Get a Remedial Massage for Your Health

Massage before an event can be an integral component of the pre-event preparation for many athletes. Pre-event massage can create a state of readiness in the muscles and tissues so that the athlete’s performance can be optimized. Whilst some therapists consider that a pre-event massage can take place up to 48 hours before an event, most Sports Massage therapists judge that, strictly speaking a pre-event massage is one given just before the time an athlete is scheduled to compete (ideally 15-45 minutes before the event). This article will concentrate on massage immediately prior to the event.

A question that is often posed is should the pre-event massage happen before or after the athlete warms up. To answer this one needs to understand the physiological effects of a warm-up: to increase heart rate, body temperature and respiratory rate; and to prepare the body’s nervous system. Hence a pre-event massage done after the warm-up would defeat it’s purpose and you would not want the athlete’s heart rate, body temperature and respiratory rate to drop during the massage.

In general a pre-event massage should assist in increasing the circulation of blood to the muscles to allow the muscles to be flushed and oxygenated. Tight muscles may be relaxed so that joints can be moved through their range of motion. Emphasis should be placed on the muscles used during the activity so improve performance and also reduce the chance of injuries. The athlete can use the time to focus on their event, to relax or complete their mental preparation. At the end of the massage, the athlete should feel great!

More specifically before giving a pre-event massage, the therapist should ask several key questions which relate namely what techniques should be used and what is the intent.

These question include:

- what type of event is the athlete competing in? Are lightening quick reactions required as a pre-event massage given too close to the event may dull reaction times?

- does the athlete’s sports permit the use of oils or lotions during the pre-event massage?

- is the athlete required to be “loose” prior to the event (eg boxing) or relaxed (bowling)?

The massage should generally be done at a moderate pace, non-specific, relatively light, warming and short in duration (no more than around 15-20 minutes). It certainly does not have to be a complete routine. As with most massage treatments, it is preferable to be conservative – too little is better than too much. The massage must not be painful or include high impact techniques such as deep cross-fibre frictions or deep muscle therapy. The techniques most commonly used are general Swedish techniques (petrissage, vibration or percussion), compression, jostling, broadening strokes and general frictions.

It is important to note that no two individuals respond to massage in quite the same way and this can present a problem to the therapist seeing an athlete for the first time for a pre-event massage or in the last couple of days before an event. For example, two days before an event the massage can be deep so that the athlete can obtain the maximum recuperative benefit from the pre-event taper. However the depth required to address specific problem areas will vary considerably between athletes. An athlete should see how they respond to a massage in the last 48 hours/pre-event at a competition (or simulated training session) that is non-critical. So please don’t leave it until the day before the City to Surf or your big event to have your first massage!

Pregnancy provides unique physical and emotional changes in women that results from increasing weight, shifting centre of gravity, changing posture and gait and the huge hormonal adjustments. As a result mums-to-be can face a whole raft of physical conditions such as back pain, sciatic discomfort, headaches, carpal tunnel, swollen legs and ankles. When coupled with changing hormone levels, nausea and emotional stress then attention is required.

Prenatal massage from a qualified and experienced massage therapist aims to alleviate some of these and other pregnancy-related conditions.

Benefits of Pregnancy Massage

Massage is considered to have many health benefits including stimulating blood flow and the lymphatic system, improving flexibility to muscles and enhancing the mobility of joints. As pregnancy progresses, then the body adjusts to a changing centre of gravity caused by the baby’s increasing weight. The change in posture puts increased strain on the legs, hips and back. Massage improves the flexibility and functionality of the muscles, which assists the woman to carry the extra weight along with some of the aches and pains associated with pregnancy.

The claimed benefits of pregnancy include:

- reduced stress through relaxation and pain relief
- maintenance/awareness of good posture
- relief of muscular tension and spasms (in particular in the hips, legs, back and neck)
- reduction of stress on weight-bearing joints.
- assistance in pain relief for any sciatic pain that frequently arises during pregnancy
- reduced oedema in hands and feet
- medication free headache relief
- improved energy levels and reduced fatigue

Even just taking time out for oneself during pregnancy can be emotionally rewarding, particularly if there is emotional support through the nurturing touch of the therapist.

Studies from the Touch Research Institute have indicated that pregnancy massage provides more than just physical relief for the mum-to-be. A group of pregnant women were provided with either massage or relaxation therapy during a five-week study. The researchers found that massage group had fewer complications during labour and delivery. In addition, they also had a reduction in stress, improved sleep quality and less back pain than the relaxation therapy group.

Massage Cautions

Massage is normally safe during pregnancy for most women. However if the women is experiencing any of the following conditions or symptoms then massage is contraindicated.

- any discharge of blood or water
- contagious illness/fever/vomiting
- pre-eclampsia
- high blood pressure
- abdominal pain
- blood clotting disorders

This list is not considered to be complete. If you have any concerns about having a massage during pregnancy then you should contact your health care professional. Indeed some massage therapists will not perform pregnancy massage without the approval of their doctor and others will not massage during the first trimester.

In choosing your prenatal massage therapist then please make sure that they are suitably trained and experienced. Just because a therapists offers pregnancy massage in their brochure or website does not mean that they have the necessary training and skills. Some therapists use pregnancy massage tables that have a hole for the belly, however these are generally not recommended by experienced prenatal massage therapists as the lack of support causes additional muscle strain on the belly and stress on the lower back

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Remedial massage is a deep tissue style massage, therapeutic in nature, designed to heal specific health issues, muscle problems and injuries. Massage therapists believe that everything in the body is connected and related and that if one part is injured it will in turn affect the whole body. A person with an injured knee may then favour the other leg which will throw out the muscles in the hip and back leading to back ache. The tightening of these muscles may then cause an imbalance affecting the neck muscles which may then cause a head ache.

So the client may come in complaining of persistent headaches where the primary cause of this problem is a knee injury. A remedial massage therapist is trained to not only diagnose what is causing the problem but also in treating it with massage.

Clients that visit a remedial massage therapist will have a consultation with them before any treatment takes place to find out what is causing the issue or injury. This consultation will take a variety of forms, usually questions and also a series of tests to see how much range of movement the client may have in certain muscles groups. For example if the client is complaining of headaches, the remedial massage therapist may get the client to turn their head, to see how far their muscles will let the head turn to see if there is muscle tightness in the neck region which might be causing the problem.

The therapist will also observe the client’s posture. In the example above, the therapist might notice the client favouring one leg whilst walking and then find out that there has been a knee injury that needs to be fixed. Remedial therapists also use palpitation of the muscles which is generally just feeling the different muscle groups to feel if they are tight or shortened.

Muscle tissue works by contraction. If muscles tissues are so shortened it cannot work properly then sometimes it cannot contract further and is not able to do the work of the muscle. This can occur from repetitive use of the muscle or it can occur from inaction, for example is an arm is in a sling for a long period of time.

A remedial massage therapist will then use a variety of techniques to soften, stretch and manipulate the muscle so that it will start to work as it should again. These techniques include trigger point therapy. Trigger points are small, highly contracted areas of the muscle and the remedial therapist will manipulate these regions to release them.

Trigger points are often a large source of pain, and releasing them can cause relief from tension and hurt. Sometimes trigger points cause referred pain. So a trigger point maybe located in the shoulder but the pain maybe referred by the muscle to another region in the back. Remedial massage therapists are trained to diagnose referred pain and also treat the underlying cause.