Therapeutic/ Holistic Massage
Here at MELA podiatric clinic we offer sports massage for musculoskeletal injuries and pathologies. Sports massage was initially developed to help athletes prepare their bodies for optimal performance, recover after a big event, or function well during training. However, contrary to what the name suggests, you don't have to be an athlete to benefit from sports massage. Sports massage emphasizes prevention and healing of injuries to the muscles and tendons and can be beneficial for people with injuries, chronic pain or restricted range of motion.
We concentrate on the pathological area only and we do not offer full body relaxing massage.
Sports Massage predominantly uses myofascial release techniques to stretch the fascia; a hollow fibrous network of connective tissue made of elastin and collagen that surrounds the organs, bones, muscles and tendons within the body. Poor posture and physical trauma can cause the fascia to become hard and lose elasticity, resulting in a decrease in flexibility; manipulating and stretching it during a sports massage will relax the fascia and tissue it surrounds to regain the flexibility and motion.
What Happens During Sports Massage
Sports massage therapists will use a variety of techniques to achieve the desired goal. There are four types of sports massages:
- Pre-event sports massage: a short, stimulating massage 15-45 minutes before the event. It is directed toward the parts of the body that will be involved in the exertion.
- Post-event sports massage: given within an hour or two of the event, to normalize the body's tissues.
- Restorative sports massage: given during training to allow the athlete to train harder and with less injury.
- Rehabilitative sports massage: aimed at alleviating pain due to injury and returning the body to health.