When I first heard about a sports massage, I curiously wondered what something like that might entail, yet thought to myself, “there’s no way I could ever need something like that”, despite being someone regularly taking in sport and exercise. Fast forward to present day me, I’ve just received my ITEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport Massage, with a full understanding of what and how a sport massage is and feels!
The common misconception is that you need to do sport or exercise regularly to need a sport massage - understandable, given the name. There are several different types of sport massage, with some catering specific to before and after sport and exercise events, though generally speaking, they can be used on the average Joe for something as basic as general muscle tension, for example, lower back pain.
So what’s the actual difference between a normal massage and a Sports Massage? Discover Massage Australia explains that a Sport Massage utilises similar techniques to a standard deep tissue massage, but is more focused onto a specific body part - hence the name. Certain sports require a higher demand from certain muscle groups, hence a localised soreness.
That being said, localised soreness and pain isn’t limited to the cause being sport. Jobs with either heavy labour or prolonged sitting can cause back pain, and this can be treated with sports massage. To treat this would be a standard sports massage session.
So what other types of sports massage are there? Sports massage can be offered regularly to athletes, integrated into their training programs in order to to help with the recovery process and address general tensions and soreness which may derive from training or competing. Having these regular massages are typically used by those who exercise frequently, whereas those who are less active may just opt for a sports massage when there are abnormalities detected.
Sports massage also includes pre-event and post-event massages. You guessed it, they happen before and after an event happens! A pre-event massage differs from usual sport massage, straying away from deeper techniques and involving faster techniques to increase blood flow to muscles which will be used most, as well as allowing athletes a chance to mentally prepare for their event. Some rapid techniques are even used to try “hype” the athlete up!
Apart from increasing blood flow and “hyping” the athlete up, sports massage as a whole has a dense profile of benefits. Whilst the wide array of techniques yields different benefits each, the general gist includes assisting in draining waste products, helping to relax and stretch specific points of muscles, and assist with the healing process in injury.
As someone who has both given and received a sports massage, I can let you know how it might feel. You come out of it potentially a bit sore - but a good kind of sore where you know your muscles have gone through something good. Don't worry though, most massages start and finish off quite light, and you can always try adjust the pressure by letting your therapist know if needed. Do keep in mind, techniques such as soft tissue release or post-isometric relaxation may require a bit of effort from you to either move, tense/contract, or stretch.
Overall, I'd say if you do sports, I definitely recommend giving it a try at some point in your life, or if you suffer any prolonged soreness, tension or injury! But, especially if you have a friend who's trained to do it! ;)
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