Sports Massage
By Free Massage Therapists Listing
Sports massage is a common approach used to aid in the prevention of sports related injuries as well as promote faster tissue repair post-activity. Sports massage is a type of Swedish massage that stimulates the circulation of blood and lymph fluids throughout the body. The increased lymph fluid and blood circulation leads to more efficient removal of waste products from the body and better cell nutrition. Sports Massage can also use the technique of trigger point therapy to help break down any knots in the muscles.
These knots, called adhesions, can limit the range of motion of the muscle as well as make a more serious injury more common. Adhesions usually are the result of overuse of a certain area or muscle. The repetitive stress on the muscle can cause trauma and imbalances in the soft tissues. Massage can help break down these adhesions making a chronic condition less likely.
Sports massage can be helpful for many common sports related injuries such as shin splints, plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains, hamstring strains, and groin strains. All of these afore mentioned injuries are soft tissue related. If you have an injury that is orthopedic, or involving the bone, consult a physician for the proper treatment prior to getting a sports massage.
The techniques involved with Sports massage can be the same as a traditional massage. The main objective is to mobilize the tissue which can be achieved using any modality of massage. There may be more pressure than traditional Swedish massage to target the affected areas. There may also be more techniques involving repeated deep pressure to the tissues to break down the adhesions or soften scar tissue from a previous injury. There are techniques that are designed to reduce the injury back to a state that the body can heal naturally.
All sports massage falls into one or more of 4 categories. The first is the pre-event massage. Pre-event massage is typically a shorter massage that takes place 15-45 minutes before the event. This massage targets the specific areas of the body that will be involved in the exertion of the event. The second type of sports massage is the post-event massage. This is usually given within an hour or two of finishing the event. The objective of the post-event massage is to normalize the tissues that have been involved, thus lessening the likelihood of tightness and soreness. Restorative Sports massage is the third type or sports massage. This type of massage is given during the training to allow the athlete to train harder with a lesser chance of injury. The fourth type of Sports massage is Rehabilitative sports massage. The objective of this type of massage is to alleviate pain due to injury and return the body to a healthy state.
It is important to speak with your massage therapist in detail when seeking them out for a sports massage. They should know the mechanics of the sport you are involved in as well as get a detailed history form you to ensure safety.
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