Sports Massage Therapy
Sports massage is a safe therapy and recognised as being
an important aspect of sports performance. It is also a
highly effective way of helping to treat injuries and also
prevent them. Anybody with an active interest in sports
should visit a sports massage therapist. Many people assume
that you have to be sporty in order to have a Sports
Massage. This is not true! Sports massage is for anyone, who
wants to receive the benefits that a Sports Massage can
bring such as Reduced Stress and Tension.
In all types of massage, the therapist has specific aims in
mind, and in sport we focus on the individual needs of the
athlete. With the ever growing number of people taking part
in sport, combined with the increasing competitiveness and
intensity of physical exercise, the demand for sports
massage is also increasing and becoming more and more
recognised as a skill which may aid recovery and enhance
performance.
Sports massage does have some aims in common with other
forms of massage and it is especially important to have a
thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology, in
particular the muscular and skeletal systems. By
understanding these systems and the effects of exercise, we
may also appreciate how massage may benefit the sports
person and becomes an integral part of the athlete's
training program.
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Athletes who are looking to improve performance and increase
their competitive edge do so by adopting a training schedule
to enhance their skill, strength, stamina, suppleness and
speed. The degree to which they develop and utilise these
qualities will depend on other factors such as the level of
competition, the sport played, and possibly their position
in a team. However, no matter which sport, the aim is nearly
always to increase the level of training and thereby subject
the body to gradual and controlled overuse.
It is this overuse that may often create problems and
imbalances in the soft tissues. If these are ignored and
allowed to become chronic, they will not only hinder the
athlete's rate of improvement, but also in many cases their
performance may well suffer and ultimately the athlete may
be susceptible to developing more conditions that are
serious. Certainly if they are unable to perform at their
best, they may be more at risk from other more traumatic
forms of injury. For example, a player involved in a contact
sport who is "carrying" an injury may not have their usual
level of agility. The result might be that they might suffer
an extrinsic injury because of not being fully prepared for
the contact suffered from an unexpected tackle.
Massage, applied skilfully, is the most effective therapy
for releasing muscle tension and restoring balance to the
musculo-skeletal system. Received regularly this may help
athletes prevent injuries, which might otherwise be caused
by overuse. A constant build up of tension in the muscles
from regular activity may lead to stresses on joints,
ligaments, tendons, as well as the muscles themselves.
Sports massage should be viewed as an on-going treatment and
part of your training regime. The number of sessions you'll
require will depend on your circumstances and nature of your
treatment. If you are recovering from injury for instance,
you may well need sports massage on a more frequent basis
and at regular intervals. Sports men and women competing
regularly can sometimes use sports massage once or twice a
week.