sports massage

dave02

anyone had a sports massage, got bad neck, trapped nerve, bad discs, muscles gone mad, been suggested i try massage,just wondered if you had one and did it do any good :?:

schweiz

Yes, a good sports massage can help you. However, you need to get the right person to do it. Also a sports massage is not like a 'spa' massage which is all about relaxation, they can hurt but afterwards I can really feel the difference.

w00dster

Hi Dave,
I have a pretty bad back (I have Degenerative Cervical Disc Disease, nothing too serious, 1 disc is open and 1 bulging putting pressure on spincal cord and nerves, typing that it sounds worse than it is!)
After most long rides (long for me - 40 miles) - I find that my neck is almost locked into place. I tend to go for a sports massage once every couple of weeks, for instance I did a 52 mile sportive on Sunday and had already booked into my sports massage on the Monday morning.
It makes a huge difference for me, the pain is pretty bad and like Scweiz mentions, it is no spa treatment. But I honestly feel that it allows the blood to start flowing properly and the next day I'm much more mobile. (Hard to say if I would have felt better anyway after a days rest, but it seems to work for me).
My only advise is to make sure it is a proper qualified sports massage and not a normal masseusse (sp?!) performing what they think is a sports massage.

Dorset_Boy

Absolutely, +1

macroadie

dave02 wrote:

anyone had a sports massage, got bad neck, trapped nerve, bad discs, muscles gone mad, been suggested i try massage,just wondered if you had one and did it do any good :?:

Thai massage seems to work for me especially if the therapist is good at stretching.

Shakey Bear

I was a little unsure before my first (for several reasons!) but found an excellent therapist who has corrected some minor injuries - and more importantly focused on injury prevention. She spent time discussing injury history - infant identified one I hadn't declared! Stretching exercises have ended chronic knee pain. It's definitely money well spent, and will be a part of my future training plans. But as above, do ur research, and find someone suitably qualified. It's not the experience to book if you are looking for a 'happy ending'

dave02

hi Woodster, i have the same problem also in my lumber area, its so bad some times i cant move my head, my daughter is a physio and says it could help having the massage as physio can only do so much, how do you prepare for a ride, i do 40/50 miles 2/3 times a week if i feel ok, heat works for me also a Tenns machine,

itboffin

dave02 wrote:

anyone had a sports massage, got bad neck, trapped nerve, bad discs, muscles gone mad, been suggested i try massage,just wondered if you had one and did it do any good :?:

that's a coincidence i have the same, and after 3 weeks of prescription drugs with rest i decided on a sports massage, which was very good and helped move the pain away from my back and arm, the underlying problem obviously isnt gone, i've also had an x-ray but my GP said this morning the next steps for me will be an MRI, steroid injections and possible surgery then physio.

w00dster

Hi Dave,
I use cold treatment, have an ice bag that I use to keep the blood in the muscles flowing, stops them "balling up" around the problem area.
I also go to a Personal Trainer couple of times a week, we focus on core strength and spend a lot of time stretching. Luckily my trainer specialises in posture correction, not that my posture is poor, but she has a lot of knowledge with regards to back/neck problems.
Prior to any ride I foam roller my back and also use a golf ball to get deep into my tissue.....

http://golfballmassage.com/essential-tr ... in-relief/

The golf ball hurts like hell at first, but after 30 seconds or so in the trigger points, it eases of considerably. I also try and use the foam roller for leg massage as well after a ride. But tbh, I'm normally to busy thinking about getting the ice pack on my neck to worry about the roller.

This kind of works for me, pain is still there, but I just see it as a way of managing it. Good luck with finding something that helps.

nferrar

Personally I'd try an osteopath first as they have more specialist knowledge, the one I went to used a lot of massage in the treatment (and gave me various stretches etc. to do in my own time), helped he was a cyclist I guess but I'd still see a non-cycling osteo for back trouble before I'd see a sport massager who might only have a fraction of the knowledge when it comes to back & spine.

w00dster

Hi Nffar,
I'm presuming that Dave has been to doctors, had an MRI etc and is now in the pain management stage.
I initially went to see lots of different Osteopaths and it was about the 4th one who suggested I have an MRI scan to see the damage. Whilst he was ok the others were in my opinion of lesser use, my back and neck were "re-aligned" on each visit, but I didn't see this is root cause analysis.

With my problem I have one prolapsed disc and another disc that is bulging. According to my doctor (not sports specialist, just BUPA bloke), my muscles bunch up into a knots to protect my problem areas, this results in a sort of spasm that means my neck is pretty much locked into position (damn painful), I can move it but it takes effort and most of the movement is from the hips/shoulders, anyway, the sports massage is about releasing the balled up muscles and allowing the blood to flow properly again.
I'm not saying that I know best, all I know is what works for me.

StillGoing

I've suffered with pain in the small of the back for a long time. Had plenty of physio and consultations that haven't cured the problem. On a recent visit to a more knowledgeable physio it was suggested I had a rotated pelvis that results in one leg being longer than the other and the muscular skeletal system compensating for it hence poor posture and back pain. To treat it I was sent to a Dr Roger Oldham who specialises in Prolotherapy. This involves injecting a solution of glucose and glycerine into the right ankle ligaments. The same treatment has been used on professional footballers, rugby players, golfers, swimmers, runners and yes cyclists from the pro tour. Because my condition had gone undiagnosed for so long, it will probably take 12 months of rehabilitation before the symptoms vanish completely, but things are looking good so far performance wise on the bike. A rotated pelvis prevents you from using the glutes effectively. Because a lot of us don't stretch we tend to get tight hamstrings which can be one method of pulling the pelvis out of rotation.

http://www.olympicatlanticrow.com/2012/ ... otheraphy/

dave02

i am sorry at not answering before, i have had all that the nhs can offer, i was a roof tiler for 35 years and as such my body has taken a lot of punishment, as i said my daughter is a physio and she said the same thing about the muscle spasms, i do all the exercises that i can and a massage seems the next step, i need to keep riding, thanks for the input