The Jersey Sports and Spinal Clinic are pleased to be offering Sports Massage and Soft Tissue Therapy from 20th February onwards. Bookings are now open online or over the phone. It is a treatment we have long been asked for – you asked and so we answered!

Many of you may already know what sports massage is and you already know that you want to book an appointment – you can book here. For those who aren’t sure what sports massage and soft tissue therapy is, here is some important bits of information to help you to decide if this treatment pathway is the one for you.

Sports massage and soft tissue therapy is for anyone wanting improved physical performance, increased mobility, reduced pain, improvement in injury healing time and to help prevent injury.

It isn’t “just a massage”. It is the assessment, hands-on treatment and rehabilitation of minor musculoskeletal injuries and pain through the use of deep tissue massage, manual techniques and some stretches or exercises. Dry needling, taping or mobilisation cupping can also be used where appropriate. Remedial exercises and advice may be given to enhance recovery, prevent injury, improve posture, function and mobility.

Just like the rest of the JSSC Team, our soft tissue therapists will aim to understand your needs and help you achieve your goals – whether it be injury rehabilitation, injury prevention or even event preparation. The treatment will always be individualised according to your needs.

Why do I need a sports massage?

Sports massage can help improve blood flow (for healing and flushing), pain management and range of motion. Other benefits may include:

You may choose to have a sports massage and soft tissue therapy treatment for maintenance reasons or for an injury. Individuals who take regular exercise, or athletes such as runners, cyclists, rowers, swimmers, kayakers, footballers, rugby players etc who want to keep their body in top condition may choose to have regular “maintenance” treatments. Sports massage can help with range of motion, muscle tightness and soreness and it can help improve performance, prevent

injury, and help prepare for events. Office workers or people sitting at a desk, labourers carrying heavy tools, operating machinery, laying bricks, painting ceilings, chopping vegetables etc… – all aspects of any “day job” can influence posture and aches and pains. Soft tissue therapy or sports massage can be great for helping that sore neck, tired legs, aching back etc before it turns into a chronic injury.

If you have an injury that is sub-acute (over 3 days old) or chronic (3 months+), and it is already being treated by one of our physios, then sports massage and soft tissue therapy can be a beneficial way of complementing your physiotherapy rehabilitation. Hands on therapy can improve mobility and improve movement patterns, reduce stiffness, and improve blood flow which can encourage healing whilst flushing debris. We use additional hands-on techniques to assist with this. Sports massage and soft tissue therapy works well alongside physiotherapy, pilates or strength and conditioning work, so can be a complementary treatment too.

Sports massage to complement physiotherapy, Pilates or strength and conditioning

Sports massage and soft tissue therapy can add value to physiotherapy treatment for tendinopathy, particularly Achilles, gluteal and patellar. It can also support recovery from frozen shoulder, shoulder impingements and disc bulges etc. Problems such as non-specific low back pain, tight upper traps / shoulders and tight or overused hamstrings and calves are regularly and successfully treated conditions. Muscular strains (such as calf tears, pulled quads, pulled back etc) and ligament sprains as well as muscle tightness respond well too.

Training after a sports massage treatment

We often get asked if it is ok to train after a sports massage session. The answer is “sometimes”. It really depends on the treatment given and what training you intend to do. If the training session is light, and the treatment given was not intense, it should be ok to train same day. If you want to (or have to) train after a treatment though, it is essential the therapist knows this in advance. Usually, we recommend no training on the same day after a treatment as there could be a higher risk of injury/pain and DOMS the next day. However, like with all treatments, there will be a two-way communication between patient and therapist and each treatment is specific to you and your intended goals.

What should I wear?

Generally we recommend wearing clothes that are easy to pull up or remove. Shorts and t-shirts are ideal, or loose fitting clothes. Towels are used to maintain privacy to you and don’t worry, we always have spare shorts if you forget! For ladies, if your treatment will involve your back, we recommend wearing a fastening bra rather than a sports type bra.

If you have any further questions about sports massage and soft tissue therapy, you can check out our FAQ section here. We also have some case studies here for further information.

Katie is available Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 20th February 2023 and you can book with her here.