Evidence for sports massage??

Is there any evidence to support the use of sports massage is a question I often get asked. The answer to that is simply unfortunately not a lot. So why do so many people still do it?

· Increased lymph flow
· Helps in the removal of waste
· Promotes healing
· Promotes muscle relaxation

They also believe that massage:

According to Mills and Parker Bennett (2004) these are the physiological benefits of massage:

· Increased blood circulation

· Relieves muscle tension
· Mobilises muscle fibres
· Stretches soft tissue
· Improves flexibility

However there are hardly any evidence to suggest why and how sports massage is useful but I have found in my experience that it helps. I learnt during my degree that a good sports therapist should provide treatment from a background of evidence-based practise; however I have learnt that sometimes you need to change this to practise-based evidence. I have seen that sports massage helps people improve their range of movement; I have seen that people feel better after a massage (even though it can be brutal getting a sports massage!). This is why I keep doing it and believe it does make a difference to people. Perhaps in the future sports massage will gain scientific backing, or perhaps it is purely a placebo??

Thanks

Monica