What is the first gesture you do when you hit a blow on any part of the body? Surely rubbing your hand over it, right? Yes, we all do it. And the truth is that it is a primitive gesture, reflex action of our parasympathetic nervous system to reduce or alleviate the pain generated by said blow
What is sports massage?
Sports massage is a form of massage that involves the manipulation of soft tissue to benefit a person dedicated to regular physical activity. Sports massage is designed to help correct problems and imbalances in the soft tissue that are caused by repetitive and strenuous physical activity with or without trauma. The soft tissue includes the skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia.
The application of sports massage, before and after exercise, can improve performance, help recovery and prevent injuries
What is the use of Sports Massage?
Unlike conventional therapeutic massage, sports massage focuses exclusively on attacking all physiological aspects that may occur within the framework of physical activity or sports performance, so you do not necessarily have to dedicate yourself to competition to receive this type of massage.
Objectives of Sports Massage
Sports massage therapy is aimed at athletes and athletes of all kinds, from world-class professionals to weekend runners. The details of the sports massage technique are specific to each sport discipline. However, it maintains in common the focus on areas of the body that are stressed and that receive an "overuse" from repetitive and often aggressive movements.
Benefits of Sports Massage
If you perform intense training continuously, this therapy will be your best ally, providing you an optimal recovery and therefore a higher performance; and on the other hand, to avoid possible injuries that may occur during the activity and that usually leave you out of play for some time.
Athletes have discovered that by means of specially designed sports massage, they can promote flexibility, reduce fatigue, improve endurance, reduce the risk of injury and even prepare both the body and the mind for optimal performance.
Recommendations Sports Massage
For anyone who maintains a regular physical activity, sports massage therapy every one or two weeks can be a great addition to your current planning and especially raising the level of health and prosperity and sports longevity. The best option is to contact professional masseurs to find a plan that works and is best suited to your schedule, activity level and budget.
Sports massage to treat post-exercise pain
Undoubtedly, the most healthy and effective way to reverse these painful symptoms is through the manipulation of the tissue itself.
When massaging we get the following benefits:
The blood supply is optimized, being beneficial for the elimination of accumulated lactic acid and a good muscular recovery when sending more nutrients to the area
- It reduces excess fascial tension and therefore improves muscle function, avoiding aggravating possible decompensation or generating new ones
- It also reduces the physiological stress that is generated by the pain itself or the bad biomechanics of the structure, since the massage itself releases neurosedant substances beneficial to the central nervous system in its action for the regulation of the body's biochemistry.
- It is therefore, that using massage as an analgesic route for any type of muscle or tissue involvement is or should be the first option always, even before the consumption of any anti-inflammatory (NSAID) of which I am quite detractor and the which is resorted to indiscriminately and sometimes abusively, for pain that with the simple release of the tissue, disappear.
Stages of Sports Massage
Depending on whether we are in the competitive framework or not, sports massage can or should be applied in three stages or phases:
Pre-competition massage or Before the exercise
Phase that is normally done from 24h before the activity, until 15-30 min before the activity. We seek optimum preparation of muscles for the moment of effort.
As main objectives:
- Increased muscle wakefulness, that is, we provoke a series of pre-activation neuromuscular signals.
- Increase muscle circulation and temperature, preparing the fibers for proper contraction. The better the blood supply and temperature in the muscle, the better its ability to perform its function optimally.
- It provides a greater elastic capacity to the muscle, favoring its behavior in a wider range.
- Eliminates possible myofascial adhesions that cause restrictions in the movement and with it limiting the capacity and effectiveness in it.
Massage techniques in this phase are based practically on friction and friction and the speed of application will be fast. It is a short massage and focused on the largest muscle groups as they are responsible for the movement of the body
Post-competition massage or After exercise
- We will apply this phase after the activity. Leaving a margin of time of about 45min-1h, when the neuromuscular function is more 'deactivated' and thus its application is more effective
- We return to your natural state hypertonic muscles or with excess tension produced by exercise.
- We reduce muscle fatigue by favoring blood supply, which also helps eliminate waste substances such as accumulated lactic acid.
- It reduces possible contractures that may occur due to muscle spasms produced by excess muscle work or even by excess lactate, by changing the biochemistry of the tissue.
- It contributes to recover the nervous system on the action of the muscular spindle and the specific myotatic reflex tissue in the musculature, restoring a favorable tonicity.
- It reduces the physiological and mental stress produced during exercise.
At this time, the techniques of kneading, vibration, slapping, shaking and pinching will prevail, since they help to deepen more and provoke a stimulus of relaxation. It is also important to perform ischemia or emptying to drain and eliminate waste. The duration of the massage will be somewhat longer, around 10 minutes per area.
Maintenance Massage
The maintenance phase is performed independently of the other two, usually once a week, although I am a supporter of at least 2, if the physical exercise is very intense and if you can afford it clearly. This phase can be complemented by doing small daily sessions of self-massage at home, freeing specific areas such as the floor of the foot or reinforcing areas more susceptible to overloads and stresses. (I recommend 20 minutes a day before going to bed).
- Helps to maintain muscle tone, which is, causing the muscle fibers that contract in normal movement to rotate so that they cede the contractile function in a coherent cycle.
- Likewise, it avoids possible fascial adhesions to the muscle maintaining its optimal function in a regular manner.
- It contributes to the general maintenance of a good posture.
For this phase, kneading, friction, ischemia and cheeks will also be used. An important point is that at this moment, you have the opportunity to look for possible contractures or trigger points, which will be attacked with progressive pressures on them. The duration will vary depending on the patient's need and the professional's intention
Exercise and Pain?
Suffering pain doing any sports activity is so normal today that it has even become a kind of "law" - ... "if you exercise you have to have pain, if or if ..." - and this in biological terms is meaningless Some ... In general, sports injuries in the musculoskeletal system appear due to overexertion, to exercise on muscular decompensation and even, and this for me is the biggest cause, due to the performance of inadequate exercise under these decompensations.
Practical example
"... It turns out that yesterday you went running, changed routes, climbed more slopes and you shot the chronometer more than usual, and today you have a pain in the twins that you have trouble walking. And to top it all, the plant on your foot has hurt again, just like that time a few months ago and you were diagnosed as plantar fasciitis.. "
Well, part of the possible laces you may have because of muscle overstretch, the safest thing is that the fascial tissue that surrounds all the structures (muscle, bone ...) of that area has acquired too much tension, which pulls and compresses said structures modifying their position, limiting movement and producing pain.
Generally, what is usually done in these cases by oneself is nothing, yes, nothing. Leave a few days until it passes and if the pain is strong, anti-inflammatory to the singing...
Importance of Sports Massage
Understanding that in certain circumstances, applying the massage yourself can be complicated, either due to lack of time (this is usually an excuse), or because anatomical knowledge is lacking and the proper massage technique is unknown to apply it (this is understood) , or you simply prefer not to worry about it and have a professional handle it regularly (this is also understood), and without a doubt the latter will be the best option.
Therefore, for whatever reason, if you perform physical exercise continuously, and even more if it is intense, you must provide massage to maintain an optimal state of the body. And even if you apply it yourself on a daily basis, it will never be better than the one provided by a professional sports masseuse, because they have the knowledge and technical skills necessary to solve more effectively and safely all those problems we may have.
The Law of Self-healing of the Body: the body has all the necessary mechanisms for self-healing, you just have to help it restore normal function
