Laura obtained an Msc in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health and a First Class degree in Sports Therapy and is a member of the Society of Sports Therapists. She has a wealth of experience working with elite sports teams such as Arsenal football club and the London Broncos rugby-league team. She has travelled the globe while working as a sports therapist and has treated sportsmen and women from a wide range of sports.
A sports massage with Laura consists of a combination of several targeted techniques to help muscles relax and relieve tension in your body. It's a hands-on treatment using cream or oil, promoting increased blood circulation and drainage to help your body to repair naturally.
The massage focuses on muscles that exhibit the signs of stress, use or overuse, and is recognised as an effective component to assist people who regularly train, compete or those whom require rehabilitation after sustaining injuries.
A sports massage can form part of a self-care programme to assist physical and mental stress. Areas covered can include:
- Increasing the range of motion and flexibility. We often over-train and this leads to muscle rigidity, especially for those that include enough dynamic movements in their workouts. Sports massage can help relax overly tense muscles and provide additional flexibility. Used before a competition, it will help relax the muscles for flexibility, and can therefore improve performance.
- Shortens recovery time. Exercise is stressful on the body, which can lead to injury if proper precautions are not taken. Sports massages help the body deal with this stress and assists injury prevention. A sports massage increases blood flow and lymph fluid, both assisting in the body’s natural healing process, speeding waste removal and general health improvement. Swelling and inflammation associated with physical activity is also reduced. Scar tissue, normal from a severe injury, can be lessened with massage.
- Supply of Oxygen and Nutrients: Blood flow into muscles is vital to creating new tissue and increased strength and stamina. Massage increases blood flow for additional oxygen and nutrients.
- Helps Eliminate By-Products of Exercise: Lactic and uric acids are natural by-products of exercise. Each can be lessened with blood and lymph flow in the body and increase the waste output by a sports massage.
- Psychological Benefits: There is much to be said about psychology and sports. Many do not realize the value of a massage with sports and how a quality massage has more than just physical benefits. The body is only as strong as the mind, so having a strong mind that is relaxed and focused is a definite edge in highly competitive sports. A stressed athlete is not nearly as capable as one with a clear mind.
- Reduces Pain: A body in pain is a sign of overworked muscles and is not healthy. Massage increases blood and lymph fluid flow, thereby speeding the injury rehabilitation process. A massage also helps with pain from spasms and cramps, common with elite athletic training.
