Sports Massage

Sports massage should be a regular part of every athlete’s training program. Athletes have different massage needs at different times. There are three basic categories:

Pre-Event. A quick treatment (rhythmic pumping) is a supplement to warm-up. It boosts circulation and increases flexibility and range of motion, thereby reducing muscle pain and soreness, leaving muscles relaxed and ready for action. Pre-event massage can help prevent muscle and tendon injuries and reduce the strain and discomfort of training. It also can be a great psychological advantage in competition.

Post-Event. Recovery after a competition involves not only the normalization and repair of tissue, but also general relaxation and mental calming. Post-event sports massage increases circulation to quicken the removal of fatigue toxins, relieve muscle spasms, and prevent soreness. It is used to assist athletes in recovery and in regaining their pre-event condition by relaxing tight, fatigued muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Training. Throughout training and rigorous regular athletic activity, massage helps prevent injuries. Areas of muscular stress can result from repetitive or stressful motion and are typically precursors to injury. Sports massage assists in relieving muscular stress and preventing injuries, enabling harder and more consistent training. Adequate recovery is also a major factor in avoiding nagging minor injuries that inhibit maximum performance.