10-25-2006

You have peaked in your training for the Marathon. Those 20-mile runs took a toll. Your soreness and tightness is impeding your performance. A sports massage can help to reduce muscle soreness and chronic strain for a quick return to maximum training levels says, Gail Balas, a certified sports massage therapist in New York.

“Sports massage enables the athlete to recover more quickly from injury with less likelihood of chronic problems developing and provides a psychological boost to the athlete consistent with his or her commitment to peak performance,” Balas says.

“Unlike other massage techniques you don’t get to take a relaxing nap,”says Balas, who has worked with professional dancers and athletes, including US Track and Field Teams in the Olympic trials.

Sports massage employs a variety of hands-on techniques to maximize your performance.

“Passive, active and resisted movement is required from the athlete. Ice and heat may be used. We do not recommend Deep Tissue prior to or after an event or you may be very sore and unable to perform at your best says,” she says.

Sports massage is a very specific technique designed to provide therapeutic impact for the physical and biomechanical needs of the athlete. It was developed for injury correction and prevention as well as to improve physical performance and to repair, restore and enhance muscle integrity and function. It increases endurance, aiding circulation and improving elasticity and flexibility.

[SOURCE: PR Web, October 2006]