sports therapy

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Practitioners: Carlie-Ann Offer, Sophie Capito, Gary Lambeth

Sports Therapy is an aspect of healthcare that is specifically concerned with the prevention of injury and the rehabilitation of the patient back to optimum levels of functional, occupational and sports specific fitness, regardless of age and ability. This is achieved with the use of manual techniques, exercise prescription, fitness and nutrition advice.

It utilises the principles of sport and exercise sciences incorporating physiological and pathological processes to prepare the participant for training, competition and where applicable, work.

Manual Therapy

Sports Therapists are trained in Sports Massage which includes Remedial Bodywork. This is specific soft tissue techniques that can detect and treat underlying tension and adhesions which could be causing or maintaining a painful condition.

Exercise Prescriptio

Exercises are prescribed to be done between treatment sessions.These exercises are designed to address areas of weakness that might have lead to injury but they also aim to help prevent recurrence of that injury.

Sports Massage

This is primarily a deep tissue massage. The various techniques are designed to identify and rectify soft tissue problems. The main benefits are that it can reduce muscle soreness, release tension, both deep and superficial and thus improve mobility and circulation.

For those regularly participating in a sport, or those whose jobs are very physical, a regular treatment helps to at least maintain if not improve performance by decreasing recovery time, increasing mobility and helping maintain muscle elasticity. It can also help reduce the incidence of injuries through early detection and advice.

Although the name implies that this is only for those participating in sport, this is not the case. For example, most of us spend many hours a day sitting using a computer or the telephone. This can lead to the adoption of poor posture which leads to pain, stiffness, discomfort and/or tension in the back, neck and shoulders. Sports Massage can help to alleviate these complaints and with advice on posture can reduce the recurrence of these problems.