Sports Massage

Sports massage is a special form massage and is typically used before, during and after athletic events or sports. The purpose is to prepare the athlete for peak performance, to drain away fatigue (lactic acid), to relieve swelling, reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility and prevent injuries.

The main purpose is to help alleviate the stress and tension, which builds up in the body’s soft tissues during physical activity. Where minor injuries and lesions occur due to overexertion and/or overuse, massage can break them down quickly and effectively. Sports massage can help prevent those niggling injuries that so often get in the way of performance and achievement, whether a person is an athlete or a once a week jogger, skier/etc….

Sports Massage Techniques

Depending on the needs of the ethlete, a variety of techniques are used. The techniques often involves as blend of Swedish, shiatsu and deep tissue specifically designed to treat athletes.

Each type of sport has different demands on the players. Each sport uses muscle groups in different ways. Sports massage is designed to address those specific concerns and may differ according to the sport played. Sports massage can be aimed at helping to heal strained muscles and allow healthy ones to reach peak performance and maintain it while minimizing injury. In a ski/activity resort such as Whistler, we have many requests for sports massage. It can aid in maximizing your athletic experience whether you are skiing, mountain biking or running the valley trail. The perception is that this is that if one asks for a sports massage, then they are guaranteed a deep massage. The deepness of the massage depends on the pressure. Sports massage can be considered more rigorous. A Swedish massage can be very deep. If you want the massage treatment to enhance your performance in any activity or sport, remember that too deep of a massage can actually have the reverse effect that you want. Especially the next day. Too deep a massage can bruise the muscles and relating structures. If you have a deep massage, optimial athletic performance is usually a few days post.

Benefits of Sports Massage

It has many benefits. In addition to feeling good, similar to all massage, it reduces the heart rate and blood pressure, increases circulation and lymph flow, reduces muscle tension, improves flexibility and relieves pain. It can be used pre-event, post-event and for maintenance that promotes endurance, performance, lessens chances of injury and reduce recovery time.

Tips

Whether you are a first timer to massage or the Spa experience, or someone who has regular massage/treatments, here are some things to keep in mind to enjoy your time:

• For any oil massage, you will have to undress and slip between the sheets on the massage table. It is your choice whether you undress completely or you’re your undergarments on. Depending on the temperature of the room, there will also be a blanket that will cover the sheets. Your practitioner will direct you as to whether be on your back or front. Once you are settled on the bed, make sure that the covers are up to your shoulders, covering your body. Your practitioner will give you enough time to settle and then knock on the door to see if you are ready or not. When you give the signal, then they will enter and get ready to start the massage.
• For non-oil treatments such as shiatsu and thai, you will either wear your own clothes if they are loose or use clothes provided. The treatment will be done over/through the clothes.
• Once the treatment begins, what experience you have is between you and your practitioner. You determine how it goes. If you want more or less pressure, then communicate this to the practitioner. If you want a particular area to have more attention, then communicate this. If the practitioner is good, they will continuously be asking you questions, to determine these. The clearer you are, the more personalized your treatment will be. If the practitioner is not open to you communicating your needs, then they are not worth continuing with.
• Many people ask how much they should talk in a treatment. The answer is that it is completely up to you. You are paying for the service. If you need to chat, then chat. If you wish to be silent and fall asleep, then go for it. The practitioner will respect this. Again, you are paying for the treatment.
• As the practitioner moves around to different areas of your body, they will be moving the covers on and off. They will doing this while keeping your private areas still covered. The technique of draping is taught in all the schools and is essential part of a treatment. The experience should always be a comfortable one for both you and the practitioner.

The length of time of the massage

Usually places will give options of 30/60/90/120 minutes. A 30 minute massage is considered a “teaser”. It is used if you have a specific area that you want worked on for a short period of time. A 60 minute massage is considered the standard minimal for a full body massage experience. Both 90 and 120 are better if want the full experience as well as concentrate on a specific area. These times mean that the practitioner can take their time to really focus on areas that need attention. For the specialty treatments such as: hot rocks, salt exfoliations and body wraps, 90 minutes is considered the minimum. 120 minutes is considered the standard. These treatments take time and need the extra to have the full experience. It is well worth the extra time!

Timing – our guarantee

Many spas will take 10 minutes off the massage time and use this as part of the preparation time. Therefore, a 60 minute massage, becomes a 50 minute and so on. At Nibbana Healing Spa, we believe that you get what you paid for and a full body massage is a full 60 minutes. Instead of the time taken off of the time taken for you to prepare, we absorb that time in our schedule. We want you to have the maximum benefit. So, you have an extra 10 minutes to enjoy.