Sports massage vs regular massage

phreak

How much more effective is a sports massage at removing aches and pains than a regular massage?

oldwelshman

about the same, neither are effective, they just relax you.

apreading

Disagree with oldwelshman - when I was overtraining last year and my quads were suffering, a sports massage sorted me out instantly as opposed to needing to lay off the bike for some time plus the muscles felt much more 'sorted' and powerful afterwards. This latter performance gain was short lived (a week or so) but the massage really sorted out some muscular issues.

Not had a regular massage from a qualified person (!) but the sports massage really focussed on stretching out and aligning the specific muscles used by cycling and pushed them quite hard, whereas I imagine a normal massage is more about relaxation of those muscles and doesnt push them so hard.

furrag

Deep tissue happy endings from sports masseuses hurt a lot more.

phreak

Furrag wrote:

Deep tissue happy endings from sports masseuses hurt a lot more.

So I've heard, but my quick scan of the local market seems to show that they'll hurt my wallet more too. Hence this thread, wondering if the cheaper option will be any use.

Courage Monsieur

Sports is a lot deeper and less about 'relaxing'.

She used her elbows on my quads. Hurt a lot, but also felt good.

It cost more, but then there was a lot more elbow grease on her part. (sorry)

barrybridges

In my experience, the difference depends more on WHO is doing the massage and less on what they're actually called.

Lots of places might offer something called a 'sports massage', but what they really mean is 'an aromatherapy massage which is just a bit harder'. On the other hand, a genuinely good physio or sports masseuse will give your muscles a really good pounding to get rid of the toxins and sort you out.

So, in summary, worry less about what it's called and ask about the person doing it. FYI, if you're anywhere near London, I had a really good sports massage in Abbeville Village by Clapham South; will try and dig out the name of the person who did it.

phreak

That'd be good, thanks. Prices thus far seem around £80 an hour, which is probably a bit more than I can justify.

apreading

Blimey - mine was £35 for half hour and they also do an hour for £50. Half hour is probably enough if you dont have serious problems and only need them to focus on specific areas like quads & calves etc - wouldnt have thought you needed an hour unless you want full body, which I wouldnt have thought is strictly necessary for a cyclist unless at elite level.

Courage Monsieur

£80! :shock:

Get a triggerpoint roller. Also a bit of a rip-off at £40, imho, but it is quite handy and could be worth it in the long-run.

Get the angles and the roll right and it's almost as good as some chunky bird's elbow.

oldwelshman

apreading wrote:

Disagree with oldwelshman - when I was overtraining last year and my quads were suffering, a sports massage sorted me out instantly as opposed to needing to lay off the bike for some time plus the muscles felt much more 'sorted' and powerful afterwards. This latter performance gain was short lived (a week or so) but the massage really sorted out some muscular issues.

Not had a regular massage from a qualified person (!) but the sports massage really focussed on stretching out and aligning the specific muscles used by cycling and pushed them quite hard, whereas I imagine a normal massage is more about relaxation of those muscles and doesnt push them so hard.

I enjoy massage, usually Thai or something less painful lol but the fact is theres a lot of research out there to show massage is just relaxing and does nothing to remove lactic acid from legs following a ride.
In fact a lot os masseurs would advice against aggressive massage immediately before or after very hard exercise.

phreak

I do stretch and use the foam roller at the gym after workouts, but figure there can always be improvements. £80 might be a bit steep. Seen some on lastminute for around £25, but I think I'm right in saying after a good sports massage you shouldn't really be doing much, so not sure if traveling half way across London afterwards would be ideal.

Percy Vera

Sports Massage, if done correctly is definitely not relaxing.

Definitely no Sports Massage before or after training. You should leave it at least 24hrs before doing anything hard afterwards.

Sports Massage is not about flushing out lactate - but a Sports Masseur can obviously do what's called a 'flush out' massage for this. This is basically a light massage.

Sports Massage is more about loosening tight muscles, breaking down scar tissue etc.

simon_e

Percy Vera wrote:

Sports Massage is not about flushing out lactate - but a Sports Masseur can obviously do what's called a 'flush out' massage for this. This is basically a light massage.

Sports Massage is more about loosening tight muscles, breaking down scar tissue etc.

^^ yes to this.

The 'flushing' is usually petrissage and effluerage. Recent research suggests that lactic acid is not the enemy (linky).

I have used a sports massage therapist for sorting a couple of minor issues. It can be quite painful, particularly working on scar tissue or inactive glute muscles, and it's not relaxing. As others have said, they may use elbows and bodyweight to exert more pressure than what would be done in a 'standard' massage. He charges £40/hour. My wife is trained in massage using aromatherapy oils and it's relaxing but she doesn't have the technique or strength to do deep tissue work (and it would hurt her thumbs and fingers too much).

barrybridges

I'm pretty sure this was the one I used:

http://www.theawarenesscentre.com/muscu ... linic.html

As it happens, I'm lucky enough to have a massage normally once a month, if not more regularly (not just sports massage, but aromatherapy, deep tissue etc) and the general rule I use - at least if you live in the South-East - is that if it costs less than £1 per minute of massage, it's good value, whereas if it costs more than £1 per minute, it's less good value.

Normally you would expect to pay between £50 - £70 for an hour's massage.

Velonutter

I've had a few sports massages to sort out niggles and I can tell you that when a proper Masseur digs his fingers in you feel like climbing up the wall.

I pulled my VMO muscle a few years ago and the NHS couldn't fix, I went and saw a sports masseur and after two sessions it was fixed.

I now only go if I have a problem or the week before an intensive ride like the L2P.

In comparison, when I was in Hungary last year I went to one of the Turkish baths and a big bloke gave me a massage, it was tame in comparison.

oldwelshman

Velonutter wrote:

I've had a few sports massages to sort out niggles and I can tell you that when a proper Masseur digs his fingers in you feel like climbing up the wall.

I pulled my VMO muscle a few years ago and the NHS couldn't fix, I went and saw a sports masseur and after two sessions it was fixed.

I now only go if I have a problem or the week before an intensive ride like the L2P.

In comparison, when I was in Hungary last year I went to one of the Turkish baths and a big bloke gave me a massage, it was tame in comparison.

Fix a pulled muscle? A muscle repairs itself with rest, you do not "repair" a muscle and massage would damage tissue and be extremely painful when massaged.

Velonutter

oldwelshman wrote:

Velonutter wrote:

I've had a few sports massages to sort out niggles and I can tell you that when a proper Masseur digs his fingers in you feel like climbing up the wall.

I pulled my VMO muscle a few years ago and the NHS couldn't fix, I went and saw a sports masseur and after two sessions it was fixed.

I now only go if I have a problem or the week before an intensive ride like the L2P.

In comparison, when I was in Hungary last year I went to one of the Turkish baths and a big bloke gave me a massage, it was tame in comparison.

Fix a pulled muscle? A muscle repairs itself with rest, you do not "repair" a muscle and massage would damage tissue and be extremely painful when massaged.

Sorry Welshman, didn't probably explain it well, I had a problem with my VMO muscle, that was according to my Physio pulling my knee joint out of alignment, as a result he found numerous knots in my muscles that he needed to get rid of, all I know is that after two visits the problem was fixed, in between time I did not ride, or in fact couldn't ride before he started his magic, but after two painful visits I was able to ride again.

Crimmey

I have similar experiences to velonutter. Sports massage has been a revelation for my knees, every session I cried like a big girl but was worth it. Looking at the prices you lot pay my masseur has been doing me a massive favour! As for removimg aches and pains due to 'doms' you have to stick it out, usually makes it worse unless straight after an intense session, before it sets in.