What is a "Sports Massage"?

The term “sports massage” holds different meanings to different massage schools, journals, and texts.  We have broken Sports Massage down into three different types.

Pre-event Sports Massage is very light and rapid movements meant to stimulate the nervous system and bring circulation to the outer-most capillary beds of the major muscles (usually legs).  Pre-event Sports Massage can be fit into an athlete’s warm-up immediately preceding competetition. 

Post-event Sports Massage is deeper and slower techniques designed to sedate the nerves immediately after competition and restore length to the muscles and tendons while reducing pain and severity of delayed on-set soreness to the muscles.  Post-event massage has the best results if used during the warm-down after the athletic event.

Clinical Sports Massage is each individual therapist’s combination of learned techniques used to reduce pain, increase mobility, and restore a more normal resting length to each affected muscle.  Some therapists use more pressure than others, some dig thumbs into your muscles while others smooth long muscles with an elbow.  Some therapists rely heavily on assisted stretching techniques while others elongate muscles using Thai massage.  Whichever techniques and modalities we use, our goal is to find the soft tissue abnormalities, which cause you pain, and help to normalize them, so that you can participate more successfully in your sport, activity, or hobby.

We know that it is hard to enjoy a sport that brings you pain, frustration, and injury.  That’s why we endeavor to become a part of your training plan, not as a crutch, but as a part of your support team.  As Sports Massage Therapists, we feel it is our duty to coach you on how to stay injury-free while getting the most out of your activity.  We will consult with you about stretching, self-massage, and recovery routines.

Is your problem out of our scope of practice?  Not to worry, we are affiliated with professionals who we feel are the best in Atlanta.  We know better than to think we can “fix” every ailment we encounter.   We network closely with Sports Medicine specialists of all kinds:  Podiatrists, Chiropractors, Physiatrists, Acupuncturists, Physical Therapists, Orthopedists, Pilates Instructors, and Sports Medicine Internists.