| Many therapists offer Sports Massage on
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| | strength-training principles utilized to
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| their "Massage Menu" yet few understand
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| | achieve a specific goal when treating
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| what Sports Massage is about. When a
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| | athletes". He considers that there are
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| client comes in requesting a Sports
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| | three principles that are vital to
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| Massage, some therapists merely react by
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| | understanding what type of Sports Massage
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| going in deep. Sports Massage is so much
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| | to apply to an athlete at any given time.
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| more.
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| | These principles are: Timing
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| Whilst Sports Massage does have some aims
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| | Technique and Intent
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| in common with other forms of massage
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| | The timing of Sports Massage is related
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| therapy, the usual experience in
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| | to when the massage is applied, is it
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| conventional massage is to aim to restore
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| | pre-event or post-event, during a
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| the normal function when someone is
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| | maintenance period or possibly
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| injured. But in sport there is no
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| | post-injury when rehabilitation is
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| 'normal' and athletes are always looking
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| | required. The technique refers to what
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| to improve and gain a competitive edge.
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| | massage/stretching/strengthening methods
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| Most athletes aim to reach a level of
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| | the therapists employs to attempt to
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| performance they can never achieve.
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| | achieve the intent, the desired outcome.
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| A Sports Massage therapist has great
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| | The intent of pre-event massage is to
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| potential to assist the athlete to become
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| | warm up the muscles and to get blood
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| better, rather than merely normal. In
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| | flowing through the muscles. The massage
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| striving to be better, the athlete
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| | techniques generally used are petrissage,
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| attempts to systematically increase the
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| | vibration, percussion, compression,
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| level of training and thereby subjecting
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| | muscle broadening strokes, etc. With
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| the body to gradual and controlled
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| | post-event massage, the intent is assist
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| overuse. This overuse can often create
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| | in the recovery process by increasing
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| imbalances and problems in the soft
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| | venous and lymphatic circulation to
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| tissues, which if ignored may become
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| | assist with removal of metabolic
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| chronic. Clearly this may hinder the
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| | by-products and thereby decreasing muscle
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| athlete's performance and/or rate of
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| | soreness so that the athlete can return
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| improvement. Sports Massage can become a
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| | to full training faster. The massage
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| key ingredient in an athlete's success
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| | techniques would include effleurage,
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| and this is why top competitors
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| | compression, petrissage, passive
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| incorporate it as an integral part of
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| | movements and light stretching. The
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| their training regime.
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| | intent of maintenance massage is to keep
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| So what is Sports Massage?
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| | the athletes muscles and tissue in
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| McGillicuddy(1) defines Sports Massage as
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| | optimum condition and is generally
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| "the specific application of massage
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| | scheduled at a regular frequency (be it
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| techniques, hydrotherapy protocols, range
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| | weekly or fortnightly), closely married
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| of motion/flexibility protocol and
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| | to the athlete's training program.
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