Orthopedic Massage for the Competitive Athlete

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The following is a modified excerpt from my article on the benefits of sports massage for athletes featured in SPIKEKEY BEACH ANNUAL. Click here to download a free copy of the Magazine, or scroll down for the text version. __________________________________________________________________________

At this point you are probably familiar enough with massage to know that it can help you relax and reduce your level of pain. But did you know massage can help increase your flexibility, balance, and overall performance while reducing the likelihood of developing chronic injuries, and return you to training at 100% sooner?

Here's how it works...

Have you ever received a massage and thought to yourself, "I didn't even know I was sore there!" Well, one of the most beneficial effects of massage and bodywork is that it increases the athlete's awareness of pain patterns in their own body. We can discover the existence of trigger points in the muscle tissue (or points of tension) that cause pain in other areas. Left untreated, these minor pains can become chronic issues that may lead to debilitating conditions. But through careful examination and proper application of bodywork, these issues can be eliminated before they become a real problem.  Massage also increases the circulation of blood and lymph, which leads to: - elimination of waste products (like lactic acid) so you wont be sore - greater elasticity in the tissues - an increase in the pace of the healing process

Schedule your next massage today and find out how massage can benefit you first hand!

941.350.2465

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The Benefits of Sports Massage for Athletes, featured as

"The Power of Touch" in SPIKEKEY BEACH ANNUAL

At this point you are probably familiar enough with massage therapy to know that it can help you relax and reduce pain. But did you know massage can also improve your game? More and more, competitive athletes are realizing that it is not about training harder but training smarter. Creating a complete strength and conditioning program includes receiving care for the fatiguing muscles and minor injuries that naturally occur with strenuous activity. These athletes are recognizing massage therapy as an integral part of their training regime that can provide the extra edge they’ve been needing.

Does your current training program enable you to:
• Jump higher
• Move faster and more efficiently
• Eliminate pain
• Reduce the risk of injuries
• Increase the length of your athletic career

If you are not incorporating some type of routine body maintenance into your current training program, then the last three points probably aren’t realistic expectations. Let’s explore how massage and bodywork received at different times with different intentions can help you achieve these, and other, goals.

You may have noticed the presence of massage therapists at local tournaments, training rooms, and gyms. Prior to a match, massage can coincide with your warm up by increasing blood flow, reducing tension, and relaxing muscles. Warm muscles contract more easily and work more efficiently thereby reducing the chance of sprains, strains, and micro tears. During a tournament, massage can not only help you recover from the preceding activity but can prepare you for the up-coming match. Post-event sports massage is geared toward muscle recovery. It focuses on releasing muscular spasms and flushing the metabolic waste products that develop during vigorous activity.

Beyond receiving bodywork the day of competition, massage received on a regular basis can serve as part of a maintenance program. Here, the overall objective is to help the athlete reach optimal performance through injury-free training. Many of the benefits of massage come as a direct result of increasing the circulation of blood and lymphatic tissue. When circulation is increased it maximizes the supply of nutrients and oxygen available to your tissues, thereby increasing the rate of the healing process. An increase in circulation, combined with compressive techniques, will assist in the elimination of metabolic waste products (such as lactic acid) that otherwise remain in your muscle tissue creating delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Massage can decrease the effects of DOMS by up to 50%, which means you can get back to your high intensity training program sooner and improve your game in less time.

Have you ever looked down at your legs and noticed that one quad is bigger than the other, or been stretching and realized that one hamstring is tighter? Think of your body as a system of pulleys and levers. If one of the ropes in the pulley system is too short, it will affect the entire system by altering the angles of the levers due to increased strain on some pulleys and slack on others. In bodywork, we call this postural distortion. Working with a massage therapist who understands anatomy and physiology as well as sport specific kinesthetic movement can help you eliminate these restrictions. Your therapist can help you improve your flexibility through a variety of joint mobilization and stretching techniques such as proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, strain-counterstrain, positional release, and active-isolated stretching. You will notice improvements in your posture and balance. These changes will improve the efficiency with which you move thus increasing your strength and power.

The therapist can also help you identify the root cause of any pain you experience and reduce the likelihood of developing chronic injuries. Many athletes accept minor pains as normal, due to the gradual onset with which they develop, and try to suppress them with drugs. The problem with this method is that many drugs merely mask pain, allowing athletes to continue harmful activities which put them at risk for serious injury.

Have you ever received a massage, even just one from a friend, and thought to yourself, "I didn't even know I was sore there!" Well, one of the most beneficial effects of massage and bodywork is that it increases the athlete's awareness of pain patterns in their own body. Sometimes the pain you feel in one area of your body while playing is being referred from muscle spasms in a completely different area. We call these points of spasm trigger points. Left untreated, these spasms settle in the tissue putting a constant strain on the joint, and lead to chronic conditions such as tendonitis and fascitis. But through careful examination, the trained therapist can evaluate whether the pain you’re experiencing is due to a restriction in the muscle tissue, fascia, or joints, and can treat the body accordingly.

For athletes currently in the rehabilitation phase of an injury, there are many types of massage that can accelerate healing and reduce discomfort. While in the acute stage, techniques like lymphatic drainage can be utilized to reduce swelling. When dealing with surgical rehabilitation, cross-fiber friction techniques may be applied during the sub-acute and maturation phases of healing to improve the formation of strong and flexible scar tissue. These techniques can prove vital in maintaining full pain-free range of motion.

Understanding the treatment you receive as an athlete can give you a competitive edge. You may not always be able to have your massage therapist with you, but if you have worked with them enough, and understand your body’s tendencies, you will learn how to self treat and maintain functionality between visits. If you are using a coach, they should also be aware of the training principles of sports massage and should maintain contact with the therapist.

If you are looking for a sports massage practitioner, recognize that standards of training and practice can vary greatly. If the practitioner is not qualified, your treatment could be ineffective, or worse, it could cause injury.

Jennifer Clarkson is a Sports Massage Instructor at the Sarasota School of Massage Therapy, the Vice President & Sports Massage Chairperson for the Sarasota/Manatee Chapter of the FSMTA, and owner/operator of Whitewave Bodywork. For more information on Sports massage, contact Jennifer by

Phone: 941-350-2465
E-mail: Jennifer@whitewavebodywork.com
Website: whitewavebodywork.com