A pain free life is the best way to go. So taking precautions is a thing we all should do. Get yourself a treatment about once a month without any specific pain symptoms. That way, any tension or knots are taken care of before it creates any problems. Pick the area’s that you feel are the most affected by your everyday life or training regimen.

If you’re someone who likes to workout a lot or do regular heavy physical work. Getting a massage every week or every other week is a good regime.

If you have been having problems with muscle tension, stiffness and knots for quite some time, you need to have multiple sessions. You need to plan your next appointment before the muscles start tensing up again, so you can break down and get a little deeper each time. For this situation it’s best to go between 2 and 4 days for the next session.

Each body part takes about 10-15 minutes. (A bodypart would be: calfs, one quad, forearms, left trapezius, glutes.)

Choose 60min if you want a massage for the front and the back of the legs.
Choose 30min if you’d like a massage for one leg or one shoulder.
Choose 90min if you want a massage for the front and back of the legs and the back.

Full body massage is not possible in 90minutes.

If you need help choosing the right time span, just send me a text or email.

Generally speaking, a sportsmassage is not painless. But at the same time, can be nice and relaxing. People often say “painful but in a good way”. Some of the massage techniques feel really good. When triggerpoint are being used, it’s important to keep breathing. Try to let go of any tension when you exhale. This way the muscles relax faster and it is a lot less painful.

How painful a sportsmassage is, depends on the person. How high is you pain threshold? In what kind of state is your body? Are you able to relax if you take deep slow breaths? Just remember that you can always signal or tell the masseur; this is to much for me.

Scientifically there is still much to learn about the fascia. We know now that fascia plays an important role in the human body. It’s is a thin layer of connective tissue that forms a network around and through every muscle, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber and organs. You can imagine the structure of the fascia by comparing it with the membrane of a grapefruit. When the fascia starts sticking to its environment, you can feel stiff and rigid.

Let’s first take a look at what a physiotherapist does. A physio is specialized in helping people affected by injury, illness, or disability involving bones, muscles, ligaments, or nerves. They diagnose conditions, give advice, prescribe exercises, and use techniques such as massage or joint manipulation.

Manual therapy is a physical treatment used to address musculoskeletal pain and disability. It includes kneading, manipulation of muscles and joints, and mobilization. Sometimes, they may crack your back or other joints — a sound that comes from a change in pressure within an environment containing both gas and liquid.
Think of it like the sound of a champagne cork popping.

When you have an injury involving your muscles, bones, ligaments, or nerves, you go to a physiotherapist.
When you’re in a pre-injury phase or already following advice from a physio, you can see a sports massage therapist. They are specialized in various techniques to help with muscle tension, knots, or stiffness.

Physiotherapists often don’t have the time to massage the affected area in-depth. A sports massage therapist can work on the muscles and fascia for a longer period — which can lead to a greater impact.

If you’re not sure who you need to see, feel free to contact me with any questions.

To prevent cramps: drink enough water to stay hydrated. Dehydrated muscles tend to cramp more easily.
If you’re restricting salt in your diet, I would advise easing up on that restriction slightly.

Make sure to do a proper warm-up before you start exercising. Stretch your muscles regularly and use a foam roller to roll them out.

When it comes to supplements, you can take magnesium bisglycinate — it’s a great option to support muscle function.

A healthy muscle should be able to contract and relax. Tiny filaments slide across each other to make that happen. Sometimes, a segment can get stuck, creating layers of tissue that stick together. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as knots, or more technically, myofascial trigger points. You can also think of them as partial contractions within a muscle fiber.

If the contraction remains for a longer period, the issue tends to worsen. Muscles need blood rich in oxygen to function properly — oxygen is essential for converting energy into movement. After this conversion, waste products are produced and must be removed by healthy blood flow. When circulation is reduced, waste builds up in those tight, rigid spots.

While there’s still a lot of research needed to fully understand what causes muscle knots, one thing is clear: they’re bothersome. Trigger points can cause pain, stiffness, and even muscle spasms.