by many different activities in our lives for instance I put my back out throwing a slug down the garden! Please don’t hate me. Not being very gifted in the horticultural department, I was so happy that I actually managed to grow something and was quite perturbed to notice that half my flowers had been eaten. Now, I am not for one moment blaming that slug as the problem was from an old back injury that I had not fully dealt with and had been ignoring the little aches and pains.
Soon after the birth of my second child, just 17 months after the first, I picked up my then toddler awkwardly from the side. Due to the high levels of relaxin (a hormone to help with childbirth) I twisted a vertebrae, tore muscles in my back and hip which then affected the sciatic nerve. At the time I had treatment but then as the pain eased, I stopped. However, the injury was not fully recovered and has given me many recurring issues over the years until I learnt Sports Massage and now understand much more about the body and how it works.
What happens during your appointments
At your first appointment, we will talk through with you how you think the injury occurred, help you to identify the root cause of the injury and create a rehabilitation plan. Sports Massage concentrates the treatment on the specific area of injury ie lower back and the connecting muscles using a variety of techniques to firstly warm the muscles and then working deeper.
Your therapist will be able to identify any ‘knots’, scar tissue or muscle tightness that are causing you issues. Using a variety of stripping or friction methods to remove as much as possible in that session. This may be uncomfortable or indeed painful but will yield very positive results with continued work. Your therapist will adjust their technique to suit your tolerance levels. You may experience some discomfort the following day or day after in the same way you would when you start to increase your training and some people feel no after effects at all. Either way your muscles will feel looser and you will be more energised to get on with your life.
Sports massage helps to relieve the symptoms of pain, increase your range of movement and flexibility. Your massage will reduce muscular tension, help to ease pressure on any nearby nerves and improve circulation. It would be advantageous to follow the stretching and or strengthening advice given, in order to complete your rehabilitation and protect yourself from recurrence of the injury. As we tend to hold our tension in our muscles, after your personalised massage treatment you will feel generally more relaxed which will assist you to have a good night’s sleep.
Most injuries are not repaired in one treatment and a course of treatments is recommended usually around 6-8 sessions depending upon the severity of the injury and the amount of time from injury to seeking support.
Conclusion
Rehabilitation requires as much effort and dedication as our work life or training goals do, just because the pain has stopped the injury is not necessarily repaired. As most of us are not able to change our jobs or want to make big changes to our lives it is important to have a good body maintenance routine to keep us fit, healthy and active. Follow up massage treatments, every 4-6 weeks, are not only vital for muscular robustness but also for our general well being.
Book a free 15 minute consultation or jump right in with your first appointment now at the Healing Shop
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