Ruth Kennerley Human and Equine Sports Therapy 1.33

What is Soft Tissue Therapy?

Soft Tissue Therapy is the management, manipulation and rehabilitation of soft tissues of the body including muscles, tendons and ligaments. It is applicable not just to sports people but to anybody wishing to guard against or recover from a soft tissue injury. Common conditions treated by sports massage include:

- Poor posture and related problems
- Aches and pains including muscle tension, back, shoulder and neck pain
- Headaches and migraines
- Fatigue
- Repetitive stress injuries

How could Sports Massage help you?

The techniques used by Sports Massage Practitioners have been developed to ensure effective and efficient results from each massage given. Soft Tissue Therapy may:

- Improve circulation and lymphatic flow
- Assist in the removal of metabolic waste
- Sedate or stimulate nerve endings
- Increase or decrease muscle tone
- Increase or decrease muscle length
- Remodel scar tissue when required
- Assist in mental preparation for sporting participation

You do not need to be a sports performer to benefit from Soft Tissue Therapy. The benefits above can also help relieve the many day to day problems, repetitive strain injuries, sprains, tension and fatigue that everyone experiences. Many Soft Tissue Therapists work with a great range of clients in assisting with preventive treatment and injury recovery.

If you are a sports performer, of any level, a sports specific massage can be beneficial at various stages of participation. For example:

- The conditioning / training phase
- Pre competition
- Inter competition
- Post competition
- Post travel
- Injury prevention
- Injury recovery

Regardless of your experiences in sport or exercise, whether you exercise socially or compete to an international level – Soft Tissue Therapy may have something to offer you.

Experience and Qualifications

Ruth is a fully qualified Soft Tissue Specialist gaining her Level 4 Diploma in Sports Massage from Sports Professional Services at the University of Nottingham. She is a member of the Association of Soft Tissue Therapists (SMA) and holds a First Class BSc (Hons) in Equine Sports Science. By ensuring you use an SMA practitioner, you can be certain that you will be receiving an individually tailored, high quality massage. Furthermore, Members of the SMA will be able to identify anyone for whom Soft Tissue Therapy would be ill-advised or detrimental to their short or long-term wellbeing. Ruth qualified as a Soft Tissue Therapist in July 2015 and whilst training worked with Macclesfield Rugby Club as well as a wide range of other athletes. Ruth competes at a high level in dressage so understands the stresses and strains placed upon the elite athlete’s body. Ruth works with both the general public and with professional sports people.