I have used Sports and remedial massage to help very delicate people with fragile bone conditions, little old ladies to rugby players, body builders, marathon runners and Olympians. It is very necessary however to adapt each sessions to suit each person and their individual needs. 

Sports massage is becoming commonly known as 'brutal massage', it has largely got this fame from some therapists who believe unless the client leaves the couch 'beaten up' then they have not given a good massage!

In my clinics and home visits in the Oxford and Bicester area I see a wide range of people who benefit from both deep tissue massage, often too a light touch relaxed and targeted stretching can have a big impact too on mobility and function without the pain!

Sports an remedial massage begins with a full assessment which looks at the whole body and then a treatment plan is agreed which may include massage, stretches and remedial exercise and postural recommendations.

Professional practitioners can be found in your area at the Institute of Sport and remedial massage practitioners:  Find a therapist at the 'ISRM' 
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I can help you in Oxford and Bicester with Sports, deep tissue massage and acupuncture, marathon training and nutrition plan, Postural assessment, gait analysis and custom Orthotics.

Trigger points are small areas of dysfunctional muscle fibre which are in a state of chronic spasm, they are often caused by muscle fatigue overuse syndromes and related to bad posture. they are commonly the  source of joint pain, shoulder, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle. Often trigger points are mistaken for arthritis, tendinitis, bursitis, or ligament injury. These areas are painful to touch and trigger radiating pain into other areas of the body.
​Shoulder trigger points for example will radiate into the neck ear and behind the eye and can be the root cause of headaches and migraines etc.
Lower back and disk pain can be the result of chronic trigger points in the quadratus lumborus which can lead to disk compression and sciatic pain.
 
The area of a trigger point will have a higher PH level and contain a build up of acidic metabolic waste and will send neurological pain signals to the brain which will then try to avoid contraction and further irritation of that area leading to muscle weakness and the cause of postural and functional imbalances.  

Apart from causing radiating pain, these areas of localised chronic muscle fibre contractions put a compression or loading force on joints - a tight and weakened  muscle equals a tight joint leading to bad posture and adverse muscle compensation patterns.
If left untreated  this can lead to uneven wear patterns on the cartilage of joints and be a cause arthritic conditions, it is also thought trigger points can be the start of fibromyalgia.

Rubbing the skin in these painful areas won't work, deep tissue massage and pressures, trigger point therapy and acupuncture will help in the treatment of these painful points. 
Depending on the length of time you have had trigger points will determine the length of time needed to treat them.

Trigger points respond well to Ultrasound therapy and remedial massage treatments including muscle strength exercises which will assist in rehabilitation and recovery of the affected muscle fibres.

In the assessment it will be important to find the source of muscle fatigue, this could be from general postural issues and be related to work, repetitive movements etc. Postural changes will have occurred and it is vital to address these or trigger point pain will return.