Sports Massage

The introduction of the sports massage dates back to the Paris Olympic games in 1924.  A man by the name of Paavo Nurmi brought it to the attention of other athletes when he stated that his training included a special massage treatment.  At first, the US was very slow to catch on, but eventually the US embraced it.  Usually, when you think of the sports massage you think of top notch athletes such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.  These athelete’s put their body’s through grueling physical workouts almost every single day.  A sports massage will help them stay injury free and also may help boost their performance. It is the ideal muscle therapy for any athlete.

As technology has grown and we  learn more about the human body, the sports massage has taken on many different shapes. Now you don’t just have the regular sports massage, but you also have the deep tissue sports massage and the Swedish sports massage. Here is a few differences between the two:   The deep tissue sports massage is aimed at the connective tissue or the deeper tissue structures of the muscle. When a therapist is performing a deep tissue massage, they will use a variety of techniques in an effort to penetrate deeply into the muscles and fascia.

The Swedish massage is more of a therapeutic massage.  It uses several different techniques with the sole purpose of treating sore muscles, tension, poor circulation and stress. It also helps to remove those unwanted toxins from your body.
Gliding is the trademark move of the Swedish massage. Gliding consists of long, gentle strokes that can be soft or firm. It all depends on what the client wants and needs. Both types of massage are very similar in technique. The one big difference is that a deep tissue massage is much more intense than a Swedish massage.