Sports Therapy

Willie Thomas holds an advanced diploma in sports therapy and is a sports therapy tutor seen here treating a professional football player

Sports massage plays and entirely different role than traditional body massage and getting into the muscle can be painful in key areas of stress. Just to rub the top surfice simple soothes the nervous system and feels very nice!! but does not reach the core of the muscle to have the effectiveness athletes need.

Sports masage plays an inportant role in the prevetion of injury and performance. The benfits include:

• Reduced muscle tension
• Aids recovery
• Re-aligns muscle fibres
• Promotes wellbeing / Relaxation
  
• prepares muscles for exercise
• Breaks down fibrous adhesions (knots)

The inclusion of Muscle Energy Techniques (MET), maintainance stretching helps to maintain the limbs full range of movement (ROM) avoiding becoming muscle bound from the demands of stength training. Proprioceptive Neurofacilitation Facilitation (PNF) is developmental stretching designed to develop flexibility and should only be done post exercise as it involves a maximal resisted contraction.

If executed correctly and safely the athlete will experience direct benefits such as, greater ease through movement, increased speed and reduced risk of injury.

Optaining a professional sports massage on a regular basis can seem expensive at a cost of approximately £20 per session but this long term investment is worth the cost to maintain the body when undergoing rigourous training regimes.

Other skills of a therapist include:

• Body alignment assessment
• Identification muscle imbalances
• Tape and strapping techniques
• Referals to specialists

Mid week I'll be advising athletes with injury niggles and treating where appropriate. Phew!! is my job never done lol.