Sports Massage or Deep Tissue Massage?

Part one – Introduction

A good qfootmassageuestion and one I get asked often as it is not always easy to know the difference when it is not your field of work. The simple answer is if you have soft tissue pain or limited movement you need a soft tissue therapist qualified in one or other or preferably both. The techniques used are the same but their application and the client recovery will follow different patterns.

I always allow the client to explain what it is that has brought them to my clinic and assure them we will discuss what I can do to help. Then each client gets an individual treatment plan which is reviewed at each session. As a client it is for you to present your symptoms and it is the therapist’s job to recommend a course of treatment based on knowledge and experience creating a bespoke service.

Your chosen soft tissue therapist should have a ‘kit bag’ of techniques and advice that they use appropriately. A good therapist will ask for and welcome feedback during or after a treatment and as a client you should always feel you could say if you find the treatment painful or uncomfortable. Pressure should then be adjusted accordingly.

Over the next few posts I will explain the various techniques we can use whether as sports massage to help the athlete or deep tissue massage to help the office worker.