from occasional joggers to practicing professionals – are touting the benefits of sports massage therapy. This type of massage is getting increasingly popular among participants of virtually every sport. Some of the benefits they enjoy as a result of a sports massage include:
More flexibility and range of motion;
Enhanced endurance with reduced tiredness;
Less chance of injury due to loosening of the muscles;
Competing at their highest level possible;
Decreased time required to recover between exercise sessions;
More nutrients and oxygen in the body as a result of better blood circulation;
Reduction of unwanted toxins that the body produces from strenuous exercise.
Sports massage is increasingly being included as an essential part of a complete workout routine that includes not only the exercise involved, but also for the wear-and-tear and minor injuries that naturally occur in any strenuous activity. Anyone who incorporates this type activity in their daily schedule will benefit from a sports massage program designed to match their activity level.
Our muscles tend to lose their capacity to relax after heavy exercise, resulting in tight muscles and a loss of flexibility, which can cause muscle tears and pulls. A regular routine of sports massage therapy has proven to be quite effective in combating these – and other – ailments of muscles that have been extended to their limit. But the goals of sports massage therapy are different at various stages of sports activity and competition as follows.
Prior to the event: Studies have shown that athletes who receive a sports massage prior to a sporting event improve their muscle tension and their equally-important mental health in a shorter amount of time. Pre-event sports massage therapy is designed to prepare the major muscles that the athlete will be using.
During a sporting event: The massage technique used during a sporting event is designed to insure the ultimate in performance with low-risk training. Just as each different sport uses different muscle groups in different ways, the sports massage technique will differ as well.
After a sporting event: After the competition has ended, the sports massage is designed to decrease metabolic build-up and spasms in the muscles that sometimes result from strenuous activity. A sports massage performed after a sporting event is designed to promote mental calming, overall relaxation and tissue repair.
A remedy for excessive training: If an athlete doesn’t let his/her body refresh itself adequately between training routines, they can experience irritability, more potential for injury and sometimes a change in their eating habits; these are all signs that their body has been overburdened. The state of total relaxation that results from a sports massage has been found to relieve symptoms quite effectively.
Maintenance Massage: a regular sports massage program can help maintain and improve an athlete’s muscle flexibility and range of motion and is essential to the prevention of the harmful effects of too much training. Sports massage maintenance therapy is designed to prevent acute injury during competition.
Rehabilitation Massage: Even with preventive maintenance, muscles tend to cramp, tear, bruise, and ache; a sports massage can speed healing and reduce discomfort during the rehabilitation process. Performing a sports massage during the secondary phases of healing can improve the formation of strong and flexible repair tissue during rehabilitation.
2010年8月30日星期一
Sports Massage Therapy
Sports Massage is a specific type of massage which is generally rendered before, during, and after athletic events to help prepare the athlete for desired performance, to relax the nerves and prevent injuries. This type of massage can be rendered only by a professional who has a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology and particularly the muscular and skeletal systems.
Sports Massage works deep to eliminate toxins embedded in muscle fibers, remove adhesions, and minimize scar tissue buildup. Muscle lengthening in sports massage helps restore a range of motion and overall flexibility. Sports massage also leads to improved circulation which aids better cell nutrition, greater elasticity of muscle fiber, and reduced recovery time.
Sports massage is a blend of Swedish massage and Shiatsu specifically designed to cater to the needs of professional athletes. Depending on the needs of the athlete, a variety of techniques are used including classic Swedish strokes, cross-fiber friction, pressure-point work, and joint mobilization.
Types of Sports Massage
Sports massage therapy includes pre-event, post-event, maintenance and rehabilitation techniques that promote greater athletic endurance and performance, reduced chances of injury and faster healing.
Pre-Event
Pre-Event sports massage helps warm up the muscles by stretching them and making them flexible for optimal athletic performance. A pre-event massage also stimulates the flow of blood and nutrients to the muscle, reduces muscle tension, loosen the muscles and produce a feeling of psychological readiness. A pre -event massage is best done up to two days prior to the main event.
Post-Event
Post- event massage focuses on relieving muscle soreness, minimizing the effects of fatigue and reducing the stress levels in the body. It also helps reduce swelling, maintain flexibility, promote blood flow to the muscle to remove lactic acid and waste build-up and reduce cramping. This also helps faster healing.
Prevention
This is more of a maintenance massage which can be done at least once a week as a regular part of athletic training programs. Preventive massage increases the flow of blood and nutrients to the muscle and helps repair small tears due to strenuous physical activity. It also keeps tissue loose so that different layers of muscle slide over each other.
Rehabilitation
Sports massage is also used as a last resort in the event of injury. Sports massage helps rehabilitate by minimizing the adverse effects of scar tissue and adhesions caused to the athlete and helps regain lost flexibility and strength.
Techniques in Sports Massage
There are three main techniques of massage frequently used in sport, namely effleurage, petrissage and frictions. Most of the massage techniques ensure the main pressure is directed towards the heart to increase the venous and lymphatic flow. The strokes also ensure that excess pressure does not cause any damage to blood vessels. While effleurage is a preparatory background stroke, petrissage allows detail work on the body in releasing tension followed by friction.
Sports Massage works deep to eliminate toxins embedded in muscle fibers, remove adhesions, and minimize scar tissue buildup. Muscle lengthening in sports massage helps restore a range of motion and overall flexibility. Sports massage also leads to improved circulation which aids better cell nutrition, greater elasticity of muscle fiber, and reduced recovery time.
Sports massage is a blend of Swedish massage and Shiatsu specifically designed to cater to the needs of professional athletes. Depending on the needs of the athlete, a variety of techniques are used including classic Swedish strokes, cross-fiber friction, pressure-point work, and joint mobilization.
Types of Sports Massage
Sports massage therapy includes pre-event, post-event, maintenance and rehabilitation techniques that promote greater athletic endurance and performance, reduced chances of injury and faster healing.
Pre-Event
Pre-Event sports massage helps warm up the muscles by stretching them and making them flexible for optimal athletic performance. A pre-event massage also stimulates the flow of blood and nutrients to the muscle, reduces muscle tension, loosen the muscles and produce a feeling of psychological readiness. A pre -event massage is best done up to two days prior to the main event.
Post-Event
Post- event massage focuses on relieving muscle soreness, minimizing the effects of fatigue and reducing the stress levels in the body. It also helps reduce swelling, maintain flexibility, promote blood flow to the muscle to remove lactic acid and waste build-up and reduce cramping. This also helps faster healing.
Prevention
This is more of a maintenance massage which can be done at least once a week as a regular part of athletic training programs. Preventive massage increases the flow of blood and nutrients to the muscle and helps repair small tears due to strenuous physical activity. It also keeps tissue loose so that different layers of muscle slide over each other.
Rehabilitation
Sports massage is also used as a last resort in the event of injury. Sports massage helps rehabilitate by minimizing the adverse effects of scar tissue and adhesions caused to the athlete and helps regain lost flexibility and strength.
Techniques in Sports Massage
There are three main techniques of massage frequently used in sport, namely effleurage, petrissage and frictions. Most of the massage techniques ensure the main pressure is directed towards the heart to increase the venous and lymphatic flow. The strokes also ensure that excess pressure does not cause any damage to blood vessels. While effleurage is a preparatory background stroke, petrissage allows detail work on the body in releasing tension followed by friction.
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