Sports Massage Leeds

Professional Sports Massage Therapy In Leeds City Centre.

Whether you are injured or in good health, your body can always benefit from sports massage. Our skilled specialist sports massage therapists in Leeds use the very latest techniques and equipment to provide the best possible treatment for you.

Our Sports massage therapists have experience working with elite athletes and the general public. They hold advanced qualifications, are registered with appropriate organisations and hold suitable insurance.

What is Sports Massage Therapy?

Sports massage is a specialist type of deep tissue massage developed to help maintain and heal soft tissue in the body. During a sports massage, your therapist will work on soft tissue (skin, muscle, tendons, ligaments and fascia), particularly focussing on problem areas or those associated with them. This can help to correct imbalances in the body and aid future performance.

Despite the name, sports massage is not just for athletes; it can benefit everyone from the average keep-fitter to the marathon runner.

Massage is one of the oldest types of physical therapy and has been in use for 3,000 years in the East. This type of therapy first became popular in the West in the 1700s with the development of Swedish massage.

Modern sports massage is similar to Swedish massage; however, the goal of therapy is not only to relax the body but to bring healing and strength to areas that have been injured.

This form of massage therapy is more vigorous than regular massage, and it works on relaxing muscles that are tight, while also providing stimulation to inactive muscles, and reconditioning soft tissues.

What to expect from a sports massage treatment?

Your Sports Massage at Freedom Care Clinics Leeds will begin with an initial consultation. Your clinical massage therapist will discuss any areas of pain or injury, take a brief case history and listen to your goals and expectations.

Following a consultation and case history a brief assessment may sometimes be done.

Your Sports Massage Therapist will then begin your treatment. What to expect from a sports massage depends on what type of massage you are having. There are several different treatments from injury massages to post-event massages.

  • Injury treatment – as part of a course of physiotherapy or osteopathy, your practitioner may suggest an injury massage. This treatment will focus on specific areas, helping to overcome tightness and speed up recovery. This type of treatment isn’t only for sporting injuries like rugby or football injuries but can be used to treat problems caused by lifestyle too.
  • Pre-event – a brisk massage to prepare the muscles and soft tissue for your event. Generally carried out from two days, up until a few hours before the event.
  • Post-event – a slow and gentle massage to ease fatigued muscles and prevent soreness after your sporting event.
  • Maintenance – combining deep tissue massage, trigger points, joint mobilisation, and stretching and strengthening exercises, helps prevent tightness in the muscles which can lead to injury. Maintenance massages are regular treatments that are integrated into your training programme.

Sports Injury Prevention and Treatment

The goal of sports massage in Leeds is to reduce tension and stress in the soft tissues and:

Reduce recovery time after injury

Improve performance

Reduce the chances of re-injury

Increase endurance

Sports massage is all about relieving muscle pain and tension while increasing flexibility and mobility. It can also help patients who are dealing with a chronic injury.

What Are The Benefits Of Sports Massage?

Sports massage therapy helps muscles and connective tissues to relax, reduce pain and reduce tension. The types of massage techniques used in sports massage are meant to improve circulation, which may also work to increase the nutrients brought to areas that have been injured. Massaging the muscle also brings more oxygen to the areas.

  • Pain reduction: this type of massage is also used to reduce pain, which is beneficial when recovering from an injury. Massage is used to increase the endorphins in the body; these are natural substances, created by the body to help minimise discomfort caused by an injury. Pain reduction is also accomplished through massage by getting muscles to relax.
  • Promotes relaxation: while sports massage is not meant to be “relaxing” like other types of massage therapies, it does promote relaxation of muscles. Relaxing the muscles can improve the range of motion, which also brings relaxation of muscles. The release of tension also promotes mental relaxation through reduced pain, and more.
  • Reduction of stress and anxiety: sports massage also works to reduce anxiety and stress, which are the natural products of a sports injury. And this type of therapy can work to increase sports performance while reducing the chance of re-injury or additional injuries in the future.
  • Improve flexibility & mobility: what’s more, sports massage Leeds can also improve flexibility and mobility after an injury. Muscles tend to tense up and can become stiff after being injured. Massage and stretching help the muscle to relax and ease up, improving mobility and flexibility.
  • There are a number of physiological benefits to sports massage, including improved blood circulation, lymph drainage, muscle relaxation, stress relief and general relaxation.
  • Specifically for athletes, research has shown that as well as treating and preventing injuries, regular sports massage can actually help boost sporting performance and reduce recovery times after events.

What is a Sports Massage Therapist?

This is a person who has been extensively trained in sports massage and who is a member of a professional organisation. At Freedom Care Clinics our sports therapists and sports massage therapists are an important part of our team. A sports massage therapist is a health professional who has the knowledge and skills to:

Assess, treat, rehabilitate, and refer patients to another healthcare professional for additional medical treatment. They are trained to provide care for sports (and other) injuries while offering assistance and guidance with regard to athletes who are competitive, occupational, recreational, and more.

A sports massage therapist is also able to assist those who are not athletes with similar types of therapy. They use sports and exercise methods to optimise performance, preparation and injury prevention programs.

A sports massage therapist also provides the appropriate types of soft tissue treatments in a sports & exercise background. They are trained and knowledgeable on planning and putting into action the right types of rehabilitation, which include returning to training and work.

Contact Us Today

These are only a few of the benefits you can expect from sports massage in Leeds. The goal is to loosen up muscles and connective tissues, increase blood flow to injured areas, and more to get you back up and in good form once again. If you have more questions about sports massages in Leeds or would like to book an appointment, then please give us a call. We’ll get you back in the game!