Sports Massage
- A type of massage to help with muscle systems used for a particular sport. Sports massage uses a variety of approaches to help athletes in training -- before, during, or after sports events. You might use it to promote flexibility and help prevent injuries. Or, it may help muscle strains, aiding healing after a sports injury.
Cupping, stretching and Gua Sha (scraping) are used in sports massage to reach the ultimate goal.
Sport Stretch
SportStretch is a floor mat, movement based, full body routine that consists of both actively and
passively stretching a client. It can be done as
an individual treatment or integrated into the end of a massage. This work can be used as a
warmup prior to activity, as it can invigorate an athlete and get them ready to move, or it can be applied as recovery work, to relax them after activity. You will learn that your intentions will determine the outcome of your work.
For ALL sports!!!
The creator has uniquely incorporated a combination of techniques such as Thai Massage,Compression, Active Isolated Stretching (AIS), Ashiatsu, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF), Post Isometric Relaxation (PIR), Traction and various Myofascial and Myoskeletal techniques to create the SportStretch routine.
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Gua Sha (Graston scraping)
Another Chinese medicine technique that involves scraping muscle tissue to stimulate blood flow has been used for centuries to promote healing. A variation of this technique was introduced in the United States in the early ’90s by David Graston. Graston, an athlete with a knee injury, developed the tool and massage technique, now referred to as the “Graston technique” to treat himself.
This technique has since been used to help thousands of athletes and weekend warriors, suffering from strained and pulled muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Patients with chronic pain and inflammation have also benefited.
Two reasons why this treatment can fail:
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No pain, no gain - There will be some discomfort during treatment, but the instrument and massage should not cause intense pain. Some slight bruising may occur, however, if bruises appear often, the technique is being administered too intensely. The technique does not need to bruise or cause pain to be effective.
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Single treatment - While you will generally feel better after your first treatment, it typically takes three to four treatments before a patient will sense lasting relief. The technique should be used within the course of a full treatment plan – including active stretching, strengthening and dynamic exercise to maximize healing.
source - Chris Gabriel, PT, OCS
