What is Sports Massage?

Sports massage is a specialised form of massage therapy which centers on improving athletic performance and improving post-event recovery for athletes, dancers and exercise enthusiasts.

Massage has been used to improve potential in athletes since the time of the ancient Greeks. The typical ‘rub’ often done prior to sporting events is a type of sports massage. The popularity of massage by athletes has shown an increase in the latter part of the last century.

Sports massage is used with the aim of improving physical qualities and maintaining it longer. Sports massage is very important in all stages of training and immediately before competition. It can be broken down into pre-event massage, post-event massage, training massage and massage for sports injury. The sports massage will also increase functional capabilities and improve the regulatory activity of the central nervous system and activity of the internal organs.

With specific injuries, massage can explore the soft tissues more intimately than any other therapy, and problem areas can be diagnosed and treated very accurately. Mechanical massage machines and electro-therapy equipment, which are widely used today for treating sports injuries, are easier to use for the therapist, but they offer no direct feedback on the changes taking place in the tissues. With massage the therapist is actively aware of these changes through the feeling in the hands and so can adopt the treatment accordingly. For this reason every treatment can be uniquely suited to the specific needs of the sportsman at that time.

Benefits of Sports Massage

Sports massage is used to promote health and well-being of athletes and to increase capabilities. Sports massage will assist anyone who is engaged in physical fitness activities. Many people train just as hard as athletes although their goals may not be competitive.

Massage has many benefits for the occasional athlete as well such as improving recovery from injury, caring for wear and tear that is brought about from any strenuous physical activity. Sports massage also can help prevent injuries by increasing flexibility and elasticity to the muscles and joints.

The benefits are:

• Recovery: Improved physical and mental recovery from strenuous physical activity
• Rehabilitation: Facilitates healing by improving blood flow and maintaining flexibility when recovering from injuries.
• Maintenance: Enhances recovery from exercise and helps to maintain optimal health.
• Event: Helps prepare a person for a specific competitive event and recover from the event more quickly.