Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
SPORTS MASSAGE OR JUST STRETCHING
In my earlier article “Are we really stretching enough? “ We discussed some of the importance of stretching, which increases flexibility and greater range of motion (ROM) that will provide more quality in the athletes training. Another important area we discussed was compensating muscles.
Should we be getting more sports and remedial massage? Or stretching more? This is a question I get asked many times. Well the answer is actually both. Recovery is down an athlete’s performance one of the most important aspects to athletes. The quicker your body recovers, the quicker you can go train with more intensity. Fatigue and lactic acid are both aspects that slow. If you do endurance sports like triathlon, long distance running or even cycling, sports massage are a must to your training program.
In this article we discuss why we should stretch pre and post training, as well as duration of a stretch.
One of the reasons why we stretch before any training or event is so we open up the muscle fibres to have greater ROM. Pre training stretch should NOT be considered as a warm up. You should do a warm up first of the training you are doing, get the blood flowing and a bit of sweat. Then followed by a light stretch up to open up muscle fibres. Now you can start your training, with the intensity you are trying to achieve.
The more the body isn’t conditioned to the training, the more emphasis should placed on the stretching. You are more vulnerable to strain up or injure yourself when you’re not conditioned. For example someone running 5km for the first time is more vulnerable to strain up than a marathon runner(42km) running 5km as a recovery.
I have had clients even injure themselves from even doing yoga, believe it or not it’s true. They have picked up a more advance class, and suffered an injury the next day.
The purpose of post training stretching is to open up the tight or fatigued muscles to reduce lactic acid build up. The quicker you recover from your training session, the quicker you can get back out to train with the same, if not more intensity.
With the same example as above, the marathon runner (42km) running 5km will not pull up as sore as they are running less than 85% to what they normally run. However the athlete running 5km for the first time in their training will pull up sore, tight and even lactic acid build up. So the key is when you train, especially outside of your normal routine either in duration, intensity or work load you have previously done. Stretching will assist in your body’s recovery, either by time, flexibility and even reduce the amounts of lactic acid build up.
A common error made by athletes while stretching is the quality of the stretch and the duration of holding a stretch. By not stretching properly and by cutting corners you’re only cheating yourself. So if unsure, ask your trainer, coach, or even you sports massage therapist. As for the duration of hold, lot of people hold a stretch for a quick 3-4 seconds. This actually will not suffice and probably waiting your time. So when doing active stretching, holds it at least 25 seconds. If injured seek medical advice through trainers, doctors or physiotherapists
In conclusion by adding stretching in your training program, especially early in your training, before your body is conditioned will reduce muscle tightness. Sports and Remedial Massages will aid your recovery and reduce lactic acid build up. Remember everyone needs specific training programs to cater for their specific needs. Talk to your coach, trainer, Physiotherapist or even your sports massage therapist for more specific information in accordance to and to address these needs
Mike M
Owner of Absolute Healing Sports Massage – Sydney
www.absolutehealing.com.au
Should we be getting more sports and remedial massage? Or stretching more? This is a question I get asked many times. Well the answer is actually both. Recovery is down an athlete’s performance one of the most important aspects to athletes. The quicker your body recovers, the quicker you can go train with more intensity. Fatigue and lactic acid are both aspects that slow. If you do endurance sports like triathlon, long distance running or even cycling, sports massage are a must to your training program.
In this article we discuss why we should stretch pre and post training, as well as duration of a stretch.
One of the reasons why we stretch before any training or event is so we open up the muscle fibres to have greater ROM. Pre training stretch should NOT be considered as a warm up. You should do a warm up first of the training you are doing, get the blood flowing and a bit of sweat. Then followed by a light stretch up to open up muscle fibres. Now you can start your training, with the intensity you are trying to achieve.
The more the body isn’t conditioned to the training, the more emphasis should placed on the stretching. You are more vulnerable to strain up or injure yourself when you’re not conditioned. For example someone running 5km for the first time is more vulnerable to strain up than a marathon runner(42km) running 5km as a recovery.
I have had clients even injure themselves from even doing yoga, believe it or not it’s true. They have picked up a more advance class, and suffered an injury the next day.
The purpose of post training stretching is to open up the tight or fatigued muscles to reduce lactic acid build up. The quicker you recover from your training session, the quicker you can get back out to train with the same, if not more intensity.
With the same example as above, the marathon runner (42km) running 5km will not pull up as sore as they are running less than 85% to what they normally run. However the athlete running 5km for the first time in their training will pull up sore, tight and even lactic acid build up. So the key is when you train, especially outside of your normal routine either in duration, intensity or work load you have previously done. Stretching will assist in your body’s recovery, either by time, flexibility and even reduce the amounts of lactic acid build up.
A common error made by athletes while stretching is the quality of the stretch and the duration of holding a stretch. By not stretching properly and by cutting corners you’re only cheating yourself. So if unsure, ask your trainer, coach, or even you sports massage therapist. As for the duration of hold, lot of people hold a stretch for a quick 3-4 seconds. This actually will not suffice and probably waiting your time. So when doing active stretching, holds it at least 25 seconds. If injured seek medical advice through trainers, doctors or physiotherapists
In conclusion by adding stretching in your training program, especially early in your training, before your body is conditioned will reduce muscle tightness. Sports and Remedial Massages will aid your recovery and reduce lactic acid build up. Remember everyone needs specific training programs to cater for their specific needs. Talk to your coach, trainer, Physiotherapist or even your sports massage therapist for more specific information in accordance to and to address these needs
Mike M
Owner of Absolute Healing Sports Massage – Sydney
www.absolutehealing.com.au
Monday, May 10, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Do we stretch enough
My name is Mike, and I am the owner of Absolute Healing Sports Massages. Absolute Healing is one of Sydney’s elite Sports and Remedial massage service providers. In the past seven years we have provided sports and remedial massage services to National and International sporting teams as well as individual athletes. We have two clinics conveniently located in Sydney, with one in the Eastern Suburbs at Bondi Junction and the other in the North Shore at Cammeray. absolutehealing.com.au
Over the past 7 years I have been dealing with athletes of all sorts and sports, who wish to reach their personal best in there choice of sport or event, especially from my Bondi Junction clinic at the Eastern Suburbs Sports Medicine Centre. As a sports therapist, injury management and sports massage treatments is part of my job. I find time after time that stretching is not a priority in their exercise program.
Who really wants to spend 10-15 minutes stretching and warming up, before and after their exercise routine and lose out on 20-30 minutes of their 1 hour training? Not too many.
Flexibility is the ability to move muscles and joints through a full range of motion (ROM). Stretching is the process of achieving flexibility. Some benefits of stretching are; reduction of muscular tension & soreness, optimisation of performance, reduction of risk of joint sprain or muscle strain and even reduce risk of back problems.
Stretching plays an important role for athletes. Some of the common main issues are, firstly the more flexible you are the more comfortable Range of Motion (ROM) you have. Increasing flexibility decreases the incidence of muscular tendinitis injury, and minimises muscular soreness. That would mean you have more quality out of your training session. The tighter your muscles are the opposite occurs, your ROM is less. For example, if your legs running stride when flexible is 140 degrees. When you have a tight hamstring, you may be limited to 110 degree in your running stride. What does this all mean, well let’s say it took you 100 strides to sprint a 100 meter race, it will now take you maybe 120 strides.
When you lose quality in your range of motion, you will lose quality in training. That will alter any time performance for an athlete striving to reach a personal best time. Does this make a big difference really? It actually does. How many times has a coach or personal trainer corrected your way of exercising or stretching? Showing you the correct way to exercise so you get quality out of your training sessions. We generally lose or forget to use the correct motions when we are trying to increase quantity in our training. That will then increase your chance to strain a muscle.
Another big area of concern is compensating muscles. Compensating muscles are those muscles which surround your tight or strained muscle. These are the muscles that work twice as hard to function a strained/injured muscle, so you are still able to run, jump, move etc. Over time (depending on individual training, intensity & duration) the compensating muscles will strain up, or even get injured. That would restrict an athlete’s training or even delay it. For example if an athlete has injured or strained their hamstring muscle, the compensating muscles are; gluteus, quads, calf, ITB’s, and adductors. So when stretching, do not just stretch the one strained muscle. Make sure you stretch all surrounding muscles as well as part of your injury management. It is very common that athletes get injured through secondary muscular problems, like compensating muscles rather than the primary cause (in the example above i.e. hamstring).
One of the most important aspects with stretching is that it is your first sign of injury management. If your left hamstring feels tighter than your right one. You should be monitoring it by trying to stretch it to be the same ROM as your right hamstring. That also includes stretching all surrounding muscles (compensating muscles). If still struggling to get the same ROM by stretching or after 48-72 hours its getting worse, than seek a professional health practitioner like doctor, physio or even a sports therapist. Here at the Eastern Suburbs Sports Medicine Centre located at 9 Bronte road Bondi Junction 2022, we don’t just do sports or remedial massages. We have some of the best elite health practitioners like Sports Doctors, sports physiotherapist and sports podiatrist.
In conclusion by adding stretching to your pre and post training (warm up & warm down) will decrease your chance of injuries, recovery will be quicker in order for to perform more quality sessions. Stretching should NOT replace warm up or warm downs, but be added to it. The above article is a brief overview on some on muscular problems that athletes face during there training. In the near future, I will be writing some more in depth on stretching, injury management, benefits of sports and remedial massage and even recovery.
Over the past 7 years I have been dealing with athletes of all sorts and sports, who wish to reach their personal best in there choice of sport or event, especially from my Bondi Junction clinic at the Eastern Suburbs Sports Medicine Centre. As a sports therapist, injury management and sports massage treatments is part of my job. I find time after time that stretching is not a priority in their exercise program.
Who really wants to spend 10-15 minutes stretching and warming up, before and after their exercise routine and lose out on 20-30 minutes of their 1 hour training? Not too many.
Flexibility is the ability to move muscles and joints through a full range of motion (ROM). Stretching is the process of achieving flexibility. Some benefits of stretching are; reduction of muscular tension & soreness, optimisation of performance, reduction of risk of joint sprain or muscle strain and even reduce risk of back problems.
Stretching plays an important role for athletes. Some of the common main issues are, firstly the more flexible you are the more comfortable Range of Motion (ROM) you have. Increasing flexibility decreases the incidence of muscular tendinitis injury, and minimises muscular soreness. That would mean you have more quality out of your training session. The tighter your muscles are the opposite occurs, your ROM is less. For example, if your legs running stride when flexible is 140 degrees. When you have a tight hamstring, you may be limited to 110 degree in your running stride. What does this all mean, well let’s say it took you 100 strides to sprint a 100 meter race, it will now take you maybe 120 strides.
When you lose quality in your range of motion, you will lose quality in training. That will alter any time performance for an athlete striving to reach a personal best time. Does this make a big difference really? It actually does. How many times has a coach or personal trainer corrected your way of exercising or stretching? Showing you the correct way to exercise so you get quality out of your training sessions. We generally lose or forget to use the correct motions when we are trying to increase quantity in our training. That will then increase your chance to strain a muscle.
Another big area of concern is compensating muscles. Compensating muscles are those muscles which surround your tight or strained muscle. These are the muscles that work twice as hard to function a strained/injured muscle, so you are still able to run, jump, move etc. Over time (depending on individual training, intensity & duration) the compensating muscles will strain up, or even get injured. That would restrict an athlete’s training or even delay it. For example if an athlete has injured or strained their hamstring muscle, the compensating muscles are; gluteus, quads, calf, ITB’s, and adductors. So when stretching, do not just stretch the one strained muscle. Make sure you stretch all surrounding muscles as well as part of your injury management. It is very common that athletes get injured through secondary muscular problems, like compensating muscles rather than the primary cause (in the example above i.e. hamstring).
One of the most important aspects with stretching is that it is your first sign of injury management. If your left hamstring feels tighter than your right one. You should be monitoring it by trying to stretch it to be the same ROM as your right hamstring. That also includes stretching all surrounding muscles (compensating muscles). If still struggling to get the same ROM by stretching or after 48-72 hours its getting worse, than seek a professional health practitioner like doctor, physio or even a sports therapist. Here at the Eastern Suburbs Sports Medicine Centre located at 9 Bronte road Bondi Junction 2022, we don’t just do sports or remedial massages. We have some of the best elite health practitioners like Sports Doctors, sports physiotherapist and sports podiatrist.
In conclusion by adding stretching to your pre and post training (warm up & warm down) will decrease your chance of injuries, recovery will be quicker in order for to perform more quality sessions. Stretching should NOT replace warm up or warm downs, but be added to it. The above article is a brief overview on some on muscular problems that athletes face during there training. In the near future, I will be writing some more in depth on stretching, injury management, benefits of sports and remedial massage and even recovery.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
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