Sports Massage
When working with a client we will base your session on the information you provide us, the sports you participate in, and what we find during the session. Your session can involve many activities including sports massage, flexibility training, exercise instruction, heat or ice, and nutritional counseling. Below is a description of some modalities that may be appropriate for your session.
When you are training at a high level it is common for you to experience soreness and injuries. Sports Massage is used to help athletes or anyone engaged in physical activity to prepare for an event, recover from an event, treat/rehab injuries, maintain health and function of the tissue and to identify future injuries. A better understanding of anatomy, kinesiology, physiology and the specific demands of the sport are required to provide an effective sports massage.
There are generally 4 types of sports massage. The two most important are Maintenance sessions and Injury Rehab. To train at a high level you will be challenging your body and it will break down over time.
Injury Rehab
When an injury has occurred, sports massage is very beneficial in the healing process. Scar tissue will need to be treated to create a healthy and functional scar. If the scar is not treated it will be thick and stiff placing extra stress on the tissues above and below the scar because the scar does not move freely. This greatly increases the chances of re-injuring the muscle. The surrounding tissues will also need to be treated to break up adhesion that result from the injury. These adhesions create altered movement patterns and place stress on other areas of the body. See our Areas of Expertise for more info.
Maintenance
Massages are given throughout the training cycle to improve recovery from training sessions, evaluate how the body is responding to training, identify and treat areas of tension that are limiting performance and areas that could lead to injury. Maintenance sessions are critical in preventing injuries that lead to a disappointing performance or missed competitions. With a skilled therapist and regular work your chances of staying healthy are greatly improved. If you are training with a well designed program and receiving therapy your performance will improve.
Pre-event
This is a session given 30 minutes to 24 hours before an event. The goals of a pre-event massage are to assist the athlete with warming up by increasing circulation, increasing flexibility, and reducing soreness. The session is also used to assess nervousness, fatigue, and hyperactivity because this information is influential in how the session performed. It is very important to understand the athletes experience with massage prior to performing a pre-event massage. The massage given by a therapist who has worked with an athlete numerous times before will be very different than a therapist working with an athlete for the first time. Specific areas can be addressed IF the therapist and athlete have worked together before and the therapist knows how the athlete responds OR if a current dysfunction will be more harmful than the possible side effects of treatment.
Post Event
Treatments are done after an event ideally within 1-2 hours. They help to flush the tissues of waste products created by metabolism during the event. This will help relieve some soreness, reduce muscle spasms and reduce the amount of time needed for recovery. The therapist must be mindful of the amount of pressure used because most likely the athlete will not be able to tolerate deep pressure. Deep pressure can also trigger muscle spasms and increase soreness.
Contact us with any questions and to schedule your session