Sport massage is a type of massage that prepares the tissues for sports effort and prevention and recovery of injuries both in training and in competition. For this reason, massage is perhaps, within the physiotherapeutic techniques, the most appreciated by the athlete.

There really is no special sport massage, as there is, for example, no geriatric massage. The difference lies in the moment of the sports activity in which it is applied and in the therapeutic objectives that we pursue.

The general objectives of sport massage are, therefore, to prepare the tissues for sporting effort, keeping them in an optimal state, prevention of injuries both in training and in competition and recovery of injuries that arise and the physical form of the athlete.

Here at Fresh Treatments we offer specialised sport massages, relieving pressure and stress accumulated in muscles and more. Contact us now if you are interested in this service.

What is sport massage?

Massage is perhaps, within the physiotherapeutic techniques, the most appreciated by the athlete.

There really is no special sport massage, as there is, for example, no geriatric massage. The difference lies in the moment of the sports activity in which it is applied and in the therapeutic objectives that we pursue.

The general objectives will be:

• Preparing the fabrics for sports effort, keeping them in an optimal state.
• Preventing of injuries both in training and in competition.
• Recovering of the injuries that appear and of the physical form of the athlete.

Likewise, micro-breaks can occur at the microscopic level within the muscle fiber tissue, which give rise to processes of inflammation, regeneration and tissue remodeling and that will last longer or shorter depending on their severity.

Sport massage types

There are several types of sport massage according to the objectives pursued. Sports massage can be classified into:

Preparatory / pre-competition massage

Applied preferably (although it varies according to the authors) between 6 and 24 hours before the competition, training or activity, to optimise the elastic and contractile capacities of the tissues. It is an invigorating massage.

Goals:

• Increased blood circulation and therefore energy enrichment.
• Increasing in the internal temperature of the muscle and the viscoelastic properties of the muscle and connective tissue, which forms fascia, fascia, tendons… Guaranteeing an adequate contractile response and tension.
• Elimination of localized adhesions and myalgias

Recovery massage

It is usually applied between 30 minutes and 6 hours after finishing the activity. Previously, the athlete must perform active cooling that includes slowing down, stretching, hydration, and respiratory and cardiac normalization.

Goals:

• Metabolic waste drainage
• Reduction of muscle hypertone and possible spasms
• Increased blood supply

In this phase manual lymphatic drainage is highly indicated and it is necessary to avoid very intense massage therapy techniques that may exacerbate inflammatory pain, increasing recovery time. Rubbing techniques, rhythmic compressions, segmental vibrations can be applied.

It also represents a kind of psychological “reward” for the athlete for the effort made.

Maintenance massage

It must be periodic. It is used as a means of diagnosis and treatment, forming another part of the athlete’s preparation program.

Goals:

• Eliminating muscle fatigue
• Maintaining the natural elasticity of muscle, tendon, facial, ligament tissue
• Detecting and elimination of myalgia areas

Slower and more extensive maneuvers will be carried out, such as superficial and deep slides, kneading, friction… and also any other Manual Therapy technique that helps achieve the above objectives based on the findings obtained during palpation and the rest of the evaluation. such as: trigger point treatment, myofascial induction, connective tissue massage, etc.

Both the objectives and obviously the massage will vary depending on the sport practiced, depending on whether it is flexibility, strength, depth or speed, since the physiological and biochemical processes that take place in the body will be different. It will be necessary to modulate the rhythm, speed and depth. of the massage depending on what we want to achieve.

The importance of sports massage

Sport implies improvement and, as such, a physical demand. Finding the limits of our capacity causes wear and tear that can affect our performance and our health. For this reason, massage must be a fundamental element in our activity.

With sport massages we encourage fatigue to be reduced quickly, prevent injuries and, if these occur, we accelerate recovery. It is a means to help the athlete reach an optimal level, taking care of it at the same time. The need for sports massage should be understood as part of the training of the person who sports daily or very frequently, since the importance of getting ahead of the pain must be clear because prevention is always much better than cure.

We understand as sport massage the physical mechanism that is executed, normally with manual technique, aiming at improving the performance and physical condition of any person who performs sports, although it can also be applied, with the same objective, in people who do not practice it.

Sport massage itself is a set of manual maneuvers aimed at preparing the athlete’s tissues for competition, pre-competition massage, and recovering them after sports activity, post-competition massage, or to heal damaged tissues, rehabilitation massage. .

Sport massage differs from therapeutic massage in that it is usually more intense and deeper. Generally based on elements of classical Swedish massage, sports massage incorporates a combination of compression, friction, stretching, toning techniques and advanced Shiatsu and pressure techniques.

Sports massage has different purposes:

• Maintenance sports massage, performing a regular scheduled massage focused on the muscles used in a certain sport and that are more likely to cause problems to help the athlete maintain or improve movement and muscle flexibility.
• Pre-competition sports massage, based on the needs of the athlete and the sport, and can be relaxing or stimulating, is used as a warm-up before the competition, aiming at increasing circulation and reducing muscular and mental tension before the test.
• Post-competition sports massage, aims to reduce muscle spasms and the metabolic increase that comes with rigorous exercise. This type of sports massage helps the athlete in the process of recovering the effort made to return to training or the new competition, reducing the risk of injury.
• Rehabilitation sports massage, although they try to prevent injuries, they usually suffer overloads, cramps, contractures or breaks that produce pain and prevent them from continuing to train or compete. With this sports massage the healing process is accelerated, reducing pain and new solutions are provided during the rehabilitation process.

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