Listen to the experts’ advice

This could be your doctor or your physio if your injury was such that you needed to seek advice. Whatever your injury, your body needs the right amount of time to heal and this could range from a few days to a few months. Pushing your body beyond its limits will only lead to more or worse damage, so take the experts’ advice seriously no matter how much better you may feel.

Start slow

Once you are ready to get started again, don’t go all out like you would have done before. Start slow, take it easy, and slowly build your strength and stamina back up. It won’t happen overnight, so don’t force it.

Listen to your body

It will tell you how it’s feeling. It will give you an indication of whether or not you’ve tried too hard, or too quickly. It is normal to feel some muscle stiffness for a couple of days after getting back to exercising, but if you are in some serious discomfort or pain then your body is telling you that you’ve gone too far.

Lighten the load

If weight training is your thing, don’t go straight back to the weight you were working with before your injury. Nor should you do as many reps or sets as you did before. How light you do go will depend on the type of injury you had and it is always wise to get the all-clear from a doctor before going back to it. Now could be the time to seek advice from a personal trainer about the level you should be starting at or how to build back up to where you were before.

Work on your core

Your core is what will help you stay strong and well balanced. It will keep you from injuring yourself further and will improve your posture – all of which will help you get back up to your normal routine sooner rather than later.

Eat well and rest up

Good advice whether you are returning from injury or not, but particularly important if you are. Give your body a chance to recover from the return to exercise. Take three days off instead of one. Get plenty of sleep – nature’s way of healing the body – and eat well to give yourself the nourishment and fuel that will help you get back to up to your peak condition.

For advice on how to get back to training after an injury or for a tailored programme to get you back into shape, talk to us at Valkyrie Personal Training & Massage on 07973 483314. We’ll get you fit again in no time!

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1. Sports massage will help soothe the pain of an injury (and reduce the chance of it reoccurring)

Not only does sports massage alleviate the pain caused from an injury by breaking down microscopic muscle fibres, it can also drive down the potential risk of suffering a further injury by breaking down scar tissue.
Additionally, the Journal of Physiotherapy found that muscle fatigue was reduced when sports massage was enjoyed regularly – and this particular study was for one of the most gruelling sporting events in the world – the Ironman Triathlon (and if anyone knows about muscle pain and fatigue, it’s Ironman triathletes).

2. Sports massage will get you back on the track or back in the gym more quickly

As the case study above goes to show, muscle fatigue happens to the best of us; sports massage overcomes this by eradiating waste products that otherwise store in our muscles (such as lactic acid and carbonic acid – two biological nasties that are responsible for the stiffness and soreness in your muscles post work-out day). Ultimately sports massages can help dissipate these products – allowing you to enjoy shorter recovery periods.

3. Sports massage will increase your flexibility (and push you through your plateau)

Those who are committed to hardcore workouts and stringent gym routines may be improving their fitness, but in the process of hard training, they’re also contributing to their tissues becoming hard and inflexible. This can ultimately lead to a plateau in performance (and plenty of frustration). Sports massage will overcome this by thoroughly stretching out any inelastic tissues.

4. Sports massage will stretch you all the way out

Sports massage can stretch tissues that may have previously remained un-stretched for a considerable time, in the process, muscles fibres are stretched sideways and lengthways. This helps to both release tension and pressure – ideal for the hard-hitting gym addict or body builder.

5. Sports massages can help treat a whole host of health inflictions

If you needed any further a reason to consider sports massage from a health perspective, then here are three: from assisting in lowering blood pressure, to addressing chronic back pain and onto the reduction of stress and anxiety, sports massage is somewhat of a single handed assistant for many varying conditions.

Whether you’re looking for one-to-one training, group sessions or sports massage, I can help you in achieving your goal, however it is that you might define them. Valkyrie PT and Massage, Bromley, London – contact me on 07973 483314, you can also send me a message via my contact page, and I’ll be back in touch within 24 hours.

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When your body is massaged, physiological changes in your body are caused by two different responses: the relaxation response, and the mechanical response.

What is the relaxation response?

Part of a massage involves an invitation for you to relax, which triggers a response within you. What happens is that the rate at which your blood pumps blood around your body slows, as does your breathing. Your muscles will also relax, and your production of stress hormones will decrease.

In addition, the level of serotonin released will increase. This is a hormone that can effect emotions and your general feeling of well-being. As a result, a massage will leave you feeling less stressed and less likely to develop symptoms associated with stress-related illnesses such as hypertension, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue and other psychological issues.

What are mechanical responses?

The physical manipulation of your muscles will result in an increase in blood and lymph circulation, as well as the relaxation of soft issue such as muscle fibres, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments. This manipulation will release nerves and improve the function of connective tissues.

Blood and lymph circulation is improved by soft tissue being manipulated, coupled with chemicals released via the relaxation response. Because circulation is improved, more oxygen and nutrients are delivered to muscle cells, which makes them function in a more efficient manner.

Manipulation can also improve the manipulation of waste products, the absorption of excess fluids and the reduction of swelling.

The second-most important aspect of massage therapy is the relaxation of muscle tissue, which helps to reduce muscles spasms and contractions which can become painful. When muscles contract, they often compress the nerves around them. When the muscles become relaxed, they no longer compress nerves, which in theory means they will increase the nerve functioning.

The efficiency of nerves is important. In order for your body to function as it should, it needs to send and receive messages from your nervous system, so if nerves become compressed they will not work as well as they need to do.

An expert masseur will be able to massage deep-lying muscles such as those attached to the spine. These muscles cannot be accessed directly, but they can be manipulated by massaging layers of muscle closer to the surface of the skin.

Even your internal organs can benefit from a massage as they share the same neurological pathways as the muscular structure, the skeleton and nerves. When any of these physical systems are not functioning as they ought to be, the functioning of your organs can be affected too. For example, if you have pain in your lower back, then menstrual cramps can be much more debilitating.

You’ll be surprised at all that a massage can achieve, as it provides benefits to your muscular, skeletal and nervous systems, and even to your internal organs.

With Valkyrie Personal Training and Massage, you can benefit from sports massage in the comfort of your own home in Bromley, Beckenham, Orpington and all surrounding areas – contact me for more details by calling on 07973 483314. 

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Why is this?

The benefits of sports massage therapy have been well documented and reputable research confirms the far-reaching affects of regular sports massage.  It plays an integral and important role in the life of most professional sports men and women.  Where once rugby teams, even at quite high levels, all bundled in a bath with one bar of soap, technology to track performance and science based complementary therapies, such as sports therapy have become an integral part of all disciplines of sport.

Professional sportsmen and women are a valuable commodity and specialised knowledge, once the preserve of the coaching team and physios who work wit elite athletes, to improve their fitness, hone their bodies and increase their ability to perform at a continuously high level, has now filtered down to all levels. Sportsmen and women, who strive to achieve and who turn out regularly for their local team or running club, can access therapies, such as sports massage.  This is not surprising because there is the same desire to achieve and succeed in all echelons of sport.

There is also the disappointment of coping with injury and the required rehabilitation to get back to fitness. While some of the more serious injuries are unfortunate and go with the territory of some contact sports, many soft tissue injuries can be avoided with sports massage.

Sportsmen and women can reach their goals and get better results by incorporating sports massage into their training programmes.  At Valkyrie I will help you identify your goals and targets and then factor in sports massage sessions, which will provide optimum benefit.

Sports massage can help you with:

• A demanding training schedule
• Increased range of movement, specific to your discipline
• Maintenance of your body
• Fitness for pre and post events
• Reducing the chance of injury
• Increased circulation to help the body’s healing process
• Break down scar tissue and adhesions where there has been trauma
• Minimising or removing the cause of pain
• Increase energy levels
• Engender a sense of well being which increases confidence and diminishes doubt and anxiety

The relationship between therapist and client is central to the success of sports therapy.  This relationship is built on trust and specific knowledge of your injury or desired goal.  By knowing you, I am able to structure a programme tailored to your needs and targets.  It also helps me monitor your progress and avoid potential problem, which may arise in the future.

Regular sports therapy also aids recovery and prevents the possibility of a recurrence of the injury.  No two clients are the same and one of the most important principles of sports therapy is to listen to you.  Your feedback is an essential part of the process.

Sports massage is also a very useful tool to help you understand your body and how it responds to training and competition.

Regular sports massage undoubtedly boosts your performance, reduces the risk of injury and makes participation infinitely more pleasurable, leading to success in your specific discipline.

Isn’t it time you thought about incorporating these sessions into your training programme?

If you have any personal training requirements, or would benefit from sports massage therapy, please do not hesitate to contact me on 07973 483314

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Sports massage therapy is a specialised form of massage which uses specialised techniques which were designed to treat sportsmen who place great strain on their bodies.

Remedial massage is very similar to sports massage. Both use techniques aimed at healing superficial and deep tissues. Remedial massage is based on working soft tissue and targeting sensitive areas known as trigger points.

Sports massage for non-athletes

You might not be an athlete or sportsman but you may be putting your body through stress on a daily basis, probably without realising it. Many our us spend our days hunched in front of a computer. Everyday activities such as DIY, gardening, or playing a musical instrument can also cause unexpected strains and injuries.

Although sports massage was developed for individuals active in sporting competition, its techniques are also invaluable for us non-athletes to help us through our daily lives.

Massage is increasingly being combined with orthodox medicine and has been successfully used for a variety of conditions including: anxiety and panic attacks, childbirth, cancer and as part of pre and post-operative therapy.

How sports massage can benefit you

Sports massage has immediate physiological benefits. It works to eliminate tension and waste products that can cause you pain. Massage also assists your body to release endorphins, which will give you a natural high.

In addition sports massage will aid your body’s circulation, and will warm and stretch your muscles. This will give you a feeling of deep relaxation.

There are also important psychological effects of massage. After your massage is over you the relaxation induced will help reduce anxiety and leave you feeling fresh and energised. Massage has been very effective in reducing depression and it can also bolster your immune system.

Having your first sports massage

The sports massage therapist will take a brief medical history from you prior to the treatment.  The massage will last for about an hour and massage lotion may be applied to your skin. It is a good idea to come wearing casual clothes.

The massage therapist will work your body with varying massage techniques. These techniques and movements are designed to encourage the flow of blood and lymph. If you are injured, your body’s muscles will be tight and lacking in blood supply. The massage will transport oxygen and nutrients to your muscles to help remove waste products and facilitate repair and healing.

Sports massage will also help stretch muscles tissues which can be tense and knotted due to overuse or injury.

The frequency of your massage treatment depends on your particular circumstances. Some people like to have a session every week. Others are content with a session every few weeks.

With Valkyrie Personal Training and Massage, you can benefit from sports massage in the comfort of your own home in Bromley, Beckenham, Orpington and all surrounding areas – contact me for more details by calling on [eeb_content]07973 483314[/eeb_content] or send me an email via the contact page by clicking here.

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