Massage

Sports Massage is a style of bodywork that addresses the particular needs of athletes. Sports Massage is a special form of massage and is typically used before, during, and after athletic events, as well as off-season, pre-season and post-season massage. The purpose of the sports massage is to prepare the athlete for peak performance, to drain away fatigue, to relieve swelling, to reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility and to prevent injuries. Sports Massage utilizes a mixture of techniques ranging from Swedish, Deep Tissue, Neuromuscular Therapy, Myofacial Release, and Facilitated Stretching. The final ingredient is a therapist that understands the demands that your sport has on your body, and how do address those demands with Sports Massage.

Some of the most exciting benefits of Sports Massage are: enhanced athletic performance, faster workout recovery, fewer injuries and faster recovery from injury, restored flexibility and range of motion, removal of lactic acid build up, extending the overall life of your athletic career, reducing feelings of stress, and maintaining the body in better condition.

Yes. Sports massage is proven to reduce recovery time, sometimes dramatically, by shortening the time it takes for injuries to heal, and makes the after effects “better”. Sports Massage reduces the swelling and oedema associated with soft tissue injuries. After a serious injury, Sports Massage helps form strong pliable scar tissue instead of the usual random stiff scar tissue, so that range of motion and tissue extensibility are maintained.

Yes, in an indirect way. Sport Massage tweaks your body to a state of higher efficiency so that you can get an extra 20% more – more speed, more strength, more performance. Sports Massage breaks down muscle adhesions, relieves knots, increases range of motion, decreases pain, increases circulation, stretches tight muscles, reduces stiffness and generally reduces the negative after effects of hard training. This means you can train harder than you ever have before. You can excel to higher levels than you thought possible.

Yes. The prominent cause of diminishing athletic ability with aging is due to years of microtrauma from maximum exertion coupled with the cumulative results of old unresolved injuries. When Sports Massage is used on a regular basis, the effects of these traumas are lessened. The effects of injuries are overcome. The muscle tissues and facia remain supple and pliable much longer. The musculoskeletal system keeps full range of motion. Couple these benefits with the extra 20% performance that Sports Massage gives you, then the natural “slowdown” associated with aging is pushed back to a much later time.

That depends on several factors such as training volume and intensity, whether or not you have chronic pain or acute injury, and other factors. For some athletes, a weekly massage gives huge results. Other athletes only get an occasional Sports Massage if they’re in pain.

The best way to reduce the effects of hard training is with regular Sports Massage. We suggest you try a series of 5 or 6 Sports Massages to see how you feel when the positive effects accumulate. Then you’ll be able to decide how often you need a Sports Massage. However, it is a fact that even getting massaged once a month regularly has long lasting positive impact.

Sometimes yes. If you have a tight painful neck and shoulder complex you can expect to come away from a Sports Massage experiencing a lot of relief, at least for a while. But it probably took you months or years to get that way. It’s not reasonable to expect permanent relief from an hour session of Sports Massage.

The effects of Sports Massage are very much like the effects of athletic training. Your first bike ride won’t turn you into Lance Armstrong. But a consistent training program will turn you into a competitive cyclist. So it is with Sports Massage. Consistent Sports Massage can offer very positive results to chronic issues and painful conditions.

Lactic acid is a constituent part of the cellular metabolic cycle. During strenuous anaerobic exercise the levels of lactic acid can rise to high levels, causing fatigue and a burning feeling in the muscle tissues. The high levels of lactate can linger longer than most of us would wish for. One way to diminish that burning feeling in our muscles is with a recovery style Sports Massage. The long strokes of a recovery Sports Massage aids circulation. The stagnant blood and fluids are “pumped” toward the heart and liver. Freshly oxygenated blood rushes into the muscle tissue, giving a refreshed relaxed feeling to sore muscles. After a post-workout Sports Massage, recovery from a gruelling workout or training session is much briefer.

No, not usually. If your therapist is mindful and experienced they will work up to your individual capacity for pressure. For example if you’ve just ran a marathon they know you can’t take a lot of pressure on your legs. If they see you wincing or resisting their strokes, they know to back off. But sometimes individuals develop knots, contractures, or trigger points that require stronger bodywork and may cause discomfort. If this is the case, the therapist and client communicate about pain levels, working together to make the session as productive as possible, as pain free as can be. But all of this aside, a typical Sports Massage is a pleasurable experience, not a painful one.

No, absolutely not. Deep work is reserved for conditions and issues that call for it. It’s typical to be sore for several days after a deep Sports Massage. That would interfere with an athletic event or competition. A pre-event Sports Massage would be the right choice before a race. Pre-event Sports Massage boosts circulation and flexibility. It leaves muscles relaxed and ready for action. Pre-event massage can help prevent muscle and tendon injuries and improve performance.

Yes. Contraindications are conditions when you should not be massaged. The most common condition among athletes is that of an acute injury or inflammation. Usually the first 72 hours after an injury are the acute stage. After the swelling and pain begin to diminish, massage is indicated. A partial list of contraindications are: fever, vascular conditions, severe heart disease, contagious skin conditions, inflammation, abrasions, cuts, hematomas, neuritis, recent surgery, infectious diseases, diabetes with vascular dysfunction, fractures, and acute injury. There are too many possible conditions to list here so it is your responsibility to alert the therapist of any medical condition or injury before a massage begins. Some conditions are localized so massage may take place except in the affected area.

Yes, by all means. Self-massage and stretching are two of the best things an athlete can do for him- or herself. There are some excellent books on the subject. But even though self-massage is beneficial, it doesn’t replace a good Sports Massage by a trained therapist.

These are few guidelines: don’t eat a heavy meal before the treatment, wear comfortable underwear, drink plenty of water after your treatment, be clear with your therapist as to what are your expectations of the treatment and above all, enjoy!

No! This is because probably your symptoms will intensify and also you may pass the virus to your massage practitioner, who is then going to pass them to the rest of the clients.

Best thing to do if you have a cold: Stay at home! And try to be kind to your fellow human beings by not sharing your viruses with us!

It doesn’t really matter as You will undress to your underwear but will be covered by towels at all times and only the part of your body worked on at the time will be uncovered to protect your modesty. Good towel management will ensure that you feel safe, warm and comfortable at all times.

If you are coming for sports/remedial massage, please bring some comfortable sports shorts.

Of course you can eat! You wouldn’t be able to relax very much if you were hungry! However, it is not advisable to eat a big meal before your session. A light meal would be ok.

Some people are able to close their eyes and relax with the lenses on but if you are unsure, you will probably be able to enjoy more your treatment if you remove them previously. You can bring your contact lenses case with you.

You don’t need to do anything at all but enjoy your treatment!

Sometimes the practitioner will ask you to do specific movements to help with the treatment, especially if you came for remedial/sports massage or to treat any specific injury or problem.

Some clients like to talk during the treatment. That is ok with me although my feeling is that you will benefit much more if you just get in touch with your body by placing your awareness in the areas that are being worked on.

Most of us live in our heads most of the time and this is a fantastic opportunity for you to switch off your mind, put your attention on your body and just “feel your body”.

See where it feels a bit tight or maybe a bit painful, or maybe it feels great to have pressure, etc…but above all, enjoy. Just by becoming aware your system will start the process of releasing and healing whatever it is there to be released and healed.

If you feel that you need more pressure or less pressure or there is an area where you would like more work or anything you feel might help, please say it. You therapist will always appreciate your feedback and will be delighted to be guided by you!

Not at all! Just let your breathing be as it is naturally. You may want to “send air internally” to the area that is being worked on to help the tension to release. Kind of “breathing into the area”. Some people are able to do this naturally as soon as they relax. It would be good for you to try it but if trying to do this, is going to stress you out, it is much better not to try to do anything and just enjoy the session!

There are many different possible causes for headaches. One of the most common causes is tension on the muscles at the back of the neck and the base of the skull. These are called cervical or tension headaches and they are often associated with neck pain and stiffness. If you are suffering from these types of headaches, remedial deep tissue massage could definitely help you.

 Absolutely. Deep Tissue Massage does not mean it is going to be hard, or painful or dangerous. It means it is going to go as deep as the tissues allow, without forcing anything. That is why it feels so good but also it is so effective.

However, it would be great if you could get your doctor to agree to you having massage treatment. This consent will be needed if you are pregnant less than 3 months.

Massage stimulates the part of the nervous system that needs to be activated for us to be relaxed (parasympathetic nervous system) Receiving regular massage treatments will “wake up” the relaxation processes and “remind” our nervous system that it doesn’t need to be in state of constant alert.

• I suffer from frequent headaches. Can massage help?

There are many different possible causes for headaches. One of the most common causes is tension on the muscles at the back of the neck and the base of the skull. These are called cervical or tension headaches and they are often associated with neck pain and stiffness. If you are suffering from these types of headaches, remedial deep tissue massage could definitely help you.

•  I am pregnant and my shoulders ache constantly. Can I have deep tissue massage?

 Absolutely. Deep Tissue Massage does not mean it is going to be hard, or painful or dangerous. It means it is going to go as deep as the tissues allow, without forcing anything. That is why it feels so good but also it is so effective.

However, it would be great if you could get your doctor to agree to you having massage treatment. This consent will be needed if you are pregnant less than 3 months.

• I am going through a very stressful time at the moment. How is massage going to help?

Massage stimulates the part of the nervous system that needs to be activated for us to be relaxed (parasympathetic nervous system) Receiving regular massage treatments will “wake up” the relaxation processes and “remind” our nervous system that it doesn’t need to be in state of constant alert.

Is there anything I should or shouldn’t do after my treatment?

You should just follow your common sense:

You don’t want to drink lots of alcohol straight away. It would be better to drink a bit more water than you are used to after the session.

You will maybe feel a bit spaced out so walk for a few minutes before you start driving.

It is good to go for a walk after a session to feel how your body is responding to movement and gravity. To see if anything feels different. After a deep tissue session you will probably feel looser and more flexible, have less pain than you had before if you had any and have more freedom of movement in general. So just enjoy the feeling!

Massage will encourage your system to go into recovery mode so maybe you’ll feel a bit tired and lethargic just after the treatment, although your levels of energy are likely to rise up after 1/2 hour or so.

It is possible that you feel a bit of soreness the following day in the areas that have been worked on. This doesn’t happen often but it may happen. Don’t worry about it. It won’t last for long and sometimes things get a bit worse before they get a bit better. If you have any doubt, contact your massage practitioner.

You should just follow your common sense:

You don’t want to drink lots of alcohol straight away. It would be better to drink a bit more water than you are used to after the session.

You will maybe feel a bit spaced out so walk for a few minutes before you start driving.

It is good to go for a walk after a session to feel how your body is responding to movement and gravity. To see if anything feels different. After a deep tissue session you will probably feel looser and more flexible, have less pain than you had before if you had any and have more freedom of movement in general. So just enjoy the feeling!

Massage will encourage your system to go into recovery mode so maybe you’ll feel a bit tired and lethargic just after the treatment, although your levels of energy are likely to rise up after 1/2 hour or so.

It is possible that you feel a bit of soreness the following day in the areas that have been worked on. This doesn’t happen often but it may happen. Don’t worry about it. It won’t last for long and sometimes things get a bit worse before they get a bit better. If you have any doubt, contact your massage practitioner.

That depends on what you want to achieve. In general, if you are happy with how your body feels and you just want to receive regular sessions for maintenance, I advise once monthly at least.

If you are a very sporty person, probably it will be better to come more often to condition your muscular skeletal system so that you can prevent injuries and optimise performance. In this case I would suggest once per week or at least once every 2 weeks.

If you have a sedentary job (desk office/ psychotherapist, etc) or a job that involves repetitive movements of limbs (computer work, hairdressing, etc) you would benefit from bodywork treatments once every 2 or 3 weeks.

If you are treating an injury or chronic problem, the best course to follow is to have a few treatments close together (once a week for 3 or 4 weeks or even twice per week for the first 2 or 3 treatments to be able to shift an unhealthy neuro muscular pattern) and afterwards, when you start getting better, you can start coming less often.

As a rule of thumb, the best is always to come for a session before you have any pain or injury. Better prevention than cure! Also remember, massage therapy is one of few things that are good for you and also feel good. So my advice is treat yourself well as much as you can!