Should I Book a Deep Tissue or Sports Massage?

Deep Tissue massage is the cornerstone of all our treatments. This massage requires a firm pressure that targets deeper layers of muscle tissue, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments. This massage is mainly used on people who aren’t injured but have a like or need deep pressure or who have tension areas that need breaking down. 

 

It promotes blood flow and therefore brings more oxygen and nutrients to the muscle tissue. It can also be a bit tender or sore afterwards like after a hard session in the gym. 

 

The techniques used in deep tissue tend to be a slow which enables us to go deep without pain and flowing to increasing relaxation. The aim is to break down all the adhesions in the tissues allowing for more freedom of movement and balance throughout the body. 

To be a sports massage therapist you need a much more comprehensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology and the dysfunctions and injuries that occur. The aim here is to fix, prevent and restore the body as efficiently as possible. We learn techniques that enable us to release scar tissue and adhesions, encourage inhibited muscles to re activate and switch off overloaded muscles. At Fire & Earth we use the deep tissue techniques as our base then add on specific sports techniques that are needed for that particular person. We also use postural assessments to gauge what’s going on and re assess your progress. 

 

Some of the techiniques we learn are postural assessment, stretching such as MET (muscle energy technique) PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) Trigger pointng, to name just a few. 

 

We may also give you some exercises to do at home to support the work we’ve done in the treatment and give you a result that is long term. 

 

It can be uncomfortable but we will always work within your pain threshold so don’t worry. 

So to put it simply, book for a deep tissue massage if you have tension but no actual injury or dysfunction, and book a sports massage if you have a problem you wish to fix. 

 

As we said earlier we will help you decide what’s best for you when you come for your inital consultation and chat to your therapist, but if you have any questions just give us a shout.