Sports Therapy is an element of healthcare that is chiefly concerned with the prevention of injury and the rehabilitation of the patient. It aims to restore optimal levels of function and sports specific fitness. It applies the principles of sport and exercise science incorporating physiological and pathological processes to prepare the patient for training and competition.
Sports Massage has an increasing profile in sports medicine, benefiting both elite and recreational athletes. Sports Massage is a deep form of massage that works specifically with sporting injuries and ailments, providing relief from discomfort and aiding rehabilitation. A variety of techniques are used to decrease pain, increase performance and assist recovery. For those participating in regular physical activity Sports Massage is a great addition to training regimes, as it focuses on areas that are overused and stressed from repetitive and often aggressive movements.
Benefits of Sports Massage:
- Decrease muscle stiffness, pain and fatigue
- Improve flexibility
- Aid in the speed and quality of soft tissue repair
Effects of Sports Massage:
- Improved circulation
- Removes metabolic waste
- Increase the uptake of oxygen and nutrients to the tissue cells
Techniques used in Sports Massage
Sports Massage uses a variety of technique to help athletes both pre and post event. Techniques include:
Trigger Point Therapy
Trigger points can occur in soft tissues due to overuse, adaptive shortening, postural imbalances, strains, stress and nutritional deficits. The soft tissues are unable to cope with these stresses leading to involuntary spasm resulting in pain and restriction of movement. These spasms can cause the formation of a Trigger Point, which feels like a knot. Trigger Point Therapy focuses on a specific area tension and alleviates that pain through cycles of isolated pressure ad release.
Deactivation the Trigger Points can help:
- Reduce local and referred pain
- Restore muscle imbalances
- Improve tissue mobility
- Increase range of motion
- Soft Tissue Release
This is an advanced and very specific sports massage technique. It’s a combination of stretching and deep friction that illicits a specific stretch to a muscle. It’s commonly used with frictions to;
- Reduce adhesions in soft tissue structures
- Improves local circulation
- Increases functional ROM
- Develops flexibility in tight muscles and muscle groups
- Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) stretching
MET is a form of passive stretching from the world of osteopathic techniques. MET’s target the soft tissues primarily, although it also makes a major contribution towards joint mobilisation. The purpose of MET stretching is to improve a client’s flexibility and therefore range of movement at a joint.
Its effects are:
- Releases muscle spasms
- Decreases muscle hypertonicity (tension)
- Improves muscle flexibility
- Restores muscle balance
- Frictions
This technique is directed pressure over soft tissues that manipulate their structure by softening up adhesions and returning the muscle back to its full function. Along with Soft Tissue Release, it provides a stretch to a highly specific area of tissues. Its effects are;
- Reduces congestion in a local area
- Increases local circulation
- Reduces the effect of scar tissue post injury
- Improves the mobility of soft tissues