The Benefits of Sports Massage

Massage itself has probably been around since the dawn of mankind as it’s a natural therapy. Without thinking, we all administer massage to ourselves and others in one form or another when we suffer from sore or aching muscles.

It is well documented that the Roman gladiators were tended to by trained masseurs before and after each encounter, for they knew of the benefits of a pre-match invigorating massage and an after-tournament rub-down to aid in the dispersement of toxins and to speed up the healing process.

  The past few years has seen a dramatic increase in health and fitness awareness. In a world of ease-of-comfort technology, more and more people are finding that their working day is becoming increasingly sedentary physically, and mentally more draining. Some are lucky to escape this modern day mayhem and are finding peace and solace by moving out to the rural areas. But this occasionally just increases the time spent travelling back and forth to work, time that is more often than not spent seated. To combat this lackadaisical lifestyle many are turning to sports or gyms in the hope of maintaining, or in a majority if cases, recovering, a level of fitness enjoyed in earlier years.

  But with this increase in activity comes the inevitable aches, pains, strains and sprains as the body readjusts to the change in lifestyle, with muscles probably not used since your teenage years suddenly finding themselves being brought out of hibernation. This invariably leads to finding internal parts of your body that you never knew existed. Does this sound familiar?

“I had a workout the other day for the first time in years, the next day my calves/thighs/buttocks/back/shoulders/arms/neck/hair/teeth (delete which is not applicable) were in agony!” or;

“I’ve just started playing football / rugby / cricket / squash / basketball / swimming / martial arts / bowls / origami / knitting (delete which you don’t want to admit to) and I keep getting a pulled muscle”

  Most people, especially men, tend to ignore these continuous aches and pains because either, a) they don’t want to appear a wuss to their friends, or b) because they don’t want all the hassle of having to find a physiotherapist/masseur to cure them.

In most cases, especially having started something new, the general aches and pains are due to a build up of lactic acid in the muscles. This is a natural by-product of energy production but without a proper warm down and massage it builds up and may take days before it is flushed out . This is what causes those really stiff/sore muscles that you experience the next day after training, normally the calf and thigh being the worse.

  Massage is not just for remedial treatments, if applied properly it can be effective in preventing injury. Most people have a good warm-up and stretch before any physical activity (at least that is what they should do!) but some muscles really do need that extra help that cannot be achieved through normal exercises. Muscles like the glutes, hamstrings and quads can only be stretched properly through deep techniques applied by the therapist. And the Iliotibial band, a tendon that runs from the hip to the knee, can only really be stretched by deep longitudinal strokes using the heel of the palm. Stretching of this tendon has been known to increase the length of stride in runners, and anybody who has experienced it first hand never forgets they’ve had it done!

  Most professional teams employ either a physiotherapist or a sports masseur, but you don’t have to be a sportsman to experience the benefits of a treatment. Everybody can benefit from massage therapy on whatever level they choose; if you fancy just a relaxing treatment to help you wind down then Swedish or Aromatherapy is best suited for this purpose; if you’re after general body toning or if you want a specific problem treated, then Sports Massage is ideal. Many of the problems I treat at a local football club are more from pulled muscles at work rather then on the field.

  Massage should not be looked at as just something you have on a pampering weekend or as a special treat. On a weekly basis it keeps the body healthy as it aids the detoxification process, speeds up the rate of blood and oxygen flow to the muscles and skin, helps give the muscles good tone (shape), and stimulates the production of seretonin which in turn gives an overall sense of well being. Subconsciously it also satisfies a need that has been with us since birth, that of human contact.

David Smithers BSYA (Sp.M)

‘That Professional Touch’