We all love a good massage, but how do you know which one is right for you? First, we are going to look at the difference between sports massage therapy and deep tissue massage therapy.

What’s the difference between sports massage therapy and deep tissue massage?

There are dozens of different types of massage therapy methods but two fundamental categories: rehabilitative massage and relaxation massage. With regards to rehabilitation, deep tissue massage and sports massage are the two approaches that most people have heard of. But what are the differences between these two types of treatment? And which is most appropriate for you? This is what we discuss in this blog post.

What is sports massage therapy?

It is important to remember that sports massage is not just for athletes. Sports massage therapy, on the other hand, differs in it being more area-specific, focussing on larger and older knots that have built up over longer periods of time due to high training volume, trauma, muscle imbalance or poor biomechanics. The objective of sports massage therapy is either to aid the recovery from injury, the prevention of injury or to assist performance by helping boost power production and the range of motion.

What is a deep tissue massage?

As the name suggests, a deep tissue massage consists of a therapist using firm pressure to manipulate the deeper tissues of the body, including the muscles. This doesn’t focus on a specific injury or one smaller area of the body.

There are a number of reasons why someone might want or need this particular type of massage therapy, such as helping relieve muscular tension, reducing stress, breaking down knots, reducing the build of toxins and increasing blood flow to the muscles.

A deep tissue massage can be requested to be a full body massage or focused on the lower limbs or upper body. At the end of the massage, you will feel relaxed and rejuvenated.

Do the techniques used differ between them?

Although two different therapeutic approaches, the strokes and techniques used during a deep tissue and a sports massage are fairly similar, with the use of circular movements, kneading, tapping and vibrations being consistent across both. Where they differ somewhat is in the wider inclusion of passive stretching alongside a course of sports massage therapy.

So, to sum up the above styles very quickly.

If you have an injury or specific area you want to look at then I would recommend a sports massage. You can book a sports massage therapy appointment at our clinics in Beeston and Ilkeston. You can book online or get in touch with your nearest clinic. Alternatively take a look at the other sports injury treatments we offer.