Benefits of Sports & Remedial Massage

Sports Massage

This is a speciality within remedial massage that uses (ISRM believes) the same range of clinical skills. Many 'so called' sports injuries have much to do with an athlete's posture and/or other factors outside of their sport, and the distinction between the two is often unclear. The real difference with sports massage is the focus on recovery from training and the early identification and treatment of potential soft tissue problems. With a thorough assessment of the condition of the athlete's soft tissues through massage, the therapist can monitor how he or she is responding to training. This can allow the athlete to 'fine-tune' their training to avoid injury and enhance performance. 

Sports massage can be beneficial at various stages of participation. For example:

• The Conditioning/training phase
• Pre competition, a couple of day before a marathon 
• Inter competition, at half time
• Post competition, recovery from any sporting event
• Post travel
• Injury prevention
• Injury recovery

Remedial massage

For many thousands of years massage has been used effectively to deal with minor soft tissue conditions (affecting muscles, ligaments and tendons), and its uses and benefits are no less today than they have ever been. The majority of general aches and pains that are caused by lifestyle stresses are minor soft tissue conditions. Although they may recover naturally over time this is often not the case and they can develop into more serious and complex issues. Remedial massage has proved over the years to be a fast and effective way of dealing with these minor soft tissue conditions by assisting the body's own natural repair processes.

Benefits of remedial massage: 

• Improve circulation
• Assist in the removal of metabolic waste
• Sedate or stimulate nerve endings
• Increase or decrease muscle tone
• Increase muscle length
• Remodel scar tissue

All About Stretching

Static Stretching

Static stretching is used to stretch muscles while the body is at rest. It is composed of various techniques that gradually lengthen a muscle to an elongated position and then hold the position for 20 seconds. During this holding period you would feel the stretch in the muscles. Static stretching exercises involve specialised tension receptors in our muscles. When done properly, static stretching slightly lessens the sensitivity of tension receptors, which allows the muscle to relax and to be stretched to greater length.

Dynamic Stretching

Dynamic stretches are best incorporated into your warm up routine before training or a competition.

More recently, clinical studies have shown that traditional static stretching exercise may be detrimental to sports involving powerful movements. Dynamic stretches seem to be more effective at reducing muscle stiffness, which is thought to increase the likelihood of muscle tears. For this reason, many coaches now advocate static stretching away from competition to increase range of motion, and dynamic stretching prior to performing for injury prevention and preparation.

A good dynamic stretching program designed for you & your sport, will get you in better shape to compete.
This type of stretching takes you through a range of motion that you'll use in your sport whether it be running, tennis or cricket. So for runners that would include heel kicks, high knees & fast feet etc, tennis & cricket would include some of these plus those to get the shoulder moving in rotation & sideways movement that wouldn't be required in running.
Tennis would include some light work with a racket & a ball, so ideal to do with a training partner, Cricket could be the same but in bat & ball in the warm up nets. Rugby & football would include ball handling skills.

Dynamic Hamstring Stretch

PNF Stretching

PNF stretching (or proprioceptive muscular facilitation) is one of the most effective forms of flexibility training for increasing range of motion.

PNF techniques can be both passive (no associated muscular contraction) or active (voluntary muscle contraction).

Using these techniques of 'contracting', 'holding' and passive stretching (often referred to as 'relax') results in three PNF stretching techniques. Each technique, although slightly different, involves starting with a passive stretch held for about 10 seconds.

Hold-Relax
A practitioner moves the clients extended leg to a point of mild discomfort. This passive stretch is held for 10 seconds. On instruction, the athlete isometrically contracts the hamstrings by pushing their extended leg against their partner's hand. The partner should apply just enough force so that the leg remains static. This is the 'hold' phase and lasts for 6 seconds. The athlete is then instructed to 'relax' and the partner completes a second passive stretch held for 30 seconds. The athlete's extended leg should move further than before (greater hip flexion) due to autogenic inhibition activated in the hamstrings. Contract-Relax
A partner moves the athlete's extended leg to a point of mild discomfort. This passive stretch is held for 10 seconds. On instruction, the athlete concentrically contracts the hamstrings by pushing their extended leg against their partner's hand. The partner should apply enough force so that there is resistance while allowing the athlete to push their leg to the floor (i.e. through the full range of motion). This is the 'contract' phase. The athlete is then instructed to 'relax' and the partner completes a second passive stretch held for 30 seconds. The athlete's extended leg should move further than before (greater hip flexion) due to autogenic inhibition activated in the hamstrings.