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Sports Massage
Massage is recorded as one of the earliest forms of physical therapy and it is
known that it was used by very different cultures over 3000 years ago. It is
only in the much more recent past since travel and communications have
enabled different civilisations to meet that so many forms of massage have
been developed.

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Aimsofmassage

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In all types of massage, the therapist has specific aims in mind, and in sport
we focus on the individual needs of the athlete. With the ever growing number
of people taking part in sport, combined with the increasing competitiveness
and intensity of physical exercise, the demand for sports massage is also
increasing and becoming more and more recognised as a skill which may aid
recovery and enhance performance.

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Sports massage does have some aims in common with other forms of
massage and it is especially important to have a thorough understanding of
anatomy and physiology, in particular the muscular and skeletal systems. By
understanding these systems and the effects of exercise, we may also
appreciate how massage may benefit the sports person and becomes an
integral part of the athlete's training program.
Athletes who are looking to improve performance and increase their
competitive edge do so by adopting a training schedule to enhance their skill,
strength, stamina, suppleness and speed. The degree to which they develop
and utilise these qualities will depend on other factors such as the level of
competition, the sport played, and possibly their position in a team. However,
no matter which sport, the aim is nearly always to increase the level of
training and thereby subject the body to gradual and controlled overuse.
It is this overuse that may often create problems and imbalances in the soft
tissues. If these are ignored and allowed to become chronic, they will not only
hinder the athlete's rate of improvement, but also in many cases their
performance may well suffer and ultimately the athlete may be susceptible to
developing more conditions that are serious. Certainly if they are unable to
perform at their best, they may be more at risk from other more traumatic
forms of injury. For example, a player involved in a contact sport who is
"carrying" an injury may not have their usual level of agility. The result might
be that they might suffer an extrinsic injury because of not being fully
prepared for the contact suffered from an unexpected tackle.

BenefitsofSportsMassage
Massage, applied skillfully, is the most effective therapy for releasing muscle
tension and restoring balance to the musculo-skeletal system. Received
regularly this may help athletes prevent injuries, which might otherwise be
caused by overuse. A constant build up of tension in the muscles from regular
activity may lead to stresses on joints, ligaments, tendons, as well as the
muscles themselves.

These muscle imbalances may develop and often go undiagnosed until they
are serious enough to cause the athlete discomfort or impede performance.
The skilled massage therapist will be able to detect variations in the soft
tissues and by using the correct techniques, help the sports person maintain a
much healthier physical state.
It may therefore be reasonably claimed that one of the greatest benefits of
sports massage is in helping prevent injury.

ContraindicationsforSportsMassage
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There are times when sports massage could be detrimental rather than
beneficial to you. The contra indications to massage are:
A body temperature over 100F, or feeling unwell
Acute Traumas - Open wounds, recent bruising, muscle tears, sprained
ligaments, contusions, chilblains, burns
Tumours - Where there is swelling, which is inconsistent with recent
bruising
Diseased blood vessels - Varicose veins, phlebitis, thrombosis
Cancer
Melanoma
Haemophilia
Infectious skin disease - Bacterial infection, Lymphangitis, Fungal
infection, Viral infections, Herpes
Where you react adversely to massage treatment
Where your symptoms appear to make advice from a doctor advisable
Diabetes - not strictly a contraindication but massage has the same
effect as exercise on your blood sugar levels so you need to have
appropriate medication available
For more details on contraindications see Cash 1996

[1]

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MassageTechniques
The three main categories of massage that are predominantly used in sport
are effleurage, petrissage and frictions. Almost all massage techniques are
carried out with the main pressure being directed towards the heart. This
helps increase venous and lymphatic flow and ensures that no pressure of
blood is being pushed against closed valves causes any damage to blood
vessels. The only exception to this is where short strokes are aimed at
stretching muscle fibres. Because the strokes are limited, there is no risk of
pressure being built up.

Effleurage
Effleurage consists of a variety of stroking movements, usually carried out
with the whole palm of the hand and fingers, which may be used with varying
pressure according to the purpose and stage reached during the massage.
Effleurage is always used at the start of massage.
The basic movements comprise stroking with firm pressure using a wide
surface area of the palm of the hand and fingers. On the return, the
therapists' hands maintain, light contact and avoid the path taken on the
upward stroke. As with all massage, the hands must be relaxed and moulded
round the natural contours of the recipient's body. Effleurage is always used
to commence any massage session and it has a wide range of purposes that
you need to focus on:
Introducing touch to the client
Putting the client at ease
Warming the tissues

Increasing blood flow

Stimulating peripheral nerves
Muscle relaxation
Palpating tissues

Effleurage should be carried out in a rhythmical and relaxed manner starting

with light touch at the start of a session and building up to deeper pressure
for increased circulation and stretching of tissues later in the massage. It
should not be rushed as it is during this phase you need to begin to focus on
any abnormalities in the tissues that may require further attention later in the
massage. If the movements are performed too quickly, this will not help the
client relax and if a "tender" area is missed, it will almost certainly be more
painful when discovered using deeper techniques later! Effleurage is also used
to complete the massage finishing with light stroking to relax the patient,
particularly if movements that are more painful have been used beforehand.

Petrissage
Petrissage or kneading is used on deeper tissues for mobilising fluids,
stretching muscle fibres, and inducing relaxation. Some of these techniques
are specifically aimed at only deeper tissue and are therefore both ineffective
and difficult to perform on narrow parts of the limbs. You must therefore pay
particular attention, as with all massage techniques, as to what your purpose
is when kneading petrissage is a powerful technique that is particularly
effective in mobilising fluids in very deep muscles and applying a good stretch
to the fibres involved.

Frictions
Frictions may be used for exploratory purposes, or for deeper and sometimes
more painful movements aimed at breaking down lesions, separating muscle
fibres, and even breaking down recent scar tissue. When performing frictions
for exploratory purposes we tend to use the sensory pad of the thumb to
"grasp" the skin and to move this over the underlying surface to feel for any
abnormalities (trigger points) to the tissue concerned. This allows us to
palpate, particularly around joints and feel for smaller abnormalities in the
tissues. When performing frictions for the purpose of separating muscle fibres,
breaking down lesions and scar tissues, firstly the client must be warned that
these procedures may indeed be painful or at the very least uncomfortable.
They only need to be carried out for a very short while. Using vigorous
frictions for any longer than this may have a particularly detrimental effect by
irritating and even causing inflammation.

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References
1. CASH, M. (1996) Sports & Remedial Massage Therapy. Ebury Press
London. p. 19-25

RelatedReferences
The following references provide additional information on this topic:
MORASKA, A. (2005) Sports massage: a comprehensive review. J
Sports Med Phys Fitness, 45 (3), p. 370-380
BEST, T. M. et al. (2008) Effectiveness of sports massage for recovery
of skeletal muscle from strenuous exercise. Clinical Journal of Sport
Medicine, 18 (5), p. 446-460
BOONE, T. et al. (1991) A physiological evaluation of the sports
massage. Athletic Training, 26, p. 51-4.

PageReference
If you quote information from this page in your work then the reference for
this page is:
MACKENZIE, B. (2000) Sports Massage [WWW] Available from:
https://www.brianmac.co.uk/massage.htm [Accessed 23/10/2016]

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The following Sports Coach pages provide additional information on this topic:

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AdditionalSourcesofInformation
For further information on this topic see the following:
BEASHEL, P. and TAYLOR, J. (1996) Advanced Studies in Physical
Education and Sport. UK: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
BEASHEL, P. and TAYLOR, J. (1997) The World of Sport Examined. UK:
Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
BIZLEY, K. (1994) Examining Physical Education. Oxford; Heinemann
Educational Publishers
DAVIS, B. et al. (2000) Physical Education and the Study of Sport. UK:
Harcourt Publishers Ltd.
GALLIGAN, F. et al. (2000) Advanced PE for Edexcel. Oxford;
Heinemann Educational Publishers
McARDLE, W. et al. (2000) Essentials of Exercise Physiology. 2nd ed.
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
GRISOGONO, V. (1984) Sports Injuries. UK; John Murray Publishers Ltd.
CHEW, M. (2008) The Permanent Pain Cure. London; McGraw Hill
LIDELL, L. et al. (1991) The book of Massage. Spain; Artes Graficas
Toledo
RITTER, M. and ALBOHM, A. (1987) Your Injury. USA; Cooper Publishing
Group
LINDSAY, R. et al. (1994) Treat your own Strains, Sprains and Bruises.
New Zealand; Spinal Publications Ltd.
UNGARO, A. (2002) Pilates. London; Dorling Kindersley Ltd.

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