Therapeutic Massage For Athletes. Athletes are always searching for an edge to help them train more effectively and shake off injuries faster.
Athletes push themselves to the limit with speed, endurance, and strength and many are reaching world records. They know the body has limits but push themselves as hard as they can without the body breaking down.
There is a growing awareness that therapeutic massage can help athletes avoid serious injury and faster recovery time. Coaches and trainers are using massage therapy as a part of their extensive training and preparation to play the sport.
Doctors are prescribing therapeutic massage as a complimentary way of treating injuries and illness. Documents show therapeutic not only feels good, it also reduces blood pressure, heart rate, and improves circulation. It is also used to reduce pain, reduce muscle tension and improves range of motion in some patients.
Therapeutic massage used with routine physical training, a healthy diet, and getting the proper rest will help an athlete with the strength and endurance for their sport. There are several techniques used in sports massage therapies. Because each sport uses a different set of muscles and in a different way, several techniques may be used.
An athlete may be given a deep Swedish massage that specifically targets a set of muscles. An athlete may receive a compression massage. This is a rhythmic compression of specific muscles to create a softening effect on the muscles.
This is generally used for a warm-up or for work on a specific muscle group. Cross-fiber massage is often used to reduce adhesions and improve flexibility and muscle repair after an injury. This is a friction technique and creates a stretching and broadening effect in large muscle group sets.
Trigger Point/Tender Point massage uses finger and thumb pressure at specific pressure points to reduce pain and erase muscle spasms. This will promote the easing of restricted movements in the body. Lymphatic massage is used to increase the circulation of the body.
Quick Facts About Massage Therapy
The medical benefits Of Massage Therapy. The Circulatory System
Of the physical effects of massage, perhaps the clearest are on the circulatory system. When you touch, squeeze or press any part of your body, you increase the circulation to that area. Massage takes this effect, and systematically applies it. As a result, massage is a good way to deal with minor problems of the circulatory system.
Meanwhile, massage will be having other effects on the central circulatory system, reducing blood pressure and heart rate. Why this happens isn't fully understood, but it seems to be a reaction to changing levels of hormones circulating in the body.
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Athletic coaches and trainers believe that sports therapeutic massage can improve sports performance by reducing the chances of injury.
It includes stretching and training for the event and using deep tissue massage. It can also improve range of motion in some muscles and improve muscle flexibility.
This improves performance and shortens the time needed to recover between workouts.
Therapeutic massage is thought to increase the bodys own supply of nutrients that increases blood flow and helps increase the metabolic rate and expel the by-products piled up in the body.
Sports enthusiasts and physical fitness buffs find therapeutic massage improves performance, improves circulation, and shortens recover time after an accident.
Theraputic Massage Terms and Facts.
Massage can help to improve weakened muscles. We are effectively manipulating the muscles into working in a way that is unusual to them and this can strengthen the muscles. |
If it can work for athletes, it can work for you. Leg cramps can be relieved with a gentle massage, and sore muscles eased after an active physical workout.
The treatment used by the earliest population can help you today. Gentle rubbing and probing sensitive areas and muscles can do plenty in helping you achieve your maximum performance level.
Massage Therapy for Healthy Lives
08/19/2008
FITNESS Q&A: Muscle knots best left to massage therapists (Lancaster Online)
Q. Could you explain what muscle knots are and what you can do to alleviate them I have one in my neck, due to repetitive movement, and stretching only helps if I do a lot of it. —K. Strand, San FranciscoA. Muscles are designed for work. In fact, they are healthiest whe...
FITNESS Q&A: Muscle knots best left to massage therapists (Lancaster Online)
08/19/2008
Alexander Technique effective for back pain (Times Online)
An alternative therapy used to improve posture and to help women to cope with labour pain can be more effective at treating backache than conventional treatments, a study suggests.
Alexander Technique effective for back pain (Times Online)
08/19/2008
FITNESS Q&A: Muscle knots best left to massage therapists (Lancaster Online)
Q. Could you explain what muscle knots are and what you can do to alleviate them I have one in my neck, due to repetitive movement, and stretching only helps if I do a lot of it. —K. Strand, San FranciscoA. Muscles are designed for work. In fact, they are healthiest whe...
FITNESS Q&A: Muscle knots best left to massage therapists (Lancaster Online)
08/19/2008
Man pleads in massage case, gets probation (Marco Eagle)
A 56-year-old massage therapist from Lee County pleaded no contest to battery Friday and was ordered to give up his massage license after a woman told police he committed a sex act on her during a massage at a Marco Island spa.
Man pleads in massage case, gets probation (Marco Eagle)
08/19/2008
THERAPY: Help research, earn massages (York Daily Record)
The Pennsylvania Myotherapy Institute and EnGedi Wellness Center are researching the effects of therapy on experienced clients versus inexperienced clients.
THERAPY: Help research, earn massages (York Daily Record)
08/20/2008
Health Calendar (The Beacon News)
Free Screenings for Children: Community Therapy Services, 40W310 LaFox Road, St. Charles, offers free developmental and speech-language screenings for children 4 months through 5 years of age. Call (630) 444-0077 to schedule an appointment.
Health Calendar (The Beacon News)
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