Thai Massage’s Part In Sports Injury Recovery

I am often asked if Thai Massage can help with recovery from Sports Injuries.

If the injury is a fairly small one such as a sprain, strain or minor pulled muscle then it is usually safe to treat yourself at home. However, you can always visit your local GP or NHS walk-in centre if you wish to double check anything or if things do not seem to be improving.

Any and all significant injuries such as damaged bones, dislocations or head injuries need to be treated by a Health professional, usually your doctor or local A&E department.

Following your injury you might have discomfort, inflammation, swelling, bruising, and restricted motion or stiffness in the afflicted location. Often, these symptoms may only surface several hours after exercising or playing sports.

Stop exercising if you feel pain, no matter whether your injury took place suddenly or you have actually had the discomfort for a while. Continuing to work out while injured might trigger more damage and slow your recovery.

For small injuries that you have actually decided to treat yourself you can always follow PRICE therapy:

PRICE stands for protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation.

Protection – protect the affected area from further injury – for example, by using a support.Rest – avoid exercise and reduce your daily physical activity. Using crutches or a walking stick may help if you can’t put weight on your ankle or knee. A sling may help if you’ve injured your shoulder.Ice – apply an ice pack to the affected area for 15-20 minutes every two to three hours. A bag of frozen peas, or similar, will work well. Wrap the ice pack in a towel so that it doesn’t directly touch your skin and cause an ice burn.Compression – use elastic compression bandages during the day to limit swelling.Elevation – keep the injured body part raised above the level of your heart whenever possible. This may also help reduce swelling.* From https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sports-injuries/treatment/

RehabRehab requires supervision and management by appropriately skilled medical personnel, physicians, physio therapists and physical fitness consultants. The aim of rehab is to restore the player to complete fitness, that includes:

Recovery Of Muscle StrengthRestoration Of A Complete Series Of Motion In The JointHealing Of Co-ordination And BalanceFitness Maintained By Exercises Such As Biking And SwimmingGradual Intro Of Sport Specific AbilitiesContact Drills Followed By Full ContactIf And When These Phases Of Recovery And Rehabilitation Are Attained, The Player Is Ready To Return To Action

Massage In Treatment Of Sports Injuries

Thai Massage helps in both the Physiotherapy and prevention phases.

PhysiotherapySportsmen recovering from injury will benefit from physiotherapy.

It’s a specialist treatment where techniques such as massage, manipulation and exercises help improve the range of motion, build-up the surrounding muscles, and return the injured area to normal functions in a shorter time.

Your Massage therapist can also help you prepare a specialised exercise program to help strengthen the area surrounding the affected body part and that will help reduce the chance of any injuries re-occurring.

PreventionSports massage has a specific physical goal; to help prevent injury occurring in the first place or in the case of an injury, to help it heal as quickly and thoroughly as possible. It is different from a relaxing massage at a spa as it is designed to work deep into the tissues to stretch muscles and increase blood and nutrient flow, as well as eliminate waste products. Thai Massage’s Lymph Drainage is an excellent example of this.

Whether you’re a professional athlete or just a weekend warrior who enjoys a run, Massage will help prevent injuries occurring in the 1st place, and it will aid your recovery from the demands you place upon yourself.