Massage Therapy And Young Athletes, A Must At Any Age!

Massage Therapy is often thought to be a treatment base for adults that are over stressed, over whelmed, and need a break. 

A few months ago, we posted an article on the Dynamic Training & Rehabilitation (Burlington, Ontario) based on the top 35 reasons why you should get a massage. The goal of the article was to create awareness and education to the population that thought massage was just for the rich and famous. 

If you missed the article, you can read it here: 

http://dynamictrainingandrehab.blogspot.com/2011/06/top-35-reasons-why-you-need-to-get.html

In today's post, we wanted to educate that Massage Therapy  is a must for any young athlete to prevent injuries and perform at a top level. 

 Massage helps break down the tightening tissue, allowing not only for appropriate tissue length, but also tissue nutrition (good stuff in, bad stuff out). Foam rollers and tennis ball work are a great alternative to massage as well.

An aspect of massage therapy is aiding the body’s natural ability to recover. Therapy assists the recovery process increasing blood flow to muscles that have been damaged during physical activity. It is actually through the recovery process that athletes gain their strength as the protein in the blood helps rebuild the muscles. Massage therapy can also help with pinched nerves, ensuring there are no restrictions on blood circulation. Instances in which a tight muscle affects the nerves can be debilitating.

Teenagers and young adults are less likely to seek regular massage-therapy sessions, possibly because of lack of funding, minimal education on the subject, or transportation to this type activity. Deep-tissue massage should only be applied by an individual deemed competent. One way to ensure that the hands that you are in are capable is to get a referral from your doctor.

Young athletes are a unique group. Their bodies are constantly growing and changing. Bones grow and muscles are forced to adapt to this growth. Muscle and fascia is forced to elongate to accommodate the longer bones. As we learned above, muscles go into a protective mode. The fascia tightens to protect the muscle. When a youngster in this phase of growth is involved in sports, they are constantly contracting and relaxing these muscles. If the muscle can’t shorten and lengthen effectively, there is an increased amount of tension put on the area where the muscle attaches to the bone, called the tendon. This causes swelling and pain at that attachment. This is most common with youngsters at areas like the knees and heels. Pain can decrease with ice and ibuprofen, but properly addressing tissue quality, proper movement patterns, and stretching can help prevent and lessen these symptoms. Here are specific recommendations for flexibility with young athletes:

• - Learn how to use foam rollers and tennis balls as massage tools. Use them before and after sports practice, or any other time. These techniques should be used before standard stretching.
• - Get massage or bodywork a minimum of every 6 weeks.
• - Eat well, stay hydrated, and get plenty of sleep.

Tips For Seeking A Massage Therapist For Your Young Athlete:

- Make sure they are Registered and Certified 

- Must have a history of working with young athletes in the same sport

- Work with other health care providers such as Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Acupuncture, and Sports Injury

The Massage Therapist at Dynamic Training & Rehabilitation are Registered with the CMTO and work with athletes on a daily basis ranging from professional, olympic, recreational and youth!

Call us today at 905-637-4934 to get your young athlete on the track to proper health!