Sport Massage's Role in Training
Massage therapy for sports has grown to become an integral part of the new
athletic regimen from after school athletics to Olympic training.
At the highest level of performance sport massage can provide an extra edge
to the athletes. Sport Massage has become a necessary ingredient for a complete
workout. A complete workout routine includes not only the exercise itself, but
also caring for the wear-and-tear and minor injuries that naturally occur with
strenuous movement.
Sports Massage's Role in Training
Recovery from Training or Competition
Sport Massage is designed to help the body recover from the stresses of
exercise, and speeds the rebuilding phase of conditioning. The physiological
benefits of massage include improved blood and lymph circulation, muscle
relaxation, and general relaxation. These, in turn, lead to removal of waste
products and better cell nutrition, normalization and greater elasticity of
tissues, deactivation of trigger points, and faster healing of injuries. It all
adds up to relief from soreness and stiffness, better flexibility, and less
potential for future injury.
Reducing Over-training damage
Over-training occurs when the body is not allowed to recover adequately
between bouts of heavy exercise. Sport Massage helps you avoid over-training by
facilitating recovery through general relaxation, and its other physiological
effects. You may recognized over-training by uncharacteristic
irritability, increased resting heart rate, apathy, altered appetite, and
increased frequency of injury.
Pre-event.
Pre-event sports massage is normally shorter (10-15 minutes) than a regular
conditioning massage, and focuses on warming-up the major muscles to be used and
improves tissue pliability. It will help get the athlete in a good mental
state for competition and readies the athlete for top performance. It is
effective up to four hours before the event. It is used as a supplement to an
athlete's warm-up to enhance circulation and reduce excess muscle and mental
tension prior to competition. Ultimate Water Massage's Quick Fix or Real Deal
Massage are ideal for this purpose.
Post-event.
Post-event sports massage is given after a competition and is mainly
concerned with recovery. It is geared toward reducing the muscle spasms and
metabolic build-up that occur with vigorous exercise. Recovery after competition
involves not only tissue normalization and repair, but also general relaxation
and mental calming. A recovery session might be 15 minutes to 11/2 hours in
length.
Maintenance Massage
A regular sport massage routine can help the athlete maintain or improve
range of motion and muscle flexibility. A regular massage routine is also
essential to the prevention of the negative effects of over training. The
overall objective of a maintenance program is to avoid acute injury during
competition and to help the athlete reach optimal performance through
injury-free training.
Rehabilitation Massage
Even with preventive maintenance, muscles cramp, tear, bruise, and ache.
Sports massage can speed healing and reduce discomfort during the rehabilitation
process. For example, the improved lymphatic flow from massage in addition
to the "standard care" procedure in the acute stage of injury will improve
control of secondary, hypoxic injury and enhance fluid removal throughout the
healing cycle. Trigger point stress reduction reduces the spasms and pain that
occur both in the injured and "compensation" muscles. Cross-fiber friction
generated though massage during the secondary phases of healing improve the
formation of strong and flexible repair tissue, which is vital in maintaining
full pain-free range of motion during rehabilitation.
A professional massage therapist is not always available but we have added a
line of professional percussion massagers that are ideal
for sport massage.
For the Therapist - General Considerations when performing sport
massage
Sports massage is designed to prepare tissue for movement βit is more
vigorous and up tempo than Swedish massage
Movements, even small ones, should be motivated by large muscles rather than
small intrinsic muscles of the wrist and hands.
Move from your whole body with your pelvis aligned with the direction of
movement. Often this means a stroke is done pushing across the clients body.
Table height β Lower, at finger tips or so you can put on leg on the table
(knee flexed) and still easily lean forward to apply pressure
Lubrication β To access into the tissue, use the minimum amount of lotion or
oil needed to avoid causing friction burns or body-hair pulling.
More on
Sports Massage
When you don't have a Massage therapist or partner available - Try these
tools for an outstanding self massage experience
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