Sports Massage : Why is it important?

Undergoing sports massage, unlike other massage therapies, is more than just about relaxation. It is an important pre- and post-event activity both for prevention and rehabilitation purposes. Whether you are a trained athlete or an enthusiast who simply loves to play sports, having sports massage under a trained massage therapist can help you in many ways.

Importance of Sports Massage

Here are some of the reasons why undergoing Sports Massage before and after playing sports is important:

1. It prevents injuries

Injuries unexpectedly happen but if your body is fully prepared to perform at its best, your risk of developing injuries gets lower. Sports massage before any sports activity helps improve flexibility and alertness for maximum performance. It increases your body’s readiness to any strenuous activity and reduces your risk of being strained.

2. It improves circulation

During a strenuous sports activity, circulation can be compromised as the demand for oxygenation in different body parts increase all at the same time. A pre-event sports massage is very important to improve circulation and prevent lack of oxygenation during the event. By promoting elimination of blockages in the circulatory system, sports massage effectively promotes oxygen transport to various body parts.

3. It relieves muscle tension

After performing in a sports activity, your body will not automatically return to its pre-activity phase. Your muscles may remain strained and tense even for a few days. In order to promote faster recovery and muscle tension relief, undergoing post-event sports massage is very important. Sports massage relaxes muscles and ease discomfort naturally.

4. It restores balance

An imbalance in your bodily processes usually results after a strenuous sports activity especially if you are not really used to playing sports. While your body naturally resolves the imbalance, it may take a few hours, or even days, before you can easily perform your daily activities again. The importance of sports massage in restoring balance comes in. Sports massage speeds up the repair and healing of your damaged muscle tissues. It improves the function of your immune system for faster recovery.

5. It soothes pain

Pain and inflammation are expected symptoms after performing strenuous sports activities. By increasing circulation towards painful and inflamed body parts, sports massage soothes pain any discomfort. Sports massage also triggers the release of endorphins or natural pain killers in the body for pain relief.

Enjoy every sports activity with a healthy and strong body. Remember to undergo sports massage to ensure that you can perform in every sports game at your best.

Get to know more about sports massage at 

www.sydney-sports-massage.com.au.

Remedial Massage Therapy: A Sure Relief for Tennis Elbow

Massage therapy has for a long time been established to be the ultimate treatment modality for most sports injuries. Unlike general massage, remedial massage is specifically aimed at treating different client needs through only the relevant techniques as well as movement and lubricants. The healing process is therefore initiated from a cellular level as soft tissues get repaired and restored to their normal functionality. This kind of treatment is generally best for treating injuries where the skin is intact such as sprains, strains, broken bones and muscular-skeletal imbalances although it is particularly ideal for lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow). 

What is Tennis Elbow?

Tennis Elbow is a situation where collagen fibers are broken down in the tendons although no inflammatory problem arises. Most lateral epicondylitis cases are therefore caused by repetitive eccentric wrist flexion or excessive concentric wrist extension. Such chronic tension can also result from fatigue and tendon degeneration hence is best treated by either remedial reflexology or traditional approaches such as rest and reduction of the offending activities. 

Remedial Massage Therapy

The primary remedial massage technique aimed at treating tennis elbow involves massaging across the muscle fibers of the forearm to ease tension and facilitate mobility of the muscle tissue. The process also involves a gentle compression technique that helps to reduce pain in the arm when it’s being used by enhancing the muscle’s broadening ability during contraction.
In the process, the arm becomes less sensitive to a point where deeper massage techniques can be applied. Such techniques include trigger point therapy and resistance band exercises which help to rehabilitate the arm and treat tennis elbow. One other remedial techniques worth mentioning is deep friction massage which when applied to the extensor tendons of a flexed wrist, can encourage collagen production in the affected tendons. 

Alternatives to Remedial Therapy

To compliment remedial massage therapy, patients may also be encouraged to try out traditional approaches such as strength training, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, surgery, corticosteroid injections, soft tissue therapy, rest and anti-inflammatory medications. These however are basically more like first aids, since remedial manipulation is mostly successful where other treatments fail. 


In most countries, remedial bodywork is still an unregistered profession hence isn’t based on any special study. As a general recommendation therefore, patients are advised to seek treatment from a registered health professional before consulting a curative massage therapist. Nonetheless, in western society, remedial massage therapists are well trained and can be able to provide the right diagnosis and treat most soft tissue injuries like tennis elbow as well as offer relevant medical advice. 

Healing Frozen Shoulder with Remedial Massage

If you have been having difficulty lifting your arm because your shoulder is too painful or stiff, you may have a condition called "frozen shoulder", otherwise known as adhesive capsulitis. This condition basically describes stiffness in the shoulder or limited range of motion. It is characterized by a steady onset of pain and stiffness in one shoulder caused by tightening of the joint capsule and inflammation. Remedial massage therapy can help manage this pain and loosen stiff shoulder muscles. It is a holistic treatment that not only improves frozen shoulder, but also works for the entire body to improve total health.

Ligaments and muscles sometimes become sore and tight, damaged or knotted because of stress, repetitive or overuse motions. Remedial massage therapy focuses on the particular area by using passive stretching, effective and deep muscle compression to relieve muscle tension. A typical massage session takes between 25 to 35 minutes; this depends greatly on the extent of your pain and on the amount of treatment the body can actually handle at one time.

Some of the most important benefits of remedial massage for frozen shoulder include :

• Increased blood flow to the injured shoulder. This in turn increases the lymphatic flow to and from the shoulder, mitigating swelling, inflammation, pain and speeding up the body's own healing process. This stimulation to the blood supply also allows toxins in the shoulder muscles to be removed. 

• Relieved tension and stress, factors that are very well known to slow down or hinder healing process, and lead to problems of their own. This in turn helps to calm the peripheral nervous system to ease discomfort and pain in the shoulder.

• Re-aligned joints and relieved joint pain using mobilisation and gentle soft tissue. Also, it helps to release muscle spasms and relax shoulder muscle from excessively tense or shortened state.

• Toned shoulder muscles that help to improve joint mobility. The massage treatment also helps to break down fibrous or scar shoulder tissues, thereby restoring elasticity and flexibility to the joints.

• Decreased muscle fatigue and general overall relaxation. It helps to release overall stress and build greater immunity to further problems of the same area.

• Balanced joints and muscles leading to a better overall state of health.

Although a single massage will be beneficial and enjoyable, the effects of remedial massage are cumulative and a steady course of treatments in combination with strengthening exercises and stretching will bring the most benefits.

If you are suffering from Frozen Shoulder, please visit us at www.sydney-sports-massage.com.au.

Remedial Massage for Lower Back Pain

When ask about the common types of pain, surveys indicated that lower back pain is part of the top 4 type of pain. Lower back pain is a pain that you feel in your lower back. It can be caused by injuries, poor posture, wear and tear and misalignment. People who are prone to this condition are those who may lack of physical exercise, sitting at their desk for longer hours and even because of physical activity that leads to injuries.

But here is good news; there is an alternative to medical treatment that will not only help people with acute pain but even those who experience chronic pain. And this is known as Remedial Massage.

How Remedial Massage Works?

Remedial massage stills the nervous system and intensifies the flow of the blood to quicken the healing process of the body. It also gives relax and tone the muscles which are very important for people who experience lower back pain because of sitting longer hours in the same position or it could also be those who experience too much stress. This massage therapy is the recommended therapy one should attempt since it can give greater benefit even in a short span of time.

Remedial massage can help the patients eliminate the pain for a short period of time. Normally, in the first session, patient may feel relief and this can be a better way to manage unbearable pain. Using various forms of techniques, the therapist will use oil to ensure that it penetrates to the deep tissue in order to lessen the pain in the affected area.

The different techniques used for remedial massage are stroking and kneading while others make use of joint stretching. This type of therapeutic massage allows your body to relax and clear the toxins on it. However, it you are experiencing from a medical condition, make sure to go to a specialist before going to any massage therapy to ensure proper treatment.

For more information about remedial massage, please visit   

www.sydney-sports-massage.com.au.