Swedish Massage for Sports and Martial Arts

In the world of sports to achieve high results it is necessary to work hard, to give 100%.  But not everything depends only on the athlete – personal trainer, doctor and massage therapist work for the result. Their contribution to success is about 50%, and sometimes even more.  After all, they can find hidden reserves, overcome pain and fatigue. That is why Swedish massage is very popular among professional athletes, as it helps to restore physical fitness.

The name of the massage itself speaks of the homeland of its discoverer.  The Swede Per Henrik Ling was a foreign language teacher in Denmark, at the University of Copenhagen, which did not prevent him from being passionate about martial arts. While traveling in Europe, he met a Chinese man, Ming, who shared his interests. They trained together in ki gong breathing and movement therapy and Chinese therapeutic massage tui na.  Ling had firsthand experience with joint pain and self-massage techniques to help him with pain and exercises to strengthen his muscles. After returning to university, Ling became a physician.  He develops techniques for maintaining health and restoring fitness. It includes massage techniques borrowed from traditional Chinese medicine. However, Ling does not give an exact description. Only later does the Dutch Dr. Metzger consistently describe the massage technique, based on his personal experience and excerpts from Ling’s writings. He adds his own techniques to massage and introduces new elements into the practice of kinesiotherapy. Metzger becomes popular: patients from Europe come to see him as a massage therapist.

Swedish massage is among the “energetic” types of massage. Its goal is to deeply relax muscular tissues.  It is very important to know the anatomy and physiology of the person, the force of pressure should correspond to the areas that are involved in the performance of the massage.

Indications

• reduction of blood and lymph flow;
• headaches;
• arthritis;
• muscle tension;
• muscle cramps;
• joint problems;
• recuperation period after injuries;
• depression;
• overweight, cellulite.

Contraindications

• skin injuries (wounds, eczema, psoriasis);
• varicose veins;
• oncological diseases;
• colds with fever.

The Swedish massage is performed on a massage table, as it is difficult to control the strength of pressure on the floor. The sheet should be used to cover the parts of the body not covered by the massage.  It is better to take a neutral oil, as it is only necessary to improve the contact with the body. The Swedish massage includes basic techniques, which are also used in other types of massage:

• stroking and superficial pressing (reduces the sensitivity of superficial tissues, promotes psychological relaxation);
• deep gliding pressure (improves blood circulation, clears the lymphatic system, reduces the tendency to cramps and alleviates muscle pain);
• kneading (promotes resorption of adhesions and removes toxins from muscles);
• rubbing (increases local temperature, increases blood circulation);
• tapping and vibration (completes the massage procedure, soothes the muscles that have been vigorously massaged).

All of these techniques help to reduce pain and relieve muscle tension.

There are now various schools of Swedish massage spa, where it has been refined with techniques from other techniques. Swedish massage becomes more applied if it is intended for athletes, and it may be gentler if it is used for ordinary patients.