The purpose of sports massage

Before we start off about the purpose of sports massage first we must understand the very basic of human's muscular system. I will try to keep the contents here as simplified as possible with laymen's terms for easy understanding.

1. What are the functions of muscles in our body?

In general the muscles contract (shorten) to create movement like standing, sitting, jumping and throwing i.e. Secondly, did you know muscles also help to generate heat? For example the body will naturally shiver when it detects the core temperature starts to turn too cold and hence begin to shiver to product heat in the survival mode.

Our skeleton bones are like the robotic arms and they cannot move without the contraction of muscles (cables).

2. What is muscle?

In simple term, a muscle is made up of many subset of smaller tissues (fascicles) which I

will not go deeper but you can visualise this left picture as the analogy of a dissected muscle. Many smaller wires (muscle fibres) known as are encapsulated into bundles (fascicle) of cord sheets (perimysium) to form a cable (muscle).

Muscles are classified into 3 different types as shown below but we are focusing on skeletal muscles which is relevant to this blog content:

Both cardiac and smooth muscles are involuntary controllable while skeletal muscle is voluntary controllable

3. The 5 shapes of skeletal muscles:

picture cited from http://faculty.etsu.edu/forsman/histologyofmuscleforweb.htm

Now you understand one muscle is made up of many bundles of muscle micro fibres but these "wires" are not all built the same way. They can be in circulated shape, feather-like shape or striated (stripes) shape i.e. Now to the next level, these wires are elastic in the human body upon fired by the electrical impulses from the brain. They are like wires of rubber bands that can be stretched or contracted to a certain degree to produce movement.

For athletes of all levels, the skeletal muscles are fired at a higher rate in performance level through game practices and competitions. The constant repetitive movement when exceeded what the tissues can handle might lead to tension or micro-tear or major tear depending on the magnitude. Because the many small muscle tissues have elasticity trait and over time they can entangled up into a knot. Imagine experiment by stretching and contracting a bunch of rubber bands together repetitively and chances are you might result with a knot known as the "Trigger point". This is where some bands got entangled from their original position. The adverse effects of having TP are the reduction of range of motion and tightness sensation. Also inhibits blood flow within the body that might delay recovery since the "bunch of rubber bands" as a whole is not able to function fully affecting an optimal performance.

The fundamental objective for massage is to release the knot so that blood can flows better since vessels and arteries are within the muscle system. Oxygenated blood can now be transported into the working muscles for healing process to take place. The range of motion can be restored too so one can resume back to their training regime without feeling tightness. However typically for a post massage session which a certified masseur will attempt to break the TP through various techniques and there might be some soreness as a result. Typically the body will heal from 24-48hours and it is recommended to do light intensity sessions during this healing window and consume healthy protein like milk and eggs. Stretches are important as well to regain the range of motion and prevent any scarring of tissues that can lead to unnecessary muscular tension.

Below is a short video about myself visiting my physiotherapist-friend Trevor at his clinic called Physioconnect@Lakeside and he further explained about sport massage. Credit to him and his intern for the video demonstration.

One can also do DIY massage via foam rollers or trigger balls that are easily available in most sport stores. Self massages should be part of a weekly routine especially if you are ramping up your training and also help to reduce additional cost to visit a masseur. I highly recommend to go Decathlon (disclaimer: i'm not sponsored or paid for this) as the prices are really affordable and has a good range of products depending on your needs. For specialized brands you can shop at Key Power International or Running Lab.

https://www.decathlon.sg/10263-massage

https://keypowersports.sg/collections/equipment-self-massage-therapy

https://www.runninglab.com/

In Summary:

• Pre-activity massage is recommended to be light and superficial to promote blood circulation and release some minor muscle tension. Too intense will make the muscles too lax and not able to perform optimally.

• Post-activity massage can be more intense to release any trigger points but be aware of soreness effect (DOMS).

• DOMS usually heal from 24-48hrs so the next hard session should be after this phase.

• Consume food that is rich in protein to promote healing such chocolate milk, eggs and soy bean.

• Sleep is also plays a very important role in accelerating healing because our body releases growth hormone (HGH) during this period to promote repairs.

• There are many different massage techniques in the market such as Swedish massage (effleurage strokes), Thai massage, Javanese massage, Chinese Tui Na i.e. so better to know which works well for you.

• Always stick to the same masseur or physiotherapist because he/she will be more familiar with your muscle system and their weakness.

• Lastly limit your hard sessions to 2-3 per week and plant them apart out so that the body has enough time to absorb the stress and heal.

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions do drop in the comment section. Please 'like', share and subscribe if you find the contents useful.