Faye Barr Sports Massage Therapy

Sports Massage & Therapy in Warwickshire

Sports Massage Myths Debunked

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Sports massage HAS to hurt to be effective

Sports massage is very similar to deep tissue massage in that both require the therapist to use firm pressure. This pressure CAN be uncomfortable when the muscle is tight or overworked, there is scar tissue present or the client is suffering with DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness aka the pain in your muscles the day after intense exercise!). If the discomfort for the client is too much, they may find it difficult to keep the affected muscles relaxed which would lead to an intensified level of pain and a less effective treatment. The common rule is that the client should mostly feel that the massage pressure is tolerable. If the pressure is too soft, the treatment may be less effective. Some people either with a high pain threshold or with healthy muscle tissue may not feel any pain or discomfort at all during treatment. This doesn’t mean that their treatment is less effective than others.

Sports massage releases ‘toxins’

This is a popular myth. Lots of therapists tell their clients that they are ‘releasing toxins’ from the muscles, without really knowing what this means or even what ‘toxins’ are. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine have conducted multiple studies on the effects of massage on the body and none of these show any relation to a release of toxins.

You must drink LOADS of water post-massage

Linked to the last myth, therapists who tell you that they have ‘released toxins’ from your muscles, will usually follow this with advise of drinking ‘plenty of water’ to ‘flush out the toxins’. Despite common misconception, massage does not increase your body’s need for water at all. That being said, you should always drink to thirst and sip water throughout the day to ensure that you stay hydrated and maintain healthy organs.

You shouldn’t question your therapist – they’re the expert after all…

Most massage therapists genuinely want your treatment to be as effective as possible. It is vital that you communicate with your therapist to ensure that the treatment is right for you. This includes telling your therapist if the pressure is not right, they are not quite hitting the spot, you’d like it if they used a bit more oil, you’d like another pillow/towel or anything else that would make the treatment better for you. A good therapist will leave their ego at the door and appreciate that their client feels confident and comfortable enough to ask for what they want out of their treatment.

How Sports Massage will help you to achieve your New Year’s Resolutions

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If your resolution is to get fitter

Sports massage helps to improve posture, increase mobility and flexibility, which leads to improved muscle functioning, helping you to move better.

If your resolution is to be happier

Sports massage is proven to reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone and increase levels of serotonin, the hormone that promotes happiness. Sports massage also relieves muscle tension, relaxes tight shoulders and eases tension headaches, allowing you to feel relaxed and happier.

If your resolution is to take care of yourself

A recent study conducted by Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles found that just one hour of massage increased the levels of white blood cells in the body, leading to an improved immune system. Sports massage also has been shown to decrease blood pressure, with a study at the University of Maryland Medical Centre finding an average drop in Systolic pressure of 10.4 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure drop of on average 5.3 mm Hg.

If you resolution is to improve in your sport

Regular sports massage helps to improve the recovery rate of muscles by increasing blood flow, helping oxygen and nutrients to get to damaged tissue. By increasing recovery rate, the body is able to take on higher levels of training, leading to improved performance.

The injury prevention and rehabilitation benefits of sports massage helps to prolong sporting careers. Sports massage prior to an event will help you to prepare mentally by promoting a positive mindset and high self-confidence.

If your resolution is to get a promotion at work

Sports massage increases blood flow to the brain, providing more oxygen, which improves concentration and levels of productivity, allowing you to work more effectively.

The reduced levels of cortisol and increased levels of serotonin achieved through regular sports massage can promote high confidence and a positive mindset needed to work hard and achieve goals.

 

Whatever your resolution, let me help you to achieve it by booking a sports massage today.

Why does Sports Massage hurt?

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A lot of clients ask me if it’s normal for their muscles to feel sore after sports massage treatment, with some clients using the phrase ‘no pain, no gain’ to justify why sports massage NEEDS to be painful. I have even joked with clients that I should offer gas and air as part of my service!

 

So does sports massage HAVE to be uncomfortable for it to work? I often talk about ‘good pain’ and ‘bad pain’ with clients. Good pain being slightly uncomfortable soreness during treatment, bad pain being so painful that you need to tense all your muscles to try to block out the pain. This is where talking with your therapist is so important, as everyone’s pain threshold is different. If you’re having to grit your teeth and tense your muscles to get through the treatment, the pressure is too much. By tensing your muscles, the sports massage is not as effective as it should be, as the muscle is effectively blocking out the treatment. With good pain, however, comes a slightly uncomfortable, but bearable, sensation in the muscle that is being worked on. This amount of pressure is the most effective, as the muscles are able to stay relaxed and allow the therapist to break down any knots and adhesions.

 

In terms of how you should feel after a sports massage is individual. Some people will feel amazing as soon as they step off the couch, with looser, more flexible muscles and any muscular pain felt before the treatment gone. Some people, however, will experience muscle soreness for up to 48 hours after and slight bruising. This is often the case with those who have long standing muscular issues that require more than one treatment to feel vast improvements.

 

So, in summary, discuss pressure with your therapist throughout the treatment and book regular massages (ideally once a week, at least once a month) in order to feel amazing immediately after your sports massage!

Unilateral Strength Training – what, why and how?

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Unilateral training is something that is relatively new to me (although I came to realise that I had to some extent been training in this way without realising it). As a keen runner, I had been suffering with knee problems on and off for a few years. After speaking to physiotherapists (mainly the incredibly knowledgeable Jon Davis at Shires Physio) and doing some research of my own, I discovered the benefits of unilateral training and how it can make me a stronger, more injury-proof athlete.

What?

Unilateral training simply means to train one side of the body separately from the other.

Why?

Most people tend to favour one side of their body to the other which, over time, can create an imbalance in muscular strength. Strength training bilaterally, using both sides of your body together, can only add to the imbalance, leading to postural problems, poor sporting technique and injury.

Training unilaterally can help to

  • improve balance and stability
  • strengthen core stabilising muscles
  • even out muscular imbalances
  • improve sporting performance
  • reduce the risk of injury

How?

It is important to begin unilateral training with light or no weights to introduce your body to this type of training. Don’t be discouraged from backing off the heavy weights as once your technique is solid and your stabilising muscles have adapted to working in this way, many people find that they can progress fairly quickly, even increasing in strength in bilateral movements. It is also a good idea to carry out unilateral training at the beginning of your workout, as it becomes much harder to balance when fatigued.

Some great functional unilateral exercises include:

  • single leg squats
  • single leg glute bridges
  • single arm dumbbell rows
  • hanging abdominal single leg raises

Add unilateral training into your strength routine and see the benefits for yourself…

 

 

 

 

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