Sports massage was first used by the Scandinavian fencing champion Henrik Ling, who adapted classical massage to his needs as an athlete in the early 18th century – and gave it the name “Kineseotherapie”. However, the treatment only became widely known with the increasing professionalization of competitive sports. Today, sports massage is indispensable and has an important place in the support of athletes.
The athletic performance of athletes is influenced not only by their physical, but also psychological condition. Sports massage can help to improve vegetative functions (blood pressure, heartbeat) and symptoms (anxiety, stress). Ultimately, the purpose of sports massage is to influence the athlete’s body and psyche in such a way that the athlete can use his or her resources optimally.
Sports massage is characterized by a complex of grips applied to the healthy athlete with the aim of consolidating, improving, and restoring physical condition. It still contains the strong grip techniques of its predecessor, the classical massage. When used prior to sports performance, sports massage stimulates circulation and cerebral blood flow, warming up the muscles and allowing the athlete to concentrate and reach their full potential. Post-performance, the massage has a relaxing and restorative effect, by improving the athlete’s blood circulation and mobility.
The focus of a sports massage is to prevent injuries during training and to accelerate regeneration of the body after training. Various grip techniques are used to increase blood flow to the muscles and joints. The increased blood flow delivers more oxygen to the muscles and stimulates muscular metabolism. This results in better and faster removal of metabolic waste products and increased muscle strength and endurance. This maximizes athletic performance through improved recovery and reduces the risk of injury and muscle pain.
Muscle pain ranges from muscle cramp to muscle soreness to complete muscle tear and can occur suddenly or be chronic. In each case, it is an overstretching or overuse of the muscle. They are caused either by an overload of insufficiently trained muscles or by uncoordinated or unaccustomed movement. Also, wrong posture, one-sided load, or a (often) not optimally executed movement can be causes of muscle complaints.
Sports massage is not only recommended for competitive and professional athletes. Amateur athletes also benefit from the positive effects of this form of massage. Sports massage is not recommended for illnesses with fever or after fresh injuries.