Sports massage has been proven to be effective since ancient times, but only in the last century has research scientifically proved and helped us understand the way it works and how it affects athletes.
Appropriate diet, rest, flexibility, strength training, and fluid replacement must be combined with efficient training and recovery techniques to maximize individual performance. Proper massage techniques are essential for any practicing, performing, and competing athlete, especially athletes of the highest qualification. The biggest progress in the development of sport massage was reached in China, Finland, Germany, Japan, and Russia. In last few decades tremendous progress the science of sport massage has made in US to improving athletic performance.
Sport massage has become a significant element of the training process. It is an effective way to relieve fatigue, increase the ability of sport performance, normalize or increase the resistance to psycho-emotional stress, which always accompanies sport practice and competitions, and prevents overstraining. Massage is also very helpful in the prevention of injuries, traumas, and diseases of athletes.
All athletes look for an edge that can help them train more effectively and perform better. To achieve a high level of performance athletes have to exercise very intensively and frequently. Intense practice and lack of rest often leads to injuries of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments as well as the nervous system and internal organs. Interest for non-medication resources is very high. Massage therapy can play a key role in meeting an athlete’s needs, and it is one of most valuable things sportsmen can utilize along with hydrotherapy, sauna, and physiotherapy. Sport massage is included as part of medical services at Olympic Games and Professional competitions.
Techniques used for sport massage are based on the gradual influence on tissue and reflex reaction. Sport massage is a complex biological process, which provokes consistent reflexive involvement of all organs and systems of the body in order to support homeostasis.
CCBC is hosting the NCBTMB Approved CE Course "Massage for Athletes and Everyone Else" on February 20 & 21, 2010. Early Registration discount is available until 2/7/2010. Take advantage of this opportunity to train with an expert. Samuel Blechman will be presenting at the next AMTA Convention, but you can benefit from his expertise right here in Baltimore. Samuel is a member of the massage therapy faculty in the Associate Degree program at The Community College of Baltimore County. He is a member of the Maryland Professional Sport Massage Team and the former coach of Russian Olympic athletes. A successful entrepreneur in private practice in Lutherville, Samuel offers therapeutic massage to professional and amateur athletes as well as the general public.
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