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Brian Porter MHFST Sports Therapist
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| Sports MassageRegular sports massage should play a part in the training regime of any athlete. It is not restricted to the elite or injured. Indeed, one of its main benefits is in preventing injury. Other benefits include maintaining muscles in better condition, preventing loss of mobility or improving mobility after injury. Massage will help to prevent the build up of scar tissue and promote healing after an injury. Sports massage works on 3 levels - physical, physiological and psychological. The physical effects are that blood flow and lymph drainage in the muscles are increased. This helps to remove waste products such as lactic acid, allowing more oxygenated blood to flow to the muscle bringing with it nutrients that speed up recovery from exercise or injury. Scar tissue is the result of trauma during training and competition or from injury. It affects muscles, tendons and ligaments, and can lead to reduced mobility and flexibility problems. While massage may not remove the scar tissue completely, (the degree of success will depend on the degree of scar tissue formation, the length of time it has been present, the age of the athlete and many other factors), it can help to improve the suppleness and flexibility, thereby enabling normal function. Training and competition make muscles, tendons and ligaments hard and inelastic. Regular massage will help to stretch muscle fibres, releasing tension in the muscle and improving the flow of nutrients to enable speedy repair of the tissues to occur. Thorough stretching will also help to maintain flexibility and reduce this hardness. The physiological benefits: Pain in tense muscles is reduced. Initially the massage itself can be uncomfortable as the therapist works deeper into the affected area. However this pain soon goes as the body releases endorphins - the body's natural painkillers. The affected muscles relax and as a result the whole body feels more relaxed. there are essentially 2 psychological benefits of massage: relaxation is promoted in the whole body; if the massage is performed before a competition, the athlete is left feeling invigorated. Sports Massage is useful at all stages of training and competition. In all types of massage I have specific aims and I focus on the individual needs of the client. With the ever growing number of people taking part in sport, combined with the increasing competitiveness and intensity of physical exercise, the demand for sports massage is also increasing and becoming more and more recognized as a skill that may aid recovery and enhance performance. Treatment includes relevant homecare advice, which may include advice on warming up, stretching and/or self-massage and appropriate mobility exercises. A Gait, Posture and/or Flexibility analysis may also be carried out if necessary as part of the treatment. I recommended that the initial treatments are weekly to gain maximum benefit and remove s much tension and scar tissue as possible Thereafter, a regular (4 or 2 weekly) massage is advisable as a maintenance and preventative treatment. as everyone is different it is important that the therapist tailors the frequency and type of treatment to the individual client. Sports people are advised to have a massage at least every 2-4 weeks and more often when building up for a competition. I recommend a pre-event massage 2 - 3 days before the event and a post-event massage as soon as possible afterwards. The pre- and post-event treatments help to prepare the body for competition and speed up recovery afterwards.
Brian Porter MHFST
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