Sports Massage: Everything You Should Know
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The sports world is a total complete monster when its comes to being competitive. With athletes pushing themselves beyond the limits of recorded history. They continuously suffer pains, aches, injuries and sprains.
However, to remedy all these minor effects, sports massage is the most effective solution. Not only does it help refresh the athletes up, but it also helps the fitness lovers to recover and heal.
As records will show, sports massage can have a significant impact on the life of any individual who exercises regularly or trains for any rigorous activity. As pro athletes will attest to, regular sports massage has numerous benefits including relieving tension and swelling of the muscles, reducing fatigue as well as assist in preventing injury from overuse or overextension of the muscles.
The outcome? Better performance and faster recovery.
Despite its title, sports massage is not just suited for pro athletes. By integrating assisted stretching and deep tissue massage, sports massage is an excellent healing method for anyone looking to improve their readiness. Flexibility, reducing muscle soreness as well as boosting the range of motion are just a few of the effective ingredients in this line of conditioning.
Defining Sports Massage: What Is It?
This type of massage is an activity that involves manipulating soft tissues for the benefit of a fitness enthusiast or a person participating in the regular physical activity. Soft tissues are connective tissues which have not toughened into cartilage and bone. It includes muscles, skin, ligaments, tendons and even fascia (a type of connective tissue which ensheathes and lines other soft muscles).
Sports massage is made to assist in the correction of physical imbalances. Problems with soft tissues which are caused by strenuous and repetitive trauma and physical activity can be very painful if not treated properly. Applying sports massages before and after strenuous exercises, may boost performance, prevent injury and aid in recovery.
Types of Sports Massage
This type of enhanced massage represents three different forms of sports massage all allied to athletic performance. Every kind of massage boasts a unique set of benefits and utilizes different techniques.
In essence, there are three types of sports massages:
1. Pre-Event Massage
These types of sports massage is given shortly before athletes compete. It comprises primarily of quick hand strokes to warm and stimulate the muscles. As well as some squeezes to assist the muscles that more fluidly as well as alleviate muscle tension. This massage works on various body parts depending on the sport although the most common targets with this one are back and leg muscles.
2. Post-Event Massage
When athletes exercise heavily, their muscles suffer microtraumas. Minor swellings occur in the muscles due to tiny tears. Post-event massages help minimize swelling from micro-traumas. They maintain flexibility, loosen stiff and tired muscles, reduce cramping and also promote blood flow to the tissue. This helps to eradicate waste build up and lactic acid. What’s more, post-event massage assists in speeding the recovery time of athletes as well as alleviate strains, pulls and soreness.
Post-event massages are usually given between an hour and two after finishing the exercise. This is to offer the dilated (blood) vessels an opportunity to restore them to normalcy. This massage is gentle and light so as not to hurt the already strained muscles. Athletes can administer it by themselves on various body parts like the legs.
3. Maintenance Sports Massage
Massages of this type can be practiced on a weekly basis as a complement to athletic training routines. Although pro athletes with therapists can practice it on a daily basis. These sessions enhance blood flow and nutrient flow to the body muscles. This massage keeps the body tissues loose allowing different muscle layers easily slide past each other. It also aids in alleviating scar tissues development while subsequently increasing motion ranges and flexibility.
A Brief History: Origin of Sports Massage
The healing power of touch goes a long way back. Massage is generally considered one of the oldest forms of treatments used by humanity. There have been Chinese records that outline its use three centuries back. Furthermore, with claims that it had already found use in treating circulatory and paralysis problems for approximately five centuries.
The ancient Egyptians and Persians also used types of massages in treating various ailments. Similarly, in Thailand and India, multiple forms of massage have been in use for over the past 2500 and 5000 years respectively. Hippocrates also used massages in treating of various conditions in 400 B.C
However, as an official practice, sports massage started out in the 1960s in the Communist bloc nations and the Soviet Union. These teams were the original teams to travel with massage therapists offering ongoing and regular treatment for their athletes.
In Europe, the sports massage concept moved to the USA and Europe in the 1970s. And in 1996, sports massage was officially offered at the Olympic Village in Atlanta. Whereas sports massages were the exclusive preserve of pro athletes, all types of athletes started to use it since its benefits became accepted across the globe.
Sports Massage Techniques
The sports massage sessions usually last from between half an hour to an hour. It is dependent on whether you are receiving the massage session for specific body parts such as the legs and back or a full body massage.
There are numerous and varied types of massage techniques. Generally, they include effleurage, frictions, petrissage and tapotement among others.
Effleurage:
This is a term derived from ffleurer,’ a French word representing kimming.’ This massage involves stroking movements where the hands slide over the surface. It is always at the start, in between and after other techniques are used in normal sessions.
This stroking effleurage technique uses variable speed and pressure as per the stage and purpose of this massage. It includes firm stroking, light as well as deep stroking. Effleurage ought to be done in a rhythmical, smooth and tranquil manner. Beginning with a light touch while starting the session as well as strengthening the deeper pressure by using relatively slow movements to stretch tissues later and increased circulation.
The hands need to be relaxed as well as follow the normal body contour. This technique cannot be done fast. Since, you need some considerable time to focus and identify any irregularities in the muscle. Consequently, this may necessitate further attention at some specific point later in the massage session.
Quick movements will not assist in relaxing since it misses the tender area and misses the delicate areas. For that reason, it will almost be more painful if later discovered when using more in-depth techniques.
Effleurage aims to:
• Introduce touch to the athlete
• Warm all the superficial tissues
• Put the athlete at ease
• Relax the muscles
• Stimulate all the peripheral nerves
• Allow practitioners to sense and palpate the tissue conditions
• Stretch tissues
• Increase blood and lymph flow, therefore assisting in removing waste products
Petrissage:
Petrissage is derived from etrir,’ a French word that means neading’. Its movement involves compressing, then subsequently releasing soft tissues. By either applying direct pressure on or through picking up and clasping the muscle and skin.
It is commonly used to produce a more profound effect on soft tissue compared to effleurage. Petrissage is inclusive of squeezing, kneading, shaking and picking up (as well as other technique defined as rolling and wringing, which produce a similar effect).
Petrissage offers a more profound impact on soft tissue compared to effleurage. It includes squeezing and picking up, kneading, shaking. Not to mention rolling and wringing for a similar outcome.
This session looks to:
• Enhance mobility amongst tissue interfaces
• Assist in tissue fluid interchange
• Stretch muscle fibers
• Increases lymphatic and venous return
• Assist in eradicating waste products
• Relaxes muscles
Frictions:
This represents minor forceful movements. Which are applied from side to side over distinct isolated body sections through the thumb or finger pads. Considerable pressure must be applied in comparison to the other techniques outlined thus far. These movements are applied adjacent to the directions of fibers and as such as usually called ross-fiber’ frictions.
It is essential to understand that such methods interrupt the muscles. This is to readjust new fibres and as such need to be used sparingly and only when there is an imminent need. Athletes can benefit more from frictions through using deep stroking. Alternatively with the subtle difference between these two techniques being slightly less pressure and as such resulting in no disruption.
Friction aims to:
• Breaks down tissue scars
• Restore elasticity
• Separates adhesion between fibers
• Realigns new tissue scar
• Stimulates the body healing process
• Stimulates blood flow and vasodilation
Tapotement:
This represents techniques like cupping and hacking which are exclusive massages designed for relaxation. Cupping involves striking or percussing the muscle with the hands cupped. The massager makes an airtight concave shape with their hands. This strikes the surface with the air caught beneath compacted producing a throb which penetrates the body tissues.
Typically, it also makes a vacuum as the massager pulls the hands away. For this purpose, stimulating the body’s superficial tissues to transport blood from the deep muscles. Which can be deliberately counterproductive. Other mentioned techniques attain most of the similar effects as well as added benefits more effectively. As such, this technique is not used extensively.
As for Hacking, it is a massage technique where the hands strike the surface alternately with the lateral borders of the fifth finger on every hand. As the rest of the fingers close in to hit the surface, a unique sound comes out. Hacking stimulates the superficial muscle tissue and the skin preparing muscles for a workout, therefore, being an alternative to pre-competition massage.
Tapotement aims to:
• Stimulate the skin
• Cause muscle contractions that assist in toning the muscles
• Warms up muscles for exercise
Each of these vibrations features strokes like deep cross-fiber friction. Which separate muscle fibers as well as nudging to alleviate muscle tension and break down scar tissue.
Good sports massage therapists will usually combine all these techniques and others to realize the supreme result desired. Sports massage sessions typically last between half an hour and an hour.
These techniques and movements are incorporated to try and help the body of the athlete achieve physical conditioning and maximum performance with a reduced chance of pain or injury as well as quicker recovery.
Benefits of Sports Massage
It is an undeniable fact that sports massage provides an assortment of benefits to any athlete. What is not clear however, is that the nature of these numerous benefits as well as how they come about.
According to a recently published report in the 34th volume of the Sports Medicine British Journal in 2000, researchers were not able to offer any scientific backing proving that sports massages enhanced physiological recovery soon after exercising. Nonetheless, the journal claims there are particular physiological benefits which need further investigation.
The objective of every sports massage is boosting physical performance radically. It offers participants from various sports the chance to concentrate on different muscle groups in different body parts.
Although there may not be sufficient scientific researches to demonstrate that athletes will boost performance or that it will speed up recovery. There are however, enough satisfied athletes who confirm that their sports massage sessions are effective. On the whole, we primarily view regular massages as a reward to the body after hard and intense training.
Some of the standard health benefits that come with sports massages include:
• Improves blood circulation to the painful or damaged tissues
• Micro stretching of muscles
• Possibly reduced tension, muscle pain, and spasm
• Relaxation
• A sense of vitality and well-being
• Reduced levels of anxiety
• The possibility of feeling energized, depending on the nature of the said massage
• Improved body awareness which can result in early detection of minor problems
Preparations
There are no unusual measures needed for you to engage in sports massages. Athletes need to wait between an hour or two after their exercise before going for a post-event massage session.
Precautions
Massages can be an excellent way of helping in the healing of various sports injuries. More so, in the muscle. In the treatment of wounds, however, it is recommended that you should seek advice from a professional specialist or therapist in sports medicine before engaging in any massages. Massage can aggravate specific joint and ligament injuries which need expert attention and mobilization.
Individuals suffering from the disorders or conditions below need to consult physicians before engaging in any sports massages:
• High blood pressure
• An aneurysm
• Cancer
• Varicose veins
• Osteoporosis
• Inflammation from tissue damage
• Heavy bruising
• Phlebitis
• As well as some skin conditions
People who are intoxicated should also not participate in this type of massage.
Side Effects
This type of massage is both effective and safe. When administered properly, it leads to know adverse side effects.
Originally published at postabroad.net on September 2, 2018.
