Massage is commonly acknowledged as a relaxation luxury, as well as often assumed to be a form of pampering. After a long hard day, nothing feels better or more deserved than getting a full body relaxation massage. However, when it comes to sports massage, an entirely different purpose and experience is found, one that is just as beneficial but appropriated for a different cause.
Sports Massage incorporates similar massage techniques as other forms of massage, but it also includes hydrotherapy treatments, flexibility stretching, and even some strength training principles. Fro any athletic regime sports massage can add that extra ingredient that will aide in developing a complete balanced workout. Athletes that participate in high performance sports and who integrate spots massage into their routine are going to reap the reconstructive benefits that sport massage offers.
Athletics are hard on the body, and a total conditioning program needs to be balanced with something that will enable safe and effective recovery in-between training. When a body is continually pushed beyond its limits sports massage can be the additional remedy in which to curb stiffness and soreness. Sports Massage can also initiate a faster recovery time and relieve those strains that could ultimately lead to injury.
Sports massage stimulates circulation within the venous system of the body, as well as uses muscle friction and compression to alleviate knots and tightness within the body, preventing some overuse injuries and pain. Trigger points are most times the culprit of soreness and can be attributed for someone who has a smaller range of flexibility. These sore spots within the muscles exude pain when pressed and which can affect larger areas of the muscle if not attended to. Sports massage directly approaches the issue at hand, and is quoted as using “specific application…to achieve a specific goal”
There are different levels and techniques found in sports massage, each one have different purposes and outcomes. These four types are specifically designed to meet a clients needs wherever the find themselves in the spectrum of athleticism.
Pre-event Sports Massage is usually much shorter in length than other types of sports massage. This type of massage is most commonly administered a few days or even hours before the activity. In the case of the runner before a race, the hamstrings and quadriceps might be the main focus, since this type of massage tends to be more isolated to one area of the body. Whatever area of the body is most likely the part that will bear the brunt of the strenuous activity, will most likely be worked on.
Post Event Sports Massage is one that takes place within an hour or two of the activity, and allows for immediate tension release. Its benefit is that it alleviates the affects of onset muscle soreness that usually will occur 24-48 hours after the event takes place. Restorative Sports Massage can happen in the middle of training or partaking in an activity. Most professional athletes will have sports massage therapist awaiting them on the sidelines for a quick restorative massage between plays. Rehabilitative Sports Massage is a type of massage focused on restoring an already injured part of the body, and coaxing it back into balance within the body.