Sports Massage
Train Hard - Recover Better
What is a Sports Massage Anyway?
Look around the web or ask different clinics and you'll unlikely get a definitive answer to this question. Even more frustrating, many sources and businesses will give a circular response: "a sports massage is a massage performed on an athlete."
While the statement in itself can be true, it certainly doesn't help define or explain the treatment performed. So let us at least try to explain what we do here at Back & Body and help address some questions we hear frequently.
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At our massage clinic, our therapeutic manual therapy sessions already always have specific muscles as the focus of treatment.
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So should you book a myofascial massage or a sports massage? Both will target specific muscles. What would be the difference?
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3 Key Distinctions
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Anatomical Focus
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Context
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Game Planning
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Varied Anatomical Focus​
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Generally speaking, our myofascial massage therapies will focus more on the muscle belly, after all, that's the "workhorse" part of your muscles and is typically the main component that is causing pain and stiffness.
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With a sports massage, our therapists will pay more attention to the tendon insertions and attachments to give a particular muscle group a more holistic approach and thorough coverage of that muscle.
Context
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With the exception of our prenatal and lymphatic drainage sessions, most people visit us due to acute pain and stiffness (ex: strained low back after gardening), chronic pain (ex: TMJ issues or knee and hip pain from arthritis), frequent flare-ups due to lifestyle activities (ex: excessive sitting and computer use).
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Sports massages on the other hand, are more geared toward someone with muscle aches from training and are seeking a session to help with recovery. In other words, a person is seeking treatment for muscles that are healthy but sore and achy at the moment. Your therapist will aim to help you recover faster so you can hit your next training cycle as hard as your mind will allow. Schedule a myofascial massage with us if you have an acute injury.
Therapists providing sports therapies at 49ers headquarters Levi's stadium
​​​​Some athletes/sports we have worked with:
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US Olympians and Olympian hopefuls
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professional & national cricket
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semi-professional soccer
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USTA Juniors
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international archery
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NCAA basketball
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professional snowboarder
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professional skateboarder
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active NFL players
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professional wrestler
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competitive marathon and ultramarathoners
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competitive bodybuilders
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competitive powerlifters
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retired and active military veterans
Game Planning - Short View & Long View
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If you find a sports massage therapists that can provide the results you're seeking, then your therapist can work with you through your training cycles or competition schedules, and your therapist can be your partner and help provide long term vs short term planning and session adjustments. If your marathon is next weekend, then your therapist may tone down your session to avoid any post-treatment soreness. Having an established therapist that knows your body as a part of your support team prior to the big event is key component of your training and competition.
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So if your hamstring and hips are sore and tender because of your century ride, book a sports massage. If your neck is sore because of a tough mat workout during jiu-jitsu practice, book a myofascial massage.
We hope you can find a partner among our experienced staff that will always strive to provide a therapeutic and preventative massage therapy session for your active journey.