Sport Massage
In-Home sports massage to improve your physical performance without hurting yourself.
Do you want to perform better in your sport or discipline without hurting yourself? Do you want to recover faster after intense training? Are you worried about feeling tired after overtraining? Do you want optimal preparation before a competition? Whether you’re a professional athlete, an elite sportsman or a person who likes to exercise a lot, Longlife Wellness Spa offers a sports massage service that could improve your physical performance, speed up muscle healing or recovery and help you avoid injury.
Sports massage is not just for athletes
Sports massage isn’t just for athletes. Sports massage techniques are suitable for athletes and non-athletes alike, and can help relieve injuries, chronic pain, muscle aches and reduced mobility in all of us. It can be an effective therapy for releasing muscular tension and restoring balance to the musculoskeletal system, optimizing flexibility and maintaining a healthier physical state. Sports massage can help to : Acute and chronic low back pain and sciatica; Cervical pain and migraine prevention ; Sports injuries, including cramps and tendonitis; Frozen shoulder and other shoulder pain; Hip and knee pain due to osteoarthritis; Fibromyalgia, rheumatic pain, digestive and circulatory problems. You don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from a sports massage. The treatment can also help relieve many everyday problems such as repetitive strain injuries, sprains, workrelated tension and fatigue. We’ve all had to get up after a long period of sitting or sitting down and feel the need to stretch our arms, legs or back. It’s this natural desire of the body to see its tissues in a flexible state to which regular massage can contribute. For athletes and sportspeople, a sport-specific massage can be beneficial at different stages of participation: The conditioning/training phase ; Before and after the competition; After the trip ; To help with injury prevention and recovery. A constant build-up of tension in muscles due to regular activity can lead to strain on joints, ligaments and tendons.This overuse can often create problems and imbalances in the soft tissues and, if ignored, can lead to long-term chronic injuries that can affect improvement and performance.
What does sports massage consist of?
If you’re an athlete or someone who trains a lot, sports massage is an essential part of your prevention and maintenance program before, during and after a sports competition, as well as for recovering from injuries. Each sports practice uses muscle groups differently. Our sports massage therapists must know each muscle, muscle group and how they are affected by each sport’s specific movements and stresses. A sports massage can be performed as a full body massage or focus on the parts of your body that need the most attention. Deep pressure can be used with calming movements depending on your preference. You can enjoy a clothed or naked sports massage. If you prefer to wear clothes, make sure they are thin, loose-fitting, and allow the massage therapist to access your muscles. Loose shorts and a tank top are options to consider.
The science behind sports massage
To understand the physical and emotional benefits that regular sports massage can bring, it’s essential to delve into the science behind the therapy. Sports massage is rooted in the principles of anatomy, physiology and biomechanics. By applying targeted pressure, friction and kneading techniques, sports massage aims to improve our physical well-being by increasing blood flow, reducing muscle tension and promoting the body’s natural healing processes. By increasing blood flow, sports massage therapy allows more oxygen and nutrients to reach muscles in need of renewal and rejuvenation. What’s more, sports massage can stimulate the nervous system, releasing endorphins that help reduce pain and improve overall well-being. Integrating the scientific mechanisms at work during sports massage can benefit not only athletes and fitness enthusiasts to optimize their performance, but has also been proven to help the general population prevent future injuries, speed up post-operative recovery and increase mobility, whatever your age or lifestyle.
Therapeutic massage or sports massage?
Sports massage is actually a type of therapeutic massage that focuses on the treatment of soft tissue pain and injury associated with recreational activities. It can reduce your muscle stiffness and improve your relaxation by reducing your heart rate and blood pressure. Sports massage is excellent if you suffer from a muscle injury from repetitive use while playing sports. It is also a good option if you are prone to injury, as this massage can help you prevent sports injuries. You can also use sports massage to increase your flexibility and physical performance. Nowadays, sports massage has become an integral part of sports programs, from sports medicine clinics to gyms and even Olympic training. A growing number of coaches believe that sports massage can benefit athletes who participate in highperformance sports. More and more athletes and people realize that a complete workout routine includes the exercise itself and the management of minor injuries that naturally occur during intense movement. The physiological and psychological benefits of sports massage make it an ideal complement to a complete conditioning program.
Do you have any pain or injury after overtraining?
Proper recovery is also a major factor in avoiding overtraining syndrome. This is characterized by irritability, listlessness, altered appetite, increased frequency of injury, increased resting heart rate, and sometimes insomnia. This syndrome occurs when your body is unable to recover properly between intense exercise sessions. Sports massage helps you avoid overtraining by facilitating recovery through general physical relaxation and providing beneficial physiological effects. You may also have your own specific pain, possibly from past injuries. Our massage therapists can pay special attention to these areas, monitoring them for developing problems and helping you stay in good condition.
Are you a bit disappointed with your athletic performance?
An effective maintenance program is based on the massage therapist’s understanding of anatomy and kinesiology, combined with expert knowledge of which muscles are used in a given sport and which are likely candidates for problems. By focusing on particular muscle groups and specific issues related to your sport, our massage therapists can help you maintain or improve your range of motion and muscle flexibility. The aim of a maintenance program is to help you, the athlete, achieve optimum performance through pain-free, injury-free treatment.
Is your preparation before a competition adequate?
Sports massage can also be offered in the four hours preceding a sports competition to improve performance and help reduce injuries. It is used to supplement your warm-up to improve blood circulation and reduce muscle tension before a sports competition. Normally shorter at around 15 minutes, our therapist focuses on warming up the main muscles you’ll be using to achieve better performance. Sports massage also improves tissue compatibility for superior performance. On the other hand, certain massage techniques can help calm your nerves, and other massages can be stimulating.
Do you have difficulty recovering after your exercises?
Sports massage helps you recover from the stress of intense exercise and eases the rebuilding phase of conditioning. It improves your blood and lymph circulation and provides you with excellent muscle and general relaxation. Hence, it leads to eliminating waste or toxins, better cellular nutrition, greater elasticity of your tissues, removal of trigger points, and faster healing of injuries. All of this adds up to relief from pain and stiffness, better flexibility, and less risk of future injuries. In addition to general recovery, sports massage can also focus on specific muscles used in sports or fitness activities. For example, there is a lot of stress for runners and dancers in the legs, for swimmers in the upper body, for tennis players in the arms. These regions are more likely to be stretched, to lose flexibility and to develop trigger points.
Do you experience severe pain after rigorous exertion?
Even with a preventive program, you can still experience muscle cramps, tears, bruises and aches that can occur after a competition or rigorous training. Sports massage can speed up your healing and reduce discomfort during the rehabilitation process. The soft tissue techniques employed by our sports massage therapists are effective in the management of both acute and chronic injuries. For example, adding lymphatic massage to standard treatment in the acute stage of your injury improves your condition and makes it easier to remove fluids throughout the healing cycle. Trigger point techniques reduce muscle spasms and pain that occurs in injured muscles. Fiber friction techniques applied during the sub-acute and maturation phases of healing enhance the formation of strong, flexible repair tissue, which is essential for maintaining full, pain-free range of motion during rehabilitation.
How does a sports massage work?
At your first visit, expect to give your medical history as well as explain how you got injured and/or what you hope to get out of the visit. This should be followed by an examination, usually including a basic postural analysis as well as an active and passive examination. The overall clinical picture will help formulate a treatment plan and, based on this, soft tissue techniques will be used to achieve the desired goal. It’s important to keep several things in mind when consulting a massage therapist: Keep your expectations realistic; It’s your body, so be aware of how you react; If improvements occur, you are on the right track and it may be worth continuing; If there is little or no improvement, consider a reassessment. A good massage therapist will refer you to other specialists if the problem does not fall within her competence; Wear loose, comfortable sportswear (for example, loose, comfortable running shorts) and avoid clothing that is too tight or restrictive, as this may limit the massage therapist’s ability to access or work on specific areas.
What techniques are commonly used in sports massage?
Sports massage uses a variety of techniques that target specific areas of the body to enhance performance, facilitate recovery and prevent injury. Here are some common techniques you can expect during a sports massage session: Effleurage: This technique consists of long, gliding strokes applied with the palms or fingertips, helping to warm muscles and increase blood circulation; Kneading: Using kneading and compression movements, kneading helps release muscle tension, promote circulation and improve flexibility; Friction: By applying deep circular motions with fingertips or palms, friction can help break down scar tissue, release adhesions and stimulate the healing process; Compression: Constant pressure is applied to specific areas, such as trigger points or tight muscles, to relieve muscle knots, improve circulation and reduce pain; Stretching: Massage therapists can incorporate stretching techniques to increase flexibility, improve range of motion and prevent muscle imbalances; Myofascial release: This technique targets the fascia, a connective tissue surrounding the muscles, to release restrictions and improve mobility; Trigger point therapy: Pressure is applied to specific trigger points to relieve localized muscle pain and referred pain patterns; Interfiber friction: This technique involves applying transverse pressure to muscle fibers to break down scar tissue, improve flexibility and enhance muscle function. These techniques, combined with the expertise of a qualified sports massage therapist, can help you relieve muscle tension, improve recovery time after a fitness injury or post-operative recovery, enhance sports performance and prevent injury. Don’t forget to consult your massage therapist, so that he or she can advise you and discuss the techniques best suited to your specific needs and objectives.
Does a sports massage hurt?
The intensity of the sports massage can vary according to the level of discomfort felt: this can depend on each individual’s pain tolerance, specific techniques and areas treated. It is important to develop a two-way communicative feedback system to better understand pressure and comfort levels. Pressure adjustments can then be made. Sports massage techniques can range from gentle and relaxing to deep and intense, depending on the session’s objectives and specific needs. Although some discomfort or mild pain may be felt, it should not be excessively painful or unbearable. It’s important to note that this is a temporary response. It’s essential to work with a skilled and experienced physiotherapist or sports masseur who can personalize the treatment, taking into account your specific needs while adjusting the pressure accordingly and still delivering an effective result.
How often can you receive a sports massage?
It’s a question we’re often asked at the end of a massage. Everyone is different, and some people react more quickly to sports massage than others. Some people have a lot of tension in their muscles, with symptoms of pain/discomfort. This may be due to stress, sitting at a desk for long hours in a stressful job or very intense exercise. For these people, we generally recommend returning once a week or at least every two weeks until the tension in the muscles begins to ease. This process may take a few sessions. At this stage, the frequency of massage can be reduced to once a month to keep the body free of discomfort and prevent it from returning to its previous tense state. For people with no immediate problems (of which they are aware), we recommend receiving a massage to maintain/improve the level of tension in the body at least once a month. A monthly massage keeps the body in optimal condition and helps you to stay energized and feel relaxed. For people who exercise regularly (3 to 4 times a week), we strongly recommend a sports massage every 2 to 4 weeks. We will always advise you on appropriate stretching and other home treatments to complement the treatments.
How long should I rest after a sports massage?
At the very least, you should rest for at least 24 hours after your massage to ensure that your muscles have sufficient time to repair. Post-massage soreness is quite normal after a sports massage, and your muscles may still be tight after 48 hours, which is a sign that they are still recovering.
Why should you rest after a sports massage?
There are several reasons why you should rest for at least 24 hours after a sports massage, some of which we explore below: Risk of injury After a sports massage, your muscles and connective tissues are softer and more supple, which could increase your risk of injury. If you engage in strenuous exercise soon after a sports massage, you run the risk of fatiguing your muscles and tissues, which could lead to swelling, bruising and loss of strength. Dehydration When your muscles are trying to recover from a sports massage, your body uses more water. This increases your risk of dehydration. You need to avoid excessive sweating and give your body time to return to its normal state of hydration. We also advise you to drink plenty of water before and after your massage to speed up your recovery after a sports massage. Muscle soreness Delayed-onset muscle soreness is the painful sensation you feel after an intense workout. Sore muscles after a sports massage are completely normal, as your muscles are working hard to repair themselves. If you work out while you’re sore, you’re not giving your muscles enough time to heal, and your workout can be quite painful too.
How long does muscle pain last after a sports massage?
As we mentioned earlier, you may experience delayed-onset muscle soreness after a sports massage due to the technique we use to transport nutrients and blood to your muscles. Pain generally peaks after 24 hours, as it does after any other workout. Most aches and pains disappear after 48 hours, but they can last even longer than that. Choose a unique sports massage with Our Mobile Sports massage is a type of massage that focuses on tense muscle fibers related to sport and is useful for helping you perform better. Treatment for a sports massage can vary depending on your injury or personal preference and can apply to soft tissue, deep tissue, and your entire body. We invite you to make an appointment with one of our massage therapists for a sports massage session.