Therapuetic massage has made some huge inroads into elite sport in recent years, this has come about because massage can help heal and prevent injuries as well as work as an early warning system for weakness or stiffness in your musculo-skeletal system that may otherwise go unnoticed.
There are numerous forms of therapuetic massage, Remedial, Shiatsu, Tui Na (Chinese), Bio-Energetics and Rolfing, to name a few, infact all cultures have their own forms of touch therapies. Massage therapy helps promote normal blood circulation aswell as give you a sense of emotional well being through stimulating the release of “feel good” hormones such as serotinen.
Even if you are not an elite athlete it is still advisable to get regular massage whether you are already fit and want to stay that way or you are about to embark on a fitness and/or weight loss program.
Over the years I have worked as a massage and acupuncture therapist I have treated many people who have injured themselves because they have attempted to perform physical feats that were once easy for them. Whenever you return to exercise or sport you must remember that you have to start at the beginning again if you don’t want to hurt yourself.
Whether you are using Self Massage or are being massaged by someone else it is important to remember that while you are recovering from an injury that it is not just the injured muscle or joint that needs to be treated. Other muscles are recruited to compensate for your injury. For instance a groin injury makes the calves work harder when you walk, likewise a calf muscle injury makes your hip flexors work harder.
No muscle works in isolation to everything else, the simplest motion requires a seamless chain reaction of muscles working cooperatively. Think about all the muscles in use when you walk- feet, calves, thighs, butt, abs, back and shoulders are all working in tandem.
I am continually surprised by how often a client tells me that they feel all the pain in one part of their body but when I start pressing around the main stiffness is often elsewhere, when I massage that other location the problem is often quickly resolved. Use Self Massage the same way, go exploring with it, don’t be surprised if your back feels better if you massage that surprisingly stiff calf. Where ever you have muscle it needs to be massaged atleast periodically..
As we age physical recovery times lengthen, so rigorous activity such as contact sport high impact exercise becomes less viable for us. At the other end of the exercise spectrum are disciplines such as Yoga, swimming and Tai Chi- these types of exercise (when properly executed) can keep us fit into our 90’s and beyond.
There 4 basic types of exercise- Cardiovascular, Stretching, Strengthening and Neuro Motor.
* Cardio helps give your heart the ability to respond to physical and emotional stress, to keep elasticity in your blood vessels and keep our lungs clear and expandable.
*Stretching helps keep your body lithe, your joints more resistant to arthritis and muscles are less likely to tear.
*Strengthening exercise is perhaps the most misunderstood of the 4 forms, it is less about getting huge muscles and more about symmetrical muscular development as evidenced by good deportment.
*Neuro motor exercise keeps us moving safely and freely with good posture and balance, it incorporates elements of stretching, cardio and strength.