Issue link: http://www.bodysensemagazinedigital.com/i/1029245
www.massagetherapy.com—your resource for all things bodywork 7 pain and various forms of limitation in the body. While sports massage is meant to be customized for every client and every sport, there is a general approach that can be implemented for those who fall into any of the following three possible categories. General Sports Massage Typically, this is a full-body massage approach customized for clients involved in sports like football, tennis, and golf, as well as for clients who are looking to increase the ease, quality, and range of motion of their body movements. This type of sports massage may also be used to prepare the body for physical activity. During this massage, specific attention is often targeted to areas requested by the client. Injury-Focused Sports Massage This approach generally falls outside a full-body approach to target specific movement conditions that include plantar fasciitis, low-back pain, tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, and other common sports injuries. This approach could include active engagement from the client or passive movement techniques. Falling outside a full-body approach allows the client and massage therapist time to focus on two or three areas of the body with specific, desired therapeutic outcomes. Pre- and Postevent Sports Massage This approach is customized to either prepare the athlete for immediate, high-intensity activity, or to help them recover. There are two basic subsets of this kind of massage: • Pre-event: This approach finds the massage therapist avoiding deep pressure on the athlete and instead employing lighter, faster movements to energize the nervous system rather than relax it. This would typically fall into a full-body approach with gentle joint movements and stretching. • Postevent: This session is intended to help calm the nervous system, reduce pain, and help restore muscles to their normal resting length. This would typically fall into a full-body approach with gentle movements and light stretching. WHO SHOULD GET A SPORTS MASSAGE? Anyone who is actively involved in a movement-oriented sport could see great benefit from regular massages, and sports massage specifically. In addition, if you suffer from any of the following ailments, you should ask your massage therapist about injury-focused sports massage: • Golf elbow • Frozen shoulder • Low-back pain • Pain while running • Plantar fasciitis • Shin splints • Tennis elbow BUT IS IT FOR ME? I once had a client who complained about pain from playing nine rounds of golf. I began to inquire about his warm-up routine and found he was contracting muscles of his shoulder, when what they really needed was to be lengthened and stretched. We looked at a series of his movements to help identify pain points and improve his proprioception around his execution of those movements. This consultation resulted in him shifting to the correct body movements and, in turn, eliminated his ongoing chronic pain. He was ecstatic that this simple change of pattern, along with regular sports massage, got him back to the game he loved … pain-free! There are many benefits to regular sports massage. Pain relief, injury recovery, and increased somatic awareness are a few of the most important. Your massage therapist is here to help you determine optimal movements for your sport of choice so you can avoid future injury, get past acute, sub-acute, or chronic injuries, and improve the body's range, quality, and ease of motion. Notes 1. TK 2. TK Eric Stephenson is chief wellness officer for Elements Massage. He has contributed to the brand's growth in becoming one of the largest providers of massage therapy in the United States. In addition, Stephenson is cofounder of imassage, Inc., and a board member of the International Spa Association (ISPA). Whether it be golf, tennis, or ballroom dancing, if you engage in physical exercise, sports massage is a good option for you.