Sports massage is used to improve an athlete's functional condition and competitive form, ease fatigue, increase physical working capacity, and help prevent and treat injuries and disorders of the musculoskeletal system. It is divided into training massage, pre-event massage, recovery massage, and massage for sports injuries and certain sport-related conditions.
Training massage
The overall aim of training massage is to prepare the athlete for peak performance in a short time and with the smallest possible expenditure of psychological and physical energy. It is part of the training process and counts as one of the tools of athletic preparation.
Objectives of training massage:
- to improve the condition of the athlete's neuromuscular system, especially of those muscles carrying the heaviest load;
- to increase athletic working capacity;
- to help the athlete reach competitive form faster.
A training massage session lasts 40-60 minutes. It matters a great deal to take into account the load that each sport places on particular muscle groups and joints. For cyclists and speed skaters, for example, less time is spent on the chest and arm muscles and more on the legs. The overall duration of the training massage nonetheless stays the same.
Pre-event massage
Pre-event massage is a short session aimed at preparing the athlete as well as possible for a competition or a training session.
Objectives of pre-event massage:
- to mobilise the body's functional capacity as fully as possible before the coming physical effort;
- to prevent the muscles from cooling down before a competition or training session;
- to raise general body tone, or to ease so-called start fever.
This type of sports massage is performed for 5-20 minutes, 10-20 minutes before the warm-up ahead of a competition or training session, or after it.
The recognised varieties of pre-event massage are: warm-up massage, pre-start massage (calming and toning), warming massage and mobilising massage.
Recovery massage
Recovery massage is used after any kind of load (physical or mental) and at any degree of fatigue, in order to restore various bodily functions as quickly as possible and increase working capacity.
Objectives of recovery massage:
- to restore capacity for movement;
- to ease the sense of fatigue;
- to prepare the body for the physical load ahead.
Recovery massage is given after competitions or training sessions and in the intervals between them. The length of the session, as well as the depth and intensity of the work, should be individual for each athlete. In prescribing it, the sport, the loads involved, the athlete's physical condition, the size of the area being worked and the development of the musculature all have to be considered. A full recovery session averages 40-60 minutes.
Recovery massage is most effective when given daily, with at least two sessions a day. In sports such as athletics, wrestling, swimming and boxing, a short recovery massage is given in the breaks between events.
Massage for sports injuries and certain conditions. A well-designed system of athletic preparation, massage included, helps reduce the risk of many injuries and of problems linked to overload and overtraining, and supports their treatment. Massage is an integral part of the combined treatment of sports injuries and conditions, and it plays a significant role in restoring working capacity, that is, in rehabilitation. The most common sports injuries are bruises, ligament sprains, various muscle and tendon injuries, and dislocations.
The basic techniques used for injuries and conditions are the same as in training, recovery and other forms of massage. In some cases, particularly in local work, rubs and ointments are used - the kind normally applied for muscle complaints (myalgia, myositis) and peripheral nerve complaints (neuralgia, radiculitis, sciatica). Such preparations may support the recovery of joint and ligament function after dislocations, bruises and other injuries.
After a more serious injury, always consult a doctor before starting a course of massage, and avoid working over an area with acute inflammation, fever or fresh tissue damage.