by Zena Worrall

What is Sports Massage?

One of the earliest forms of physical therapy, with first recorded uses over 3000 years ago, was massage. Its popularity was formed in the Western world via 'Swedish massage' which was originally used to aid fencers and gymnasts. Sports massage has further developed being based on the foundations of Swedish massage.

Sports Massage, whilst also covering the more general aspects of Swedish massage, takes these a step further and is specifically aimed to assist athletes in their sports and activities

Sports Massage is the term applied to the discipline of using massage for the specific benefit of sports and exercise participants, people in physically demanding jobs, and those suffering from occupational and postural stress. It covers the management, manipulation and rehabilitation of the soft tissues of the body. Sports Massage is an extremely beneficial form of therapy for soft tissue injuries, including muscles, ligaments and tendons.

A sports massage therapist has considerable skills at his or her disposal. They will use a number of different techniques in treating a client in order to alleviate the condition, leaving the client fully relaxed both physically and mentally, enabling the client to go about daily life with purpose.

Who can benefit from Sports Massage?

Anyone! Although sports massage is primarily aimed at people who regularly push their bodies through strenuous exercise, it can benefit everyday people too. If you're running around with small children all the time, or you have a physically demanding or stressful job, a regular sports massage may help you.

Sports massage is often prescribed by doctors to treat back or muscle-strain or as part of a rehabilitation programme for people who've had an injury.

The Aims of Sports Massage

In all types of massage the therapist has specific aims in mind. 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 the therapist will also appreciate how massage may benefit the client and relieve muscular and postural problems.

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 clients prevent injuries, which might otherwise be caused by overuse or repetitive use. 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.

These muscle imbalances may develop and often go undiagnosed until they are serious enough to cause the client discomfort or impede normal activities. The skilled massage therapist will be able to detect variations in the soft tissues and by using the correct techniques, help the sports person maintain a much healthier physical state.

It may therefore be reasonably claimed that one of the greatest benefits of sports massage is in helping prevent injury.

What are the benefits of Sports Massage?

• Reduces muscular tension throughout the body.
• Increases injury recovery time when used as part of an injury rehabilitation programme.
• Reduces pain by releasing endorphins to combat tension and waste products in muscles.
• Increases the likelihood of injury prevention if used regularly.
• Aids in the restoration of the musculo–skeletal system balance.
• Provides an improvement in postural alignment.

• Reduces the symptoms of overtraining, i.e. muscle, tendon and joint soreness.
• Improves flexibility, range of movement and freedom of movement.
• Increase or decrease muscle tone and muscle length.
• Stimulates blood circulation to muscles and other structured throughout the body.
• Improves circulation, blood flow and lymphatic drainage within the body.
• Assists in the removal of metabolic waste via the lymphatic system
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• Relieves and loosens tired and aching muscles.
• Promotes and aids relaxation.
• Enhances one’s own body self awareness.
• Enhances an athletes’ performance when used regularly.
• Reduces recovery time between training sessions.
• Can help to extend an athletes’ overall sporting career.

Sports Massage and the Competitive Athlete.

All athletes look for an edge that can help them train more effectively, perform better or overcome injuries quickly. The last several decades have witnessed a dramatic rise in the level of athletic performance.

Advances in training and conditioning techniques are allowing the human body to become a finely tuned machine. The limits of speed, endurance and strength are pushed every day and each year brings new world records.

The leap in performance can be attributed to any number of key factors:
• Enhanced understanding of how nutrition fuels the body.
• Enlightened attitudes about psychological aspects of competition.
• Scientific advances in the study of body structure and function.

The growing awareness and inclusion of sports massage therapy has become a key component of the high performance mix, it is now considered as much a part of an athlete’s training or quest for performance enhancement as a carefully monitored diet.

Massage Therapists are now an integral part of the new athletic regimen. From the sports clinic to the sports field, Massage Therapists are helping athletes work their way to even greater success.

The 3 main areas of Sports Massage for athletes are:

Maintenance Massage
An effective maintenance program is based on the massage therapist’s understanding of anatomy and kinesiology, combined with an expert knowledge of which muscles are used in a given sport and which are likely candidates for trouble. By zeroing in on particular muscle groups and working specific tissues, the sports massage therapist helps the athlete maintain or improve range of motion and muscle flexibility. The overall objective of a maintenance program is to help the athlete reach optimal performance through injury-free training.

Event Massage
Pre-event and post-event massage therapy is tailored for distinct purposes. Pre-event massage is used as a supplement to an athlete’s warm-up to enhance circulation and reduce excess muscle and mental tension prior to competition. It also improves tissue pliability, and stimulated blood flow readying the athlete for top performance.

Post-event massage, on the other hand, is geared toward reducing the muscle spasms and metabolic build-up that occur with vigorous exercise. Various sports massage techniques enhance the body’s own recovery process, improving the athlete’s return to high-level training and competition, and reducing the risk of injury.

Rehabilitation Massage
Even with maintenance massage, muscles may cramp, tear, bruise, and ache. Sports massage can speed healing and reduce discomfort during the rehabilitation process. Soft tissue techniques employed by sports massage therapists are effective in the management of both acute and chronic injuries

Is your sporting performance or your ability to exercise at a higher level hindered by aches and pains?

Are you regularly training through discomfort due to fatigued, tender and painful muscles?

If that sounds familiar then it is very likely that you could benefit from Sports Massage therapy.

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