Body Alliance Sport Massage
Based on Swedish massage, Sports massage is a technique which uses the application of pressure to manipulate soft tissue. Swedish massage involves the use of gliding strokes, kneading movements, circular pressure of the hand and fingers, vibratory movements, brisk tapping and bending and stretching. While sports massage incorporates all of these movements, it also incorporates additional intensive techniques specifically designed to prevent and treat sports injuries.
The main benefit of sports massage is that it improves muscle flexibility, blood circulation and reduces swelling, aids the prevention of sports injuries and assists the body with recovery and repair after sports injuries have been sustained.
Athletes looking to improve performance and increase their competitive edge usually do so by adopting a training schedule to enhance their skill, strength, stamina, suppleness and speed. The degree to which they develop and utilise these qualities will depend on other factors such as the level of competition or the sport played. However, the aim is nearly always to increase the level of training and thereby subject the body to gradual and controlled overuse.
Sports massage works by improving the suppleness and flexibility of muscles and joints, improving blood circulation, accelerating the healing of damaged or stressed muscles, tissues and joints, and preventing future muscle and tendon injuries.
Sports massage can be carried out prior to a sports event, in order to stimulate circulation, calm nervous tension and prepare the individual for optimal performance whilst at the same time reducing the risk of injury, as well as after a sports event, in order to relieve soreness and assist with the removal of lactic acid and other waste products.
The client is usually asked to remove their outer layer of clothing in order to allow the practitioner to work directly onto the skin.