How is sports massage different to ordinary massage ?

I am often asked about the different styles of massage available these days and what the difference is between them ? Sports massage, Swedish massage, therapeutic massage, remedial massage and many more.

The truth is that most massage techniques are based on a two different types of strokes of Swedish Massage: Effleurage and petrissage.

Putting it very simplified effleurage is a softer touch stroke to warm up the muscle , whereas petrissage goes deeper into the tissue and is more specific for each individual muscle treated.

Massage therapists all over the world will try to define what they do further, by how they describe the massage they offer: Sports massage is aimed at assisting your sporting effort by promoting recovery, remedial massage helps to address soft tissue issues as a remedy would and therapeutic massage is .. well – therapeutic !

The basic premise of massage is to facilitate a response from the body such as increased blood flow, venous return and active release of the muscle. How exactly your therapist gets the results you are looking for is the balance between a good client-therapist fit or a bad one. Luckily for most having a few massages to find your perfect therapist is no chore, but rather a journey of discovery and often just gives you options to choose from as a client.

At Auckland Therapeutic Massage we specialise in Sports massage. It’s our thang 🙂 This is not to say we will not be able to provide you with a very good and relaxing treatment, if that is what you are after, but helping you to your next starting line really is what we thrive on. So – are you ready to have a good go yet ? Go on, you know you want to!!