Sports and Injury Recovery
Regular visits for massage therapy can aid the body in recovery from stresses of many sports. Massage therapy can also maintain the balance of strength and flexibility.
MIMMT now carries the complete line of Helios products including spray and roll-on pain relief analgesics. Helios formulas mix pure botanical essential oils, chosen for their analgesic and aromatherapeutic properties, combined with flower essence remedies, to achieve holistic healing not found in any other product on the market today.
You can also order online at the Helios website.
If you would like a demo of these products at your facility, please contact me for details.
Why Should Athletes Get Massage?
A regular program of massage therapy increases circulation of blood and lymph, this provides muscles with optimal metabolic exchange. When athletes exercise on a regular basis, micro-traumas occur in the muscle fibers which create a tightness or soreness in the muscle or at the attachments. At the cellular level, the injured fibers may not slide over each-other like a healthy, non injured muscle should. Instead the fibers create cross-links where cellular debris and metabolic waste get stuck. Left alone, the result is a “knot” in the muscle or a tight spot that seems tender to the touch.
Often “knotty” areas are ischemic, which means they lose oxygenated blood supply to those fibers of the muscle. Stretching before, after and during even light activity can help reduce the likelihood of “knots.” For “knots” that don’t seem to go away with normal stretching, that’s when massage therapy becomes very useful.
If your goal is to reduce the feel of “knots” your session may be more intense that just a Swedish relaxation massage. “Knots” that have been present for a long period of time may have already interrupted your muscle’s communication with the brain resulting in Trigger Points.
What are Trigger Points?
Trigger Points are sensitive areas in the muscle, when touched may feel like a hot poker or sometimes refer pain to a nearby area of the body. “Knots” are not Trigger Points, “knots” create patterns of weakness in opposing muscle groups that pull the body out of its normal posture range. You may be favoring a muscle group and making it weak due to an injury in another area of your body. Your massage therapist can do a postural and gait assessment, based on their observation they can tell you what muscle groups appear to be imbalanced.
Your massage therapist can also help to reduce the formation of trigger points. By using trigger point therapy during your massage session, your therapist can help reduce pain between workouts and possibly prevent future injury.
Deep Tissue Massage and Trigger Point Release
This massage focuses on deeper layers of muscles and more specific muscle groups. Trigger points are released, interrupting the body’s chronic pain patterns. At least one Swedish session is required before experiencing Deep Tissue Massage. 60 minutes $75
On Site
MIMMT offers an on-site program exclusively for gymnastics gyms. Included in this program are:
- Sport massage
- Active Isolated Stretches
Posture Assessment
MIMMT Clinics
- 2009 Region 6 Gymnastics Congress Presenter, Boston, MA
