Whether striving for personal best performance or competing with rivals, athletes are a naturally disciplined and directed breed. In search of optimal performance, they routinely test their emotional, mental, and physical limits. Athletes regularly push their bodies away from resistance and discomfort and endure the pain that can cause most of us to crawl to the sideline or throw in the towel altogether.
However, the athlete's dedication to excellence often results in injuries – sprains, fractures, strains, and sprains – the entire body is affected by continuous and rigorous training.
This is where sports massage comes in, led by a registered masseuse. It has long been recognized that therapeutic and restorative practice is essential for any athlete who wants to advance, grow strong … and win big.
All-Star Patients
Sports massage therapists are already working with some of the big winners. From World Cup players, professional leagues, and Olympic medalists to local champions playing on neighborhood teams. Anyone who works hard and competes regularly can benefit from sports massage therapy. Massage therapy training includes a detailed analysis of pain mechanisms in the body; RMTs perform specific techniques that enhance this knowledge, increase range of motion, and support the healing process of damaged muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Many coaches and event organizers hire sports massage therapists to provide short 10-15 minute massages before and after an athlete's performance. These mini sessions are believed to improve performance, prevent injury, eliminate lactic acid build-up, and prevent muscle cramps. Of course, more intense massages are given during training and focus on each athlete's particular challenges or injuries. Sports therapists use their knowledge of how the body moves when playing different types of sports, using this insider information to help improve performance and preparation for competition.
Olympic authentication
Sian Price, a former Olympic runner and European champion, considers sports massage an integral part of her training routine. She says her routine massage treatment “is just as important as all the other parts of my sporting lifestyle, meaning it meets technical and training sessions, general fitness sessions.
When she was an active competitor, Sean considered her athletic MT, Chris Calvary, a critical member of her fitness team. Help identify and resolve sources of pain and injury and advise Sean on when to seek help from another physician, such as your team physician or physical therapist.
