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Welcome back for part two of the Massage Therapy series, where I’m taking a close look at exactly how massage therapy can help
Kasey Studdard, guard of the Houston Texans, is another one of the several NFL players that are advocates of the benefits of massage therapy. (ICON Sports)
you on the field.
Click here if you missed part one.
Let’s finish up, shall we?
Lesson #3 – You Don’t Necessarily Have to Have a Professional Massage Therapist
As I eluded to in the intro, you don’t necessarily need the money to pay a professional, to enjoy some of the benefits of massage therapy.
Most states require you to have a license to practice massage therapy, though.
Click here to see a list of states that have this requirement.
In Treatment for a Stiff Muscle at livestrong.com, the author mentions that you don’t have to have a pro do it to get the benefits.
If the young lady in your life has no clue on how to massage properly, she can start out by using gentle pressure and using circular motions.
If she needs more info, have her Google “massage therapy basics”, or have her take a look at some Youtube videos on the topic, like this one:
Note: I’ve heard a couple jokes about this video that I’m going to choose not to comment on at this time.
Lesson #4 – Massage Therapy Can Help Muscle Imbalances and Bad Posture
One of my favorite saying is, “you can’t make plays on the sidelines.”
And it’s hard to get off the sidelines if you’re having lower back issues.
Trust me, man, I know.
But anyways, muscle imbalances can cause you some serious back issues.
In How Can Massage Treat Patellofemoral Syndrome Knee Pain?, the author says massage therapy addresses the muscular imbalance caused by patellofemoral syndrome.
Muscle imbalances can lead to injuries, not to mention decreased levels of athletic performance, so it’s something you definitely want to address.
In this article on sports massages and it’s benefits, they touch on how massage therapy can help with muscle imbalances:
Massage, applied skillfully, is the most effective therapy for releasing muscle tension and restoring balance to the musculo-skeletal system… this may help athletes prevent injuries… A constant build up of tension in the muscles from regular activity may lead to stresses on joints, ligaments, tendons, as well as the muscles themselves.
The article assesses how massage therapy can help you with your posture.
And we’ve already talked about how bad posture can affect your athletic performance.
So I encourage you to take advantage of the benefits of massage therapy.
Even if you don’t have the money to pay for a therapist, find someone else (hopefully female) that can help you.
I have to admit that massage therapy can get kinda complicated, but it’s too simple of an edge to pass up, in my opinion.
Even if you get a wack massage that only does 50% of the benefits that a professional massage therapist could’ve delivered, it might be better than no massage at all.
…unless they hurt you or damage your body while trying to give you a massage.
If you have your girlfriend search on Youtube for “how to give a sports massage” she’ll find videos like the one below, that goes over how to give a sports massage on a hamstring:
Catch me on Twitter!
Alvin, I can appreciate you’re wanting the athletic world to understand the benefits of massage, but to have anyone just rub you down is not a massage. You talk about muscle imbalances, poor posture and inflexibility, none of the videos in your articles would help an athlete with those problems. Sports massage is different from Swedish massage…each has its own benefit. If an athlete wants to correct issues in their body in order to get back in the game or to stay healthy, I would advise seeking a professional. If he/she just wants their significant other to learn basic stroke for relaxation, that’s a different story and I don’t care to discuss that. By the way, in the full body massage video…if a therapist ever put that much oil on me to work an issue with my muscles…I’d jump off the table and seek another therapist who knew what they were doing. That is a skin rub, not a muscle massage. According to your profile, “Alvin believes that your chances of success increase when your views and understandings are based on reality.” I would suggest you heed your own advise. If you really truly want to understand the benefits of massage than you should search the scientific journals and talk to the professionals. For future athletic videos on youtube I would suggest Erik Dalton, Whitney Lowe, Tom Myers, James Waslaski, Art Riggs, Til Luchan, Aaron Mattes, Ben Benjamin and Craig Liebenson…I think the athletes would be better served getting useful information for the treatment of their muscles, but thanks for bringing attention to the benefits of massage.
I will do additional research on this topic. I’m open to interviewing a professional in this Arena and postingthe interview on this site. It you know of a pro that might be interested, please let me know. I want the information on this site to be as accurate as possible. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I will make modifications to this post as well.
I’m curious where you get off on telling people not to search out a professional massage therapist. Don’t you think this could be dangerous? There IS a reason massage therapists go to school and avoiding more complications is one of them. Very poor advise on your part. You might look up the terms indication and contraindication.
I’m also curious as to why you insist on a female therapist. Are you some sort of sissy and can’t handle a male therapist in your presence? The gender of the therapist shouldn’t be an issue for an adult.
Well my intent was not to instruct someone NOT to search for a professional. My intended message was that if they can’t afford a professional, they shouldn’t let that keep them from getting massages from whomever they can find.
It clearly states in the article that you don’t HAVE to use a professional. I’m not sure how you got from that that I advise against seeking professionals.
I don’t insist on a female therapist, I just personally prefer one, which is my right. I’ve had massages from males. Just a personal preference.