Massage Therapy for Athletes
Massage Therapy is an important aspect of sport, yet it is commonly overlooked.
As parents, we put our kids into one or many organized sports every year, we pay for their ice or practice times, drive them all over the city, and attend numerous games and matches. We will do all of this for our kids, yet when they get hurt or injured we seem to do the bare minimum, ice and rest.
As an athlete, at any age, in any sport you are putting great demands on your body, and to maintain your ability to meet those demands you need to take care of yourself. Stress, muscular fatigue, sore/achy muscles, and injury are some of the daily things athletes go through, but it is how they deal with these issues that determines their longevity in the sport. Proper rest and recovery, hydration, diet, stretching, removal of lactic acid build up through smart training techniques, and injury care are some of the things athletes need to focus on for them to thrive in sport.
Why should I get a massage?
A reminder to athletes that a massage is not a treat, you NEED a massage. Massage therapy treatment or sport massage is not about pampering oneself at the local spa. They are therapeutic treatments aimed at relaxing the muscles and improving/maintaining muscle function.
Average massage frequency for athletes is 1/2x/month, or weekly depending on their training frequency and competition schedule. For young athletes (ages 8-12) a 30 minute treatment is more than enough for proper maintenance. Older athletes (ages 16+) and competitive young athletes may want longer treatments (60 minutes). (* Once athletes learn to read their bodies they can judge whether they need more or less frequent treatments)
Regular maintenance is KEY in both sport and life to get the best out of your body. We only get one body, so why not take care of it.
Massage therapy is important to any athlete’s longevity.
Massage alone can:
*decrease muscles soreness
*decrease injury frequency
*speed recovery of injury
*increase blood flow to tissues
*help remove lactic acid build up during training
*aid in the recovery process
*decrease stress/tension
*increase relaxation
*increase muscle pliability and flexibility
A note from MY personal experience:
As a current massage therapist and former track and field sprinter for 18 years (now turned coach), I know firsthand the benefits of massage therapy and how it affects your training. After many years in the sport and after as many injuries my coach started me seeing a massage therapist. They didn’t always feel good or relaxing, depending on how tight I was, but it wasn’t long before I felt more rested and less sore after treatments and was able to push myself harder during practices. I also noticed that we were able to catch injuries before they became something that would put me on the sidelines. When there was something my therapist couldn’t do that was outside his scope of practice he sent me to a physiotherapist who was able to assess any injuries that arose and get them dealt with in less time than just simply resting and icing. I learnt to know and listen to my body better and know when I needed more or less treatments. My experience with how my therapist was able to help me made me ultimately go into the profession, so that I could not only help and give back to athletes, but to also educate athletes, parents and general public on the importance of proper body maintenance. Whether you work hard in the office, work construction, or you’re an athlete playing a sport you are asking daily demands of your body. By taking care of yourself you will have more energy, ease of activity and less stress and pain and possibly injury.