Homeopathy

Sports Massage

In 2004 I began teaching Sports Massage Therapy with Premier Training International and during this time I underwent a variety of additional training, learning many techniques that added to my already substantial experience and developed a reputation as a skilled teacher and therapist. Whilst working for Premier I also completed an Msc in Exercise Rehabilitation from the University of Wales and am currently completing my PGCE at Cardiff University.

In 2008 I was invited to complete a 6 month contract with the Australian Institute of Sport, where I helped to prepare Athletes for the Beijing Olympics. I currently work with Welsh Triathlon, offering hands on treatment at elite events and I am also working with the British Triathlon team throughout this year’s ITU World Championships.

I am a very keen Triathlete myself and currently live in Swansea so that I can surf the waves of Gower.

www.bwtherapy.co.uk

Sports massage is the methodical manipulation of muscles and other soft tissues for the relief of discomfort and tension, using deep stroking techniques with pressures, frictions and stretching.

Sports massage has an increasing profile in sports medicine, offering benefits for all kinds of athletes, from elite swimmers, cyclists and footballers, to recreational golfers and joggers, and weekend sports enthusiasts. Sports massage is a deeper type of massage that works specifically with sporting and occupational injuries and ailments. Most of our clients are active people who come in for treatment to recover from injury sustained during sport. From a tennis elbow or snapping hip, to a twisted ankle or shin splints, sports massage provides relief from discomfort and aids rehabilitation and recovery. Many techniques are used to reduce pain, enhance performance, improve range of movement and aid recovery.

Benefits of Sports Massage are:

• Reduction in muscle stiffness, pain and fatigue
• Increase in flexibility and range of movement
• mproved balance between muscles
• Greater postural awareness
• mprove the speed and quality of soft tissue repair
   

Effects of Sports Massage are:

• Stimulates circulation
• Decongests the tissues and improves tissue drainage
• Removes metabolic waste
•  Increases the uptake of oxygen and nutrients to the tissue cells
• Increases the rate of tissue repair by improving soft tissue mobility and formation of collagen
   

Under the umbrella of Sports Massage comes various techniques;

1. Trigger Point Therapy
2. Soft Tissue Release
3. MET stretching
4. Frictions

Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) stretching

MET is a form of passive stretching from the world of osteopathic techniques. MET’s target the soft tissues primarily, although it also makes a major contribution towards joint mobilisation. The purpose of MET stretching is to improve a clients’ flexibility and therefore range of movement at a joint.
Its effects are:

• Releases muscle spasms
• Decreases muscle hypertonicity (tension)
• Improves muscle flexibility
• Restores muscle balance

Trigger Point Therapy

Trauma occurs to the soft tissues by overuse, adaptive shortening, postural imbalance, strains, stress or nutritional deficits. This trauma leaves the soft tissues in a state of involuntary spasm, leading to pain and a restriction of movement. This spasm triggers a ‘trigger point’ to form in the soft tissue structure which will feel like a knot. Deactivation of these trigger points will;

• Reduces local and referred pain patterns
• Helps to restore muscle imbalances
• Increases soft tissue mobility
• Improves circulation
• Provides a local and general relaxation
• Increase flexibility of the affected muscle
• Improves range of movement (ROM)

Soft Tissue Release

This is an advanced and very specific sports massage technique. It’s a combination of stretching and deep friction that illicits a specific stretch to a muscle. It’s commonly used with fractioning to;

• Reduce adhesions in soft tissue structures
• Improves local circulation
• Increases functional ROM
• Develops flexibility in tight muscles and muscle groups

 

Frictions

This technique is directed pressure over soft tissues that manipulate their structure by softening up adhesions and returning the muscle back to its full function. Along with Soft Tissue Release, it provides a stretch to a highly specific area of tissues. Its effects are;

• Reduces congestion in a local area
• Increases local circulation
• Reduces the effect of scar tissue post injury
• Improves the mobility of soft tissues

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What is Soft Tissue Therapy?

Soft tissue therapy (STT) is the assessment, treatment and management of soft tissue injury, pain and dysfunction. It is a specific form of therapy which utilises a diverse selection of treatment methods, and for that reason each treatment is tailored for each person that I see. Whether you’re suffering from a sport or work based injury, STT can help to reduce pain, speed the up the healing process and help to improve mobility. Most of my treatments involve Myofascial Release and Myofascial Dry Needling .

Myofascial Dry Needling is a new treatment to the UK, it offers many patients a greater range of movement and a sense of greater freedom after injury throughout the whole body. I use the skill of palpation to identify areas of your soft tissues that I feel require ‘freeing’ up. Used extensively in Australia, I brought this revolutionary technique back to my practice in the UK after working with its original pioneer Stewart Condie during my time with the Australian Olympic team in 2008.

Myofasical Release is a gentle deep tissue technique which works by releasing tension in the fascia around the muscle, as opposed to other treatments which work on only the muscle fibres. When the fascias are warmed and gently mobilised they become elastic, freeing the joints and allowing for greater flexibility. This coupled with Myofascial Dry Needling, deep tissue massage and stretching techniques to limber up the body before and after, ensure an extremely effective treatment for most patients.

My treatments have a lasting effect on difficult to treat injuries after only the first session. Instantly noticeable results and significant improvement are reported by many patients and some have even stated that they achieve results that they didn’t imagine possible.