Sports Massage

Michael J Massage Therapy will focus on the bodies main structures of bone, muscle, ligaments and tendons along with the connected systems of the heart, circulation and lungs. Treatment is tailored to the individual based on their initial assessment. Exercise plans and advice are routinely given following treatment and the number of treatments will vary depending on the patient's progress in recovery.

When Can Massage Help

Michael J Life Purpose will always try to provide the most important of information to you. This section will provide you with information as to when a message can be beneficial to your health without you even realising.

Listed below are the list of times as to when massage can be beneficial:

Acute Pain

Many people suffer from acute pain for various reasons. Types of acute pain include muscular ache, sharp pains or shooting pains. The most common causes of acute pain include injury, surgery, muscle overuse and muscular tension. Pain is created when receptors in the skin sense something is not right. The receptors then send a signal to the brain so that it can send a message to nerves. Nerves will then create a feeling of pain to stop or reduce the activity. Pain can cause stress levels to increase, relaxation levels to decrease and feelings of frustration or anxiety to arise due to the prevention of sport or exercise. Michael J Life Purpose uses massage for acute pain to help improve relaxation and relieve symptoms of stress and anxiety.

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain can be reduced through massage. For a pain to be termed as "chronic" it will be ongoing pain lasting 12 weeks or more. Chronic pain can arise for a range of reasons. The most common causes of chronic pain are injury or long term illness. Chronic pain can occur in any part of the body and can increase stress, anxiety and sometimes depression. A massage aims to disturb the pain cycle in order to reduce and relieve any pain and prevent it from reoccurring. Michael J Life Purpose uses massage for chronic pain in order to reduce stress and increase relaxation.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is regularly treated through massage. DOMS is the microscopic tears of muscle fibres and build-up of metabolic wastes within muscles. DOMS can occur at any point between 24 and 72 hours after activity. There are a wide range of causes for DOMS, the most common include muscle overuse, insufficient warm up/cool down and muscle strains and pulls. DOMS can often reduce activity, restrict movement, increase pain and reduce relaxation. Michael J life Purpose uses massage for DOMS to help a person return to sport or exercise, relieve stress and decrease pain.

Part of a training programme

A massage is an effective and beneficial treatment used to help as part of a training programme. A variety of different people can be a part of a training programme for a range of reasons. Some common reasons people use training programmes include to increase fitness, for weight loss and to prepare for an event. A training programme can regularly become intense often increasing the chances of overworking muscles, building muscle tightness and increasing chances of injury. Michael J Life Purpose uses massage as part of a training programme to help reduce muscle tension, improve muscle condition and prevent injury.

Post Event

A post massage is performed from 30 minutes up to 72 hours after competition or activity. Many massage techniques are utilised to increase blood circulation, remove metabolic waste and calm muscles down after activity. Post event massage uses light pressured techniques alongside passive stretching to help regain normal muscle resting lengths after strenuous exercise. A post event massage helps treat and prevent delayed onset muscles, fatigue and tightness. Michael J Life Purpose provides post event massages for a range of circumstances.

High muscle tone

High muscle tone is often treated through massage. High muscle tone involves the low level contraction of muscles that occurs unconsciously. High muscle tone can be visually defined and have a firm appearance as well as touch during rest. High muscle tone can decrease movement, increase muscle tightness, tension and increase the chances of injury. Michael J Life Purpose uses massage for high muscle tone to help improve movement, reduce tension and prevent injury.

Post injury

Massage can play an important role in the process of injury rehabilitation. Massage encourages blood circulatory movement and relaxes muscles. Massage helps to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to soft tissues and organs. An increase of vital nutrients into the tissues accelerates the healing rate of injured areas. Massage can help a range of injuries including sprains, strains, broken bones and muscles tears. Using a variety of massage techniques, massage can stretch out tightness and loosen scar tissue. Using massage as part of injury rehabilitation can increase healing rate and shorten recovery time.

Many types of massage are used post injury to help relieve acute pain. Acute pain can be left in the muscles and soft tissues after injury. Pain can be caused due to muscle tightness and fascia restrictions after injury. When injury occurs, muscles act as a protective mechanism and tighten around an area of injury. Fascia is connective tissue located under the skin. Restrictions in the fascia tissue can become tight due to scar tissue and lack of range of movement. Massage helps to manage tightness and helps to restore blood circulation in the tissues.

Massage is used to treat tight muscles post injury. Muscles commonly tighten after injury which leads to restrictive movements. Injury can affect a muscle's optimum length which results in an increase of tightness. Muscles are made up of overlapping fibres. If a muscle is tight, fibres overlap too much causing lack of flexibility. Massage can help increase the temperature of tissues to loosen and stretch them. Stretched fibres allow muscles to function better and injury recovery to be improved.

Massage is an effective treatment to reduce scarring after injury. Scarring is the natural healing process of damaged tissues. The body produces collagen fibres and sends them to repair around an injury site. Collagen fibres differ in texture to normal tissue fibres. Collagen is tough in texture and lays across the direction of muscle fibres. Scarring can be restrictive and aggravate to cause pain. Massage uses specialised techniques to loosen, break down and realign collagen fibres. Reduced scar tissue increases normal function of soft tissues, decreasing pain and tightness.

Sports Massage Service

Sports massages are not limited to athletes. Sports massage is an appropriate massage treatment for anyone who is in need of a remedial or soft tissue mobilisation. The remedial effects of sports massage are beneficial post-surgery, alongside physiotherapy, osteopathy or chiropractic, or as a health benefit within an office environment.

Pain Management

Pain management is a way to help people deal with their pain and its impact on their daily life. The aim of pain management is to alleviate pain where possible. If this is not possible, pain management will help to reduce pain and teach people ways to manage their pain on a daily basis. This will allow people to take control of their pain and learn strategies to try and improve their independence and quality of life.

Relaxation Exercises

Relaxation techniques involve activities and body positions to reduce pain and anxiety and promote mental and physical well-being. Such techniques may involve:

• Refocusing attention – such as areas of attention in the body

• Increasing body awareness

• Exercises (such as meditation) to connect the body and mind together

• Reducing the perception of pain

Emotional stress and pain can increase muscle tension and interfere with movement and function. Michael J Life Purpose massage therapy uses relaxation technique to relieve musculoskeletal tension and improve your quality of life. Relaxation techniques will be focused on:

• Reducing anxiety and tension

• Reducing pain and stiffness

• Improving quality of sleep

• Improving comfort

• Improving posture

Michael J Life Purpose offers professional massage and holistic therapy in the following areas

• Upper body - back and neck sport massage

• Full Body MOT – complete body check

• Kinesiology Taping and support for rehabilitation and injury

• General sports massage

• Head massage – holistic and relaxing

• Foot massage – using reflexology techniques for a relaxing and meaningful experience

All massage therapy sessions are priced at £45 per hour and £30 per half hour

Packages are available for clients needing regular therapy sessions.
Please contact me to discuss your individual programme of therapy.