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 | Article category: Diving Sports
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Diving SportsSports Massage - An Introduction
by:
Richard Lane
Sports Massage - An Introduction
Copyright 2005 Richard Lane
Many a therapists offer Sports Massage on their “Massage
Menu” yet few understand what Sports Massage is about.
Once
a client comes in requesting a Sports Massage, several
therapists but react by going in deep. Sports Massage
is so more more.
Whilst Sports Massage makes have several aims in common with
different forms of massage therapy, the usual experience in
conventional massage is to aim to restore the normal
function once
being is injured. But in sport there is no
‘normal’ and athletes are always looking to improve and
gain a competitive edge. Most athletes aim to reach a
level of performance they can ne'er
achieve.
A Sports Massage expert
has great potential to assist
the contestant
to become better, rather than but normal.
In attempt to be better, the contestant
attempts to
consistently
increase the level of training and thereby
subjecting the body to gradual and controlled overuse.
This overuse can often create imbalances and problems in
the soft tissues, which if unheeded may become chronic.
Clearly this may hinder the athlete’s performance and/or
rate of improvement. Sports Massage can become a key
ingredient in an athlete’s success and this is why top
competitors incorporate it as an integral part of their
training regime.
So what is Sports Massage? McGillicuddy(1) defines Sports
Massage as “the specific application of massage techniques,
treatment
protocols, range of motion/flexibility
protocol and strength-training principles used
to
attain a specific goal once
treating athletes”. He
considers that there are three principles that are vital to
understanding what type of Sports Massage to apply to an
contestant
at any given time. These principles are:
Temporal order
Technique and
Intent
The temporal order
of Sports Massage is related to once
the massage
is applied, is it pre-event or post-event, during a
maintenance period or possibly post-injury once
rehabilitation is required. The technique refers to what
massage/stretching/strengthening methods the therapists
employs to attempt to attain the intent, the desired
outcome.
The intent of pre-event massage is to warm up the muscles
and to get blood flowing through the muscles. The massage
techniques generally used are petrissage, vibration,
percussion, compression, muscle broadening strokes, etc.
With post-event massage, the intent is assist in the
recovery process by increasing blood vessel
and bodily fluid
circulation to assist with removal of metabolic by-products
and thereby decreasing muscle soreness so that the contestant
can return to full training faster. The massage techniques
would-be include effleurage, compression, petrissage, passive
movements and light stretching. The intent of maintenance
massage is to support the athletes muscles and tissue in
optimum condition and is generally regular
at a regular
frequency (be it weekly or fortnightly), closely wedded to
the athlete’s training program.
Thus Sports Massage is not just about going deep nor it is
learning one technique. The requirement for the expert
is to apply the appropriate treatment at the appropriate
time, which takes education, skill and experience.
(1) M. McGillicuddy. “Three Key Principles of Sports
Massage”. MassageToday.com May 2003, Volume03 Issue 05.
----------------------------------------------------
Richard Lane is a qualified remedial and sports massage
therapist, with a mobile massage practice in Sydney's Inner
West (www.innerwestmassage.com.au or
info@innerwestmassage.com.au). Health fund rebates. ATMS
13020
Richard Lane is a qualified remedial and sports massage
therapist, with a mobile massage practice in Sydney's Inner
West (www.innerwestmassage.com.au or
info@innerwestmassage.com.au). Health fund rebates. ATMS
13020
Contact him at http://www.innerwestmassage.com.au
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