Four Different Types Of Sports Massage

By Morgan F Turley

While sports massage may have initially been developed as a way to help elite athletes prepare their bodies for performing in physically challenging events, the weekend warrior or occasional athlete shouldnt write off the benefits. Those with any level of athleticism can benefit from this form of massage, which primarily focuses on injury prevention and healing to muscles and tendons. A massage therapist generally concentrates on problem areas during a sports massage, with the goal being to bring this problem area back to proper functioning.

Derived from Swedish massage, sports massage is meant to stimulate the flow of lymphatic fluids in the body and improve blood circulation. There are four different types of sports massage, with each form focusing on different aspects of a clients athletic life. Are they preparing for a race? Or did they just finish up a biking trip? Depending on the answer, the therapist will fine-tune the massage to best suit the needs of the client.

If a client is seeking a sports massage prior to an event of some kind, its best that this be done within the hour before the event begins. This may pose a challenge, but there are often massage therapists present at sporting events to provide athletes with a chance to receive a massage before an event begins. These massages tend to be short and stimulating without involving too much pressure. The therapist directs all massage efforts on the areas of the body that are about to endure the physical challenge. The goal is to warm muscles up and loosen the just enough to make them more pliable for extreme physical fitness.

A massage done post-event is generally done within the first few hours following the finish. If a client waits longer than this, the massage will no longer provide the benefits its intended to provide. These massages are meant to normalize the body tissues aggravated during physical activity. If the massage is done within the first few hours following the activity, this goal of normalizing tissues is more easily achieved.

A restorative sports massage is one of the more popular forms of sports massage as the time frame for maximum benefits is far more forgiving. This form of massage is provided during a clients training period, whether it is for a 5K, marathon, or long bike race. This form of massage is aimed at allowing the client to better train for their event (which often involves a lot of more intensive training) without as much risk for injury.

The fourth form of sports massage focuses on rehabilitation. For those clients who unfortunately experience injury during training, or following an athletic event, this form of massage is meant to alleviate pain associated with this injury. The goal is to help the clients body return to optimal health so they may more quickly return to their sport of choice.

Sports massage is often thought to be something only needed directly after an intensive physical event. Obviously this is not the case. Sports massage is valuable throughout every stage of training.

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