What is sports massage?
Sports massage is similar to Swedish massage, and research published in the North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy explains that sports massage refers to “a collection of massage techniques performed on athletes or active individuals for the purpose of aiding recovery or treating pathology.”
Simply, it is massage designed to help active people prevent and address injuries while engaging in their favorite sport.
Benefits of sports massage
As far as actual benefits received, Waslaski explains that it is often the stage the athlete is in that determines the value a particular sports massage technique has to offer. These can be broken down into two categories: pre and post-event.
Pre-event sports massage benefits
A former supervisor of the Boston Marathon, Waslaski says that pre-event sports massages are often used to “activate weak muscles and check firing patterns.”
These two factors can enhance the athlete’s performance by helping the body more fully prepare for the upcoming physical activity.
Research has confirmed that pre-event sports massages can provide athletes with additional benefits as well. These often include experiencing a lower blood pressure, an increase in strength and improvements in flexibility.
Jonny Pietrunti, LMT, CSCS, is the director of clinical services at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York, New York. He shares that he’s seen the last effect, increased flexibility, firsthand with his clients.
“Due to the repetitive nature of some sports, many of my clients develop limitations in range of motion,” says Pietrunti. “While a certain amount of ‘function tightness’ is important for athletes, excessive limitation in ROM [range of motion] and simple aches and pains from repetitive use can be problematic, and sports massage can help with that.”
Multiple pieces of research have found this same result. For instance, a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science in February 2017 found that “massage therapy significantly improved the shoulder range of motion.”
Additionally, the most favorable effect for this area of the body was found in movements related to flexion and abduction.
Post-event value of sports massages
Sports massage is also beneficial post-event as it helps promote recovery, says Waslaski. Studies have found the same, indicating that one way in which massage aids in the recovery process is by helping the body remove blood lactate, a lactic acid that appears in the blood when tissues don’t get enough oxygen during anaerobic metabolism.
This same research found that massage further helps by reducing issues related to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is not only painful to the athlete, but it can also reduce ROM or decrease muscle strength.
Massage can also be especially helpful post-event if there is an injury, says Waslaski. In these cases, massage therapists can assist the athlete in overcoming the injury by first performing a clinical massage to assess and evaluate the problem.
The next step, says Waslaski, is to implement the appropriate sports massage technique to help it begin to heal.
Sports massages can also provide athletes relaxation benefits, a factor that Pietrunti says is “often understated” yet can help them get into a better mental state not only for the event, but for life in general.
“Many athletes and weekend warriors put themselves under a great deal of mental stress in preparation for a competition,” says Pietrunti. “For many amateur athletes, this is exacerbated by other day-to-day stressors from their jobs, families and life. Sometimes, just setting aside an hour to relax and unwind can be a huge step towards better performance and quality of life.”
Julie McElroy, LMT, specializes in sports massage and adds that this type of massage also provides “an unintended additional benefit” to athletes, which is the opportunity to discuss various details related performance with the massage therapist.
This includes talking about topics such as overtraining, psychological stress and family issues as “athletes’ challenges are both physical and emotional,” says McElroy. “A relationship with a sports therapist who ‘gets it’ seems to positively add to the therapy.”
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Common Sports Massage Techniques
Every massage therapist has specific techniques that they prefer to use in sports massage sessions, but there are a few basic types which are commonly used to help treat the athlete client. A comprehensive review published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness breaks them down into five general categories, which are:
Effleurage. The review shares that the strokes used in effleurage, which are of varying pressure and applied consistent with lymph and venous flow, are intended to “relax the client, warm the tissue, assist circulation and tissue drainage, stretch muscle and fascia, and soothe painful or sore areas.”
Petrissage. This kneading technique can be used to either relax or stimulate the athlete’s muscle, but it also provides additional benefits, such as those related to improved circulation and enhanced removal of metabolic waste.
Tapotement. By using “repetitive light striking movement to the skin with the ulnar portion of hands or with hands in a cupped position,” this review shares that the therapist can provide energy and stimulation to the athlete’s muscle tissues.
Friction. Friction massage, the type of sports massage in which strokes are applied in circular or linear motion, is intended to help the athlete by creating an inflammatory response, thus breaking down and separating scar or adhered tissues.
Vibration. Used in pre-event massage sessions, vibration works by shaking the target muscle groups, a movement that promotes relaxation and improved circulation.
This review goes on to explain that sports massage sessions can also involve the use of “more specialized techniques.” These particular techniques are often dictated by whether the massage is provided before or after the event, but often include the use of compressive strokes, jostling strokes and broad circular friction.
