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The benefits of Massage at Sporting Events

In our last blog we had an introduction to Massage at Sporting Events and today we look further into the benefits it promotes, for all the Athletes, Teams, Contestants, Competitors and participants.

As we know regular massage is an effective maintenance therapy with its main attributes being to release muscular tightness or tensions, easing any aches or pains. This balances the musculoskeletal system which in turn promotes good posture with flexibility of the joints. It also stimulates the circulation and helps move lymph to clear out toxins and bring nutrients into the tissues, this in itself helps promote well being and a strong immune system. It also helps prevent any injuries or speed up any injury recovery time.

Many top professional teams have their own Therapists that work with the athletes during training and competitions, this is the preferred method as the therapists get to know each athlete, their personal needs and history to ensure optimum care.

Whilst this occurs at top professional levels it is not usually the case for the majority of Athletes, teams and clubs around the country, with many athletes having to visit a sports therapist privately.

However, engaging a Professional team of Sports Therapists at Competitions and Tournaments whether amateur or professional is widely expected, having become popular due to its well being effects on the Athletes. The therapist can help calm stress and help warm up Pre–activity, then Post–activity they are often the first to evaluate an athlete during the warm down and can recommend a visit to the medics if needed for either dehydration or any injury that may need further assessment or treatment.

Organisers or the teams themselves may employ a team of usually 2 to 10 therapists for larger events, or sometimes a single therapist for the duration of the tournament or the day of competition.

The main points therapists at an event can help:

• Relax and alleviate physical and psychological stresses
• Complement Pre-competition muscle warm-up
• Help prevent injuries, especially reoccurrence of past injuries
• Manage any injury flare-ups
• Assess and aid an athlete between multiple activities during the day
• Release tension and pain from muscles and joints
• Enhance athletic performance
• Improve tissue quality and structure
• Improve posture and mobility
• Maintain and Restore range of movement
• Help speed up recovery from competition
• Help stretch and cool down post-event

The benefits for those taking part are numerous which is why we see teams of therapists working at such a variety of sporting venues, fun runs, marathons, track, gymnastics, ice skating, cycling, tennis, field sports and athletics to name a few. The Therapist area will always be the busy one with massage aimed at enhancing and helping to give optimum performance by the athletes.

At an event there are different techniques of sports massage given, it adapts to the personal needs for each athlete and the type of sport they will be competing in whilst taking into account when the massage is given in relation to the competition. Therapeutic/Maintenance is given during the training program, Pre-Event is given immediately before competition, Inter-Event is given between competitions on the same day or within the duration of the event and Post-Event is given immediately after competition.

To cover the Pre-Inter and Post-Event Massage benefits individually and to give them the credit they deserve we will look at them individually in following blogs, as each phase has its own importance and value.

Benefits of Planning ahead

Whatever your Sporting event you will be looking for high quality support for your athletes at the tournament to enable the right care and needs for them. For this reason it would be advisable to contact our team as early as possible to chat through your requirements.

During this organising stage we will work closely with you to understand those requirements, establish what is needed, evaluate what course to take and work out the right level of staff, skills and experience needed to provide support to your athletes whether they are professional or not. This will ensure they are well looked after and can meet the demands of the competition.

If you are attending an event that doesn’t have a massage team organised and you are looking for a therapist or multiple therapists to support your own team, club or group of athletes this can be organised also.

Don’t forget also that another huge Benefit of having sports massage at events is advertising revenue, it is a fantastic way to promote products and services to a captive audience leaving visitors with a lasting impression of your brand, sponsor or club, we will be more than happy to wear uniforms provided by you the client with specific branding if requested. It is easier to engage sponsors for events when they can advertise.

Summary

All our therapists have a real passion for what they do, they can bring mobile massage couches or massage chairs, are happy to work inside or outside, under tarpaulin, in tents and, being very adaptable can also to work on the field with nothing but their hands. The benefits are numerous and well documented, is becoming essential to have a good team at all Competitions and Sporting Events to care for the participants.

We will follow up with a more in depth look at the phases of events massage in our next blogs but for now we hope this has been informative and helps you start planning ahead with an idea of what you will require.