SPORTS-THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE, OBJECTIVE: TO ELIMINATE MUSCULAR TENSION
Massage is one of the wide range of techniques within the speciality of massage therapy. Everyone has received a massage in their life, however, therapeutic sports massage has different characteristics to a traditional relaxing massage, which means that both its objectives and its application differ from other types of massage.
Therapeutic sports massage is a type of massage whose general objectives are: to prepare the tissues for sporting and day-to-day effort (keeping them in an optimal state of functioning), prevention of injuries both in training and in competition and recovery from any injuries that may occur. The effects of this type of massage on the body are as follows:
- Positive psychological effects
- Decrease in pain
- Avoidance of the formation of adhesions
- Helps adaptation to changes in training
- Improved training capacity
- Prevention of injuries
- Optimisation of muscular performance
- Delay in the appearance of fatigue
- Delay in the onset of fatigue
- Stimulation of blood circulation and muscle relaxation
- Delay in the appearance of fatigue
- Stimulation of blood circulation and muscle relaxation
- Delay in the onset of fatigue
- Stimulation of blood and lymphatic circulation
When applying a therapeutic sports massage it is necessary to locate the treatment area and focus specifically on it in order to eliminate all muscle tension and trigger points that exist in that area.
After a therapeutic sports massage session, it is normal for the patient to feel the treated area slightly stiff or sore, as the tissues are worked in depth and the treatment is quite intense, they respond by becoming slightly inflamed. However, this discomfort disappears the following day along with the muscular tension that existed prior to the treatment.
Written by Eduardo García Oliva