Sports massage is used for a myriad of reasons and not just for people doing sport.

Sports people need to be able to perform correctly and achieve their own personal goal, but so too does an office worker or a bus driver.

We continually subject our bodies to repetitive stresses and strains. Over time this can result in injury, tightness and restriction, and eventually pain. As the body tries to compensate to avoid this pain, a viscious cycle develops leading to altered movement and other areas of the body being affected.

A sports massage focuses on muscular problems that may be related to poor posture, repetitive strain and general overuse. It is not always a comfortable experience as tight muscles tend to be tender. However, the results can be worthwhile.

The aims, therefore, are:

	Injury prevention
	Relaxation
	Improve performance

There are different categories for a sports massage:

Training/maintenance
Having a regular treatment will help maintain the health and function of muscles, tendons and ligaments. Any potential injuries can be identified and given corrective treatment. It is excellent for relieving muscle tension and pain which often occurs after strenuous or prolonged activity.

Pre event massage
Most athletes will have a massage several days before an event to improve performance, remove lactic acid, increase flexibility and mobility, realign any muscle fibres and, if necessary, resolve any niggles.

Post event massage
The purpose of this is to help the athlete recover from an event and normalise the muscles by stimulating circulation, stretching the muscles to reduce muscle tension and soreness and speed up the elimination of lactic acid to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This is recommended 2-3 days after the event.

Regardless of your lifestyle we all deserve to be spoilt and have some "me" time.

What are you waiting for?