Sports Massage

Sports massage treatment plays an extremely vital role in improving and maintaining performance levels, regardless of the type of athlete you are. 

As a highly-qualified sports massage therapist, I remain dedicated to providing my clients with the best treatment possible in order to help reach your highest potential; sports massage treatment is one way of achieving that.

With many years of experience, I have developed the expertise to ensure every person has a treatment plan tailored to their specific goals. Through sports massage treatment and strength & conditioning plans, I will help you reach those goals by maintaining your peak physical condition, reducing the risk of injury in the process.

On this page, you will find out all about what sports massage is, the benefits, the techniques used and what you can expect from our services at RedAlert PT.

What is sports massage?

Sports massage is a type of massage that uses soft-tissue manipulation to benefit an individual who participates in physical activity on a regular basis.

When thinking of soft tissue, this is the connective tissue that is not hardened to the bone and cartilage. Examples include the skin, muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Sports massage can be extremely beneficial in removing any imbalances in soft tissue, usually caused by physical activity that places high physical demands on the body. These types of injuries can occur for everyone; whether you are a high-level athlete or just someone who enjoys participating in sports, you are at risk of encountering these types of injuries from strenuous movements.

Benefits of sports massage

There are numerous benefits to sports massages, both physical and mental. These include the following:

• Increased range of motion in joints
• Increased flexibility in your body
• Decreased DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)
• Decreased tension in the muscles
• Decreased neurological excitability, so your nerves become more relaxed
• Decreased muscles spasms
• Increased sense of well-being
• Decreased anxiety
• Improved overall mood
• Better sleep

If you want to feel these benefits and start to improve your physical and mental well-being, get in touch and book a consultation for sports massage treatment – we are here to help.

Our sports massage techniques

There are numerous techniques that can be used during sports massage treatment. We use the following:

Effleurage

Effleurage is a gentle stroking motion using light pressure that is normally used at the beginning of a sports massage to ‘warm up’ the muscles and body.

The technique is performed using either the padded element of fingertips or the palms of hands, with the primary intention of increasing blood flow and circulation towards the heart, which in turn increases the temperature of the soft tissue in your body.

It is extremely effective when used at a slow pace and also stimulates lymphatic drainage while increasing relaxation for clients at the start of the massage treatment.

Petrissage 

Petrissage is a technique used to apply deep pressure to underlying muscles in order to allow easier movement of tissue and muscles in the body. 

This technique aims to remove any tension and loosen the muscle fibres in your body by using the palms of your hands and the surface of your fingers/thumbs. It will also assist in breaking down adhesions in the process.

Types of petrissage techniques include wringing, kneading, rolling and muscle squeezing.

Wringing

Wringing is a technique used on large areas of muscle, which involves grabbing the muscle with both hands and applying a twisting motion in opposite directions. 

This technique effectively releases tension and increases flexibility through soft tissue mobilisation.

When using wringing, different pressures can be applied for different desired results. It can help improve the removal of waste products that exist in tissues, which also increases tissue elasticity in the process.

Kneading

Kneading is a sports massage technique used to manipulate muscles and tissues by applying pressure in a compressive action.

During the technique, muscles are lifted, rolled and squeezed using deep pressure, which in turn breaks down and realigns collagen fibres to improve muscle elasticity, relieve knots in muscles and decrease pain.

Kneading requires attention to specific areas of particular tension and is also known to help relieve stress.  

Trigger Pointing

Trigger pointing is a massage technique that focuses on locating and treating specific areas of muscle tension known as trigger points. 

When these areas are pressed, it can cause pain in that area and even other parts of the body. Trigger pointing aims to relieve this muscle tightness and, in turn, decrease the pain.

The idea is to relax the muscle fibres, increase blood circulation into that area and break the cycle of pain. Trigger pointing is often carried out by the use of thumbs or elbows to apply greater pressure.

Frictions

Frictions involve deep, localised movements that are applied with fingertips, thumbs and knuckles to target deep layers of muscle tissue in the body. 

The technique is carried out in a circular or back-and-forth motion to break down adhesions, scar tissue and knots. 

Frictions are used to improve the range of motion for joints in the body and promote healing for damaged tissues.

Gliding

Gliding, which is also known as stroking or superficial effleurage, is a technique used in the direction of blood flow to reduce inflammation and swelling.

In sports massages, gliding is used by applying light, flowing strokes with palms/fingertips over large areas of the body. 

Overall, this technique relaxes tight muscles and improves overall circulation in the body.

Compression

Compression is a technique used that involves applying pressure to specific muscle areas to increase blood flow and relieve muscle tension. 

This technique is usually carried out by laying your hands over an area and applying pressure to the tissues by pushing downwards.

Overall, compression is great at decreasing pain in certain areas of the body, relaxing tight muscles and promoting relaxation. 

All of these techniques are used by RedAlert PT; if you would like to find out more information, get in touch with us today. 

What is the difference between deep tissue and sports massage?

It is important to know the key differences between sports massage and deep tissue therapy.

As a general overview, sports massage is a targeted massage approach that fixates on certain areas of the body that need treatment, while deep tissue massage is often used as a full-body treatment. 

Both massage types use similar techniques to the ones discussed before, but a sports massage can be more beneficial for athletes and active people as it targets particular areas to improve that, in turn, better your physical performance.

Sports massage packages

At RedAlert PT, we offer different packages depending on the length of sports massage treatment you want. A full breakdown of our prices can be seen below:

We also offer special bespoke package deals for clients wanting regular treatment blocks paid in advance – for those, please contact us to find out more information.

Starting sports massage treatment

If you feel ready to take the first steps with RedAlert PT, let’s get started and work together.

You can book your initial sports massage consultation today – just pick a time and day that suits you in line with our appointment availability – it’s that simple!