| How Sports Massage Can Improve your Performance The two biggest worries among athletes are injury and performance. Whether you are a weekend warrior or a full time professional athlete, a good sports massage can significantly contribute to your ability to perform. Sports massage differs slightly from a normal type of massage, because the therapist applies the techniques more firmly and deeper. This relieves tension in the muscles and tendons, as well as the fascia. Fascia is the soft tissue that interpenetrates the muscles, bones, organs, and blood vessels. Flexibility is enhanced by stretching these tissues, and this will help prevent injury to the athlete. In addition, performance can be affected by factors such as anxiety and sleep deprivation. Anyone training for a big event will naturally be nervous and may lose sleep over it. Massage can relax not only the body, but the mind as well. By reducing mental stress, concentration will improve and you will achieve a deeper level of sleep. Your therapist will do an assessment before the massage to establish your past medical history, the nature of the any injuries and discuss any issues relating to your training and competition. Because the therapist will need to work deeply into the tissues, you may feel a small amount of pain but this should be manageable. If you feel discomfort, you should tell the therapist, who can alter your treatment accordingly. Sports massage can also help you achieve peak performance by exciting the nerve endings in the skin, muscles, and blood vessels that stimulate reflex reactions. Regular massage should be an integral part of any athlete’s regime, especially those who train daily. By maintaining optimum muscle elasticity and strength, you should avoid most injuries and perform at your best! Body Tissue Service would like to congratulate all of the British athletes who won medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics! We are very proud of all our athletes, and hope to carry the momentum and excitement through to our own London Olympics in 2012. BTS offers sports massage to you at your home or hotel room. If you live in the London area or will be visiting or training here, please phone us on 020 7000 1900 to book a treatment.  | 
