Enhancing Athletic Performance with Remedial Massage

Over the next five weeks, Remedial massage students from the the Australasian College of Massage and Myotherapy will be providing a complementary Remedial massage service to our team members. This article aims to inform team members about the value and importance of remedial massage for athletic performance.

Massage can play a significant role in the physiological and phycological preparation for athletes from an amateur through to elite level. Massage has been shown to reduce the perception of pain and enhance recovery in competitive athletes.

A massage therapist plays a vital role in the assessment and management of athletes within a multidisciplinary team. Massage therapists can identify physical limitations, tissue hypertonicity and areas of pain in athletes. This forms an essential part of athlete management in reducing Time Lost (TL) from injuries.

Massage is a component of almost every sport at an elite level to aid in reducing pain and having positive phycological effects on performance. Athletes report enhanced recovery, improved sleep and better performance following a massage.

Massage can be provided using various techniques that may be applied prior to competition which will be stimulatory and excitatory to assist in preparing the athlete for the game / event and improving tissue extensibility.

Massage may be provided to address range of motion limitations or deficits to assist in improving performance and reducing the risk of injury. Sports massage can also be provided post game to assist in the recovery process and aid in metabolite removal.

An experienced and well-trained massage therapist who holds a Diploma of Remedial Massage (also referred to as sports massage) will explore a range of different manual therapy techniques to achieve the best therapeutic affect for a particular athlete to assist in the overall performance improvement and recovery. Some of these techniques may include muscle energy technique, Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, Joint mobilization, Myofascial release and trigger point therapy to name a few.

Recovery is an essential component of any competitive athletes training regime. And should be regularly utilized to reduce TL injuries.

For further information about remedial massage for athletes and/or to enquire about a remedial massage course in Perth, please email Bodine at coursecoordinator@acmm.edu.au