Sports massage therapy has been around for a while. It is heavily employed by Olympic athletes to help treat different types of injuries. Of course, this implies that there are different approaches to implementing Sports Medicine Massage Therapy in Perth. Based on this, sports massage therapy can be divided into four distinct categories; pre-event, post-event, maintenance, and rehabilitation. Each sports massage category involves a unique combination of massaging techniques. Variations can also depend on the individual applying the massage to achieve specific results.
Let’s now have a look at the different techniques involved in a sports massage and how it helps athletes enhance their performance or heal injuries.
5 Primary Techniques Applied in Sports Massage
Massage therapists are trained to use a variety of massaging techniques, each with its unique purpose. Some techniques help improve the athlete’s performance while others help maintain and heal muscular injuries.
The most commonly used techniques have been mentioned in the following:
Effleurage or Stroking:
This is typically the first technique used to start the massage session. It involves using the hands, fingers, forearms, and even thumbs to implement strokes in a circular motion. This helps relax the muscles, reveals trigger points and tender areas in the muscle, and stretches the tissue and facia while preparing the body for the next step.
Petrissage or Kneading:
In this technique, the massage therapist picks up the muscle using their hands, palms, or even knuckles to manipulate soreness in the muscles,remove lactic acid, break up any knot formations, and improve recovery rate.
Tapotement or Rhythic Striking:
It involves applying light but brisk rhythmic strikes using the ulnar part of the hand. This technique softens the muscular areas, stimulates nerve endings, improves blood flow, and helps manage muscle contractions.
Friction:
Here, the massage therapist quite literally rubs their hands together to apply heat through friction. This approach is best for breaking up scar tissue while improving the lymphatic blood flow in the body.
Vibration:
Also referred to as the ‘rapid hand movement’ technique. The massage therapist loosens the muscles by vibrating their fingertips over the area.
Pre-Event Sports Massage
The goal of opting for a sports massage before any major sports event is to help prepare the athlete for the training routine. The techniques used during this stage help improve blood flow and increase nutrients in the muscles. This also helps reduce tension and prepare the body for the upcoming event.
People go for pre-event sports massage as a prevention strategy that prepares their bodies for intense activities. The massage can be done four hours in advance of the event and can last as long as 15 minutes. The techniques commonly used here are effleurage, tapotement, friction, and vibration but not petrissage.
Pre-event sports massage can also be done 72 hours before an upcoming event. It would be a light sports massage variation otherwise it may lead to muscle soreness. The massage therapist starts with effleurage – stretching the skin to promote blood circulation. This is followed by tapotement to help stimulate the nerves and muscle tissue.
Post-Event Sports Massage
As mentioned in the name itself, this category of sports massage is applied once the sports event has concluded. Ideally, it should be opted for after 72 hours have passed. Like most sports massage sessions, post-event massages would also last between 15 to 20 minutes. However, the duration can vary depending condition the athlete is in.
The reason why there is a 72 hours waiting period for a sports massage is that it allows the athlete to rehydrate, recuperate and cool down their muscles for the sports massage. They can opt for an ice bath to help hasten the recuperation process.
The massage is typically initiated with effleurage after which the therapist shifts to a variation of deep tissue massage using petrissage, tapotement, friction, and vibration. Such a combination help stimulate the muscles while removing lactic acid. It also boosts the flow of nutrients into the affected areas of the body as well as aids in identifying trigger points. Post-event massage can also help reduce the effects of DOMs or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.
Maintenance Sports Massage
This category of sports massage is implemented as a part of the post-training routine and is also often applied in-between events. The goal is to help the athlete's body relax after a sports event or training routine. It is superbly beneficial in reducing inflammation, removing lactic acid, and improving the athlete’s performance for the next day.
Opting for regular maintenance massages helps both trainers and massage therapists identify any potential risk of injury the athlete might be facing and rectify it in advance. Maintenance of sports massage is a crucial part of the process of preparing the athlete, increasing their flexibility, improving their range of motion as well as boosting nutrient delivery to various parts of the body. It is a great medicinal effect in relaxing the athlete both physically and mentally before resuming their training.
Rehabilitation Sports Massage
In case of an injury, rehabilitation sports massage is applied in combination with other medicinal treatments. It plays a significant role in helping the athlete recover faster from their injury while reducing the risk of future injury as well.
In many cases, the massage therapist works in close cooperation with the medical staff to establish a recovery program for the athlete. This program would involve various massaging techniques.
Effleurage is most commonly applied to help relax the muscles by stimulating blood flow. This may not be followed by petrissage as it can cause discomfort. Other techniques which the massage therapist may choose to include in the program are tapotement, friction, and vibration. These especially help remove scar tissue, and toxins while improving the supply of blood and nutrients to the affected area.
Conclusion
Medicinal sports massage is a therapeutic process. It is administered to help enhance the effects of healing and other medical treatments. Sports massage is often mistaken for full-body massage therapy techniques in Perth, however, both approaches have varying goals and combinations of techniques.
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