Sports Massage at By Grace Massage compliments & enhances an exercise programme, or performance in a competitive event. It increases muscle mobility, flexibility & overall performance.Before exercise, massage warms & loosens the muscles. After exercise it helps to prevent excessive stiffness & build up of waste products.

Regular Sports Massage relieves cramps and can speed up general recovery and ease joint & muscle pain. A good Sports Massage includes deep tissue, cross fibre frictions, trigger point technique & stretching. These techniques all help remove waste products from the muscles, break down adhesions and tension, and allow fresh blood & nutrients to flow into the effected areas. This treatment enhances & improves overall performance. It also promotes the release of the feel-good hormone, endorphin.

Sports massage isn’t just for sports people, and anyone can benefit from a sports massage, including desk bound people looking for relief in tight sore necks to general back ache & stress etc. It is suited though, to those who prefer a harder pressure massage & those who are suffering from sore muscles, stiffness & pinched nerves. Ideal if you are needing a specific muscle group worked.

“Prevention is better than cure” – sometimes athletes are unaware of a brewing problem or nodules in a muscle. If untreated, these can lead to sudden muscle tears & cramps, often ruining an event. A professional Sport Massage therapist will often be able to pick up these issues during a massage, and treat the affected muscle area, thereby avoiding possible injury.

When a muscle is injured, it heals with Collagen. This leaves scar tissue in the muscle, which is weak and less elastic, limiting performance later on. Sports Massage and stretching can minimize scarring and help the scar tissue fibres to align and integrate with muscle fibre, allowing the muscle to regain strength and complete flexibility. For any serious injuries, always consult your doctor & physiotherapist first, and only once you’ve recovered sufficiently should you continue training & make use of a regular Sports Massage, to ensure healthy, happy muscles and prevent further injuries.

It is important to book your last massage 3 – 5 days prior to your event, as it can lead to slight muscle soreness. Although massage just before an event is useful for stretching and blood circulation, it is not recommended because massage can activate your para-sympathetic nervous system, which slows the heart rate & prepares the body for relaxation & rest. However for a very nervous athlete, a pre-event massage could benefit overall performance, if it is followed up by a solid warm-up routine.

Post event or training session massage won’t prevent DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) even though it is effective for flushing toxins and waste products. Lactate (lactic acid) is not a toxin but is the end product of glucose metabolism. Lactate does not cause DOMS. Lactate is actually circulated out of the muscles & blood within 1 hour. DOMS is in fact caused by microscopic muscle tears. Anything other than a very light massage can aggravate these muscle tears further. Rather wait 3-4 days after an event until muscle soreness is gone, then resume your regular Sports Massage therapy.