Sports Massage : Sports Injury Treatment

Sports massage is the rehabilitation of muscle in the body as well as other soft tissue areas like tendons and ligaments. Sports massage practitioners use specially developed methods to ensure that the results are effective. Sports massage has been said to improve circulation, increase or decrease muscle tone and remodel scar tissue if required. Sports Massage is ideal for sports such as tennis, football, golf, running, skiing, judo and cricket and here is a comprehensive guide to the benefits of sports massage for each of the above sports.

Sports Massage for Tennis Players

People who play tennis often use their elbows and hands repetitively which can cause them to have an injury termed as ‘tennis elbow’as the elbow often becomes painful and tender. A sports massage could help to treat tennis elbow as it helps to remove and decrease the pain in the elbow. Sports massage therapy around the elbow will help to make the elbow more flexible strengthen the muscles surrounding the injured area. Often tennis players suffer from calf pain and a sports massage will take away the pain and help to relieve stress in the calf. Tennis players can often experience injuries in the knee if they have fallen while playing and sports massage therapy can assist with pain in the knee. If there are tears in the knee sports massage therapy can help the rehabilitation of the knee and ease the built up tension so that the player is ready to have a good round of tennis.

Sports Massage for Football Players

The game of football requires its players to use their feet repetitively performing kicks using their knees and often when the game is played injuries can occur. A sports massage is ideal for a football player because it can remove metabolic waste and lactic acid. Sports massages aim to ease the muscle contractions of injured and strained knees. Sports massage therapy is ideal for footballers who have injuries on their arms and legs from falling as it can relieve the pain from sore arms and reduce the tension which might have built up on the back. A sports massage therapist will also work the back of the neck to relieve any tension that might be present. Rehabilitation techniques are used to repair pulls and tears along with the other soft tissue injuries. When playing football muscles can often be hyper extended, tweaked and pulled and therefore sports massage therapy will help to relieve the pain from pulled or hyper extended ligaments.

Sports Massage for Golf Players

Golf may not seem like a sport that necessarily needs sports massage therapy however players of golf experience pain and injuries just like any other sport. Golfers can benefit considerably from sports massage therapy as it eases strained muscles and sore areas of the arms. Golfers can often feel drained and tired from the swinging motion they use in their arms. A sports massage will help to warm up the muscles in the arms and ensure that you will have a pain free play of golf. Sports massage can increase circulation of blood flow and reduce mental stress often associated when playing any sport as it is not just the physical aspect that needs to be addressed.

Sports Massage for Runners

A runner often has to undertake a lot of vigorous training perhaps before an Olympic game or a charity run. Running involves using your legs repetitively and often runners can experience pain in the legs and calf which need some type of therapy to be treated. Sports massage is ideal for runners as it helps to relieve sore muscles and joints in the legs. Sports massage can relieve muscle tension and make the legs more flexible. Light and energising sports massage therapy will alleviate any tension around the muscles. Sports massage can be beneficial to runners as it can aid in the general relaxation of the runner before they commence their run or competition. Running can be done for long periods of time and runners sometimes do not realise how much exercise they have undertaken as running can be done anywhere and anytime as you do not need any special requirements. If feet and ankles are left tired from excessive running be it from training or running to keep fit, sports massage can ease aching ankles and tired legs.

Sports Massage for Skiing

As skiing is a high risk sport, injuries can inevitably occur and a sports massage can help relax the body so that it is prepared to undertake a pain free ski. Skiing often requires the use of your legs to be bent when going down the slopes and this can cause strain in your knees. Sports massage can help to treat aching muscles and decrease muscle inflammation and soreness. Often people fall down when skiing which is why sports massage therapy is an excellent method to take the pain away from the affected area and remove any metabolic waste which may be present. Tense and afflicted muscles can hinder a person’s performance on the slope and therefore a sports massage will prevent further injuries caused from experiencing pain while skiing. Skiing requires a great deal of concentration both mentally and physically as it is a competitive sport that you can easily injure yourself.

Sports massage therapy can be a preventative method from injuring yourself through skiing if you already have an existing injury as it helps the existing injury to recover. Skiing involves shoulder movement and a sudden shoulder movement can leave you with an acute tear which happens suddenly whereas a chronic tear can occur when over a period of time due to the pressure put on the shoulder. Sports massage can help to heal the pain associated with tears in the shoulder as it works the circulation around the shoulder, back and neck. An injury in skiing could result in trauma to the spine as skiing can involve arching the back which would put pressure on the back bone. Therefore sports massage can help as the qualified sports massage practitioners will work with you to ensure that your back is fully relaxed and massaged extensively to deal with back pain from skiing.

Sports Massage for Judo

Judo is a combat martial art sport that requires the use of your whole body. People who do judo have to use their whole body and often do many kicks. It is inevitable that in a sport such as Judo people will experience injuries. Sports massage is perfect for taking the tension away from the sore muscles and help to work the back and the neck which is often used repetitively in Judo. The hands are used repetitively in Judo to perform strikes and throws and therefore a massage on the hands and specialised sports massage techniques can ease any pain which could arise due to the pressure of the throws. As judo is a sport that requires you to be focused mentally and physically sports massage therapy can alleviate the stress from participating in Judo. Stress builds tension in the muscles but with sports therapy the energizing, light techniques used can enhance your performance and make you ready for the next round.

Sports Massage for Rugby Players

Rugby is a vigorous sport and rugby players use their whole body when playing rugby as they have to run, throw and dodge. Sports massage therapy can work to relieve the tension in the body by massaging the neck and back which would have built up tension during the game. Often when playing rugby the legs become sore due to a fall while playing or vigorous movement of the leg. Sports massage can help to alleviate the stresses from a fall and remove the lactic acid build up. Sports massage can also work the knees so that any tears will be aided to improve.

Sports Massage for Cricket Players

Cricketers are constantly running from one side to another or bowling which requires them to be focused both mentally and physically. Injuries can inevitably occur when bowling or catching the ball as the cricketer often has to reach out a certain distance to catch the ball. Sports massage can ease the pain and rehabilitate the affected areas of the arms and legs. Muscle contractions can often occur when playing cricket as the knees can become strained and injured. Sports massage aims to alleviate the pain caused by strained and injured knees ensuring that players are left ready to bounce back and play again.

Sports massage is beneficial to players of cricket as cricket is played as a team effort and a massage before a game of cricket can leave cricketers ready to give their best performance. Sports massage not only caters for the physical ailments of the body but also mentally as its relaxing technique helps players to concentrate and refresh themselves. Sports massage can help to ease the pain of mallet finger which is a finger that bends down at the end joint and cannot be straightened out.