Sports Massage in Springtime

— by Cricel

Spring is here! For most of us this marks the end of our winter hibernation and the re- awakening of our bodies. It is the time of year where we begin to recondition our bodies to outdoor activities; baseball, soccer, beach volleyball, etc. It is also the time of year where we can easily injure our bodies due to our need and rush to become active again after the long winter. Sports massage is an ideal way to help with preventing injuries, rehabilitation of injuries, and to help with overall performance.

Sports massage is a form of massage that is typically used before, during, after, and in between athletic events. It is designed to help prepare our bodies for peak performance, recover after a big event, to drain away fatigue, to reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility, to function well during training and to prevent injuries. However, it is also good for individuals with injuries, chronic pain or restricted range of motion.

During a Sports Massage:

The main purpose of a sports massage is to help alleviate the stress and tension that builds in the body’s muscles during physical activity. Sports Massage can help to break down adhesions (knots in the muscles) that may form due to overexertion and/or overuse and may lead to minor injuries and lesions.

There are 4 types of sports massage:

1. Pre-event – happens before the event. This is a short (15 -45 min) and stimulating massage focusing on the parts of the body that will be immediately involved with the activity.
2. Post-event – happens after the event, usually within an hour or two. It’s purpose is to help normalize the body’s tissues.
3. Rehabilitative – purpose is to alleviate pain due to injury and returning the body to good health
4. Restorative – treatment during and throughout the training process. To allow the athlete to train harder and with less injury.

Sports Massage vs. Therapeutic Massage:

• The basic techniques used is sports massage is generally the same basic techniques used in a therapeutic massage
• In sports massage, the techniques are applied deeper and firmer
• Sports massage uses more ‘frictioning’ techniques-repetitively applying deep and firm pressure to an area to break down adhesions and soften scar tissues.
• Some sports massage techniques are designed to bring an injury back to its acute state in order to stimulate the body’s own natural healing response.