Sports massage can benefit a wide variety of people.
From athletes to office workers we have seen hundreds of patients who LOVE sports massage and recommend it as part of their monthly routine.
Sports massage is a firm massage that helps to increase circulation into muscles. This is particularly helpful for athletes who feel sore following training or tight. People report it makes them feel looser, more relaxed and have greater flexibility.
The science is quite simple.
Massage helps the brain (but in ways you might not have considered):
Tactile stimulation helps desensitise tender areas. The skin has a large number of sensory nerves which input information to the brain. If these areas are sensitised pressure to the area can help to effectively “reboot” the computer system and settle everything down.
The potential effectiveness of massage therapy is proposed to increase skin and muscle temperature, blood and lymphatic flow, and parasympathetic activity. Subsequently, the effects include then relief of muscle tension and stiffness, reduction of muscle soreness, and increased joint range of motion (Weerapong et al., 2005, Guo et al 2017)
The Hoffman reflex after massage also contributes to the reduction of muscle pain (Morelli et al., 1999). Moreover, the psychophysiological response to massage, including relaxation, leads to mood enhancement and fatigue reduction (Hemmings et al., 2000). (Guo, 2017)
