There are so many different types of sports! And I believe this with all of my heart that passion/drive/determination and practice are so important to performance. The body working at its optimal level, orthopedic massage therapy definitely has an important piece to sports performance!
As the orthopedic massage therapist for the National Tour of Cats. For two years, I toured all across North America, traveling with the production. This is a musical that has been in production for some thirty years. During my two years working with the production of Cats, one of the cast members stands out to me. This cast member had some areas of their physical body that I could see restitutions in their range of motion. (That is, during the performance.) And I would say to this performer, “I need to see You, find a time to get on my schedule.” The cast member would say, “What’s wrong?” My response, “There is nothing wrong, I just see some areas that we can improve.” Then it would take weeks before I would speak to the cast member. And usually I would talk with them multiple times before they would come to see me. When I would speak with the person, there response was, “I’m not hurting and I know that there are others that are hurting.” I would say, “Yes, I will see the other cast members that are hurting but I also need to see you. This is not about physical pain or massage, I just see areas that we can improve.” And of course it would take time for the person to come in.
We can not see how our bodies are mechanically moving or how we stand. I can tell when there is a loss of range of motion or lack of function. Many times, people that come to see me for the very first time think that I am going to give them a regular massage. One, this is not to de value any type of massage but to improve upon the mind set of massage therapy from a functional perspective. And take massage and bodywork to a higher level. And to be a compliment to any therapy: massage therapy, chiropractic therapy, physical therapy, etc…
When she finally scheduled and came in for an orthopedic massage therapy session. Again this treatment is not about physical pain and many areas of her body were very tight and restricted in range of motion. She knows that her body is tight and to her, she feels normal. For one, this is a professional dancer and yes professional dancers do have tight muscles. For the most part, she is a ton more flexible and has more range of motion than the average person. Years of dance and exercise have made her body very tight, even though she is flexible. Orthopedic Massage Therapy is a pain free way to improve performance, posture and flexibility. Because I know that if I did not use my time wisely with her. It would be some time before seeing her again. So I took more time than I normally do with most people. And of course, a lot areas of her body was sore and achy from all of the work as a dancer.
Later that same day, during the performance. Right before the intermission I started talking to the stage manager that calls the show. And as the first act came to an end. The dancer/performer came off stage left, just laughing. I asked her, What’s so funny? She said I kicked myself! I said, “Your flexible, you’re supposed to do stuff like that.” She said, “No, I’ve never been able to do that!”
She said, “When I started the show, I was already stretched out and normally it takes time for me to be ready and stretched out. I was ready to go! And usually when I start, I have to push myself. I didn’t have to push myself. I actually had to hold myself back. Because of all the traffic patterns, normally I’m pushing myself to keep on time. By the middle of the first act, I’m really sweating. I was not sweating as much as I normally do. At the end of the first act we will all finish with a Big Taadaa!!! For my part, I will finish with a strong high kick. As I finish with a high kick, I kicked myself in the face and I was not expecting that! I have never been able to do that!”
Sports Massage Therapy is extremely beneficial to sports performance. Orthopedic Massage Therapy is different in that the focus is not about massage but function. And massage is an added bonus. From a functional perspective we can not see how our moves, sits or stands. We can tell that there is something that is not moving so well because of physical pain or because of tightness/loss of range of motion. All we know is something is not feeling/moving so well.
I am here to be a positive compliment to any other form of therapy. A compliment to physical therapy, chiropractic therapy and massage therapy. The truth is that everything revolves around what a person needs. Some people really need chiropractic therapy, while others need more massage therapy. And then others need more the work that I do. It comes down to one word. Custom, each person is different and the more customized the better each person will respond to the therapy needed.
I have since seen and continue seeing all types of athletes. Each person’s needs are different according to their lifestyle and body mechanics.
I am here to guide You and Empower You for Optimal Results in Performance!
Orthopedic Massage Therapy
Improving Strength, Power and Flexibility
OmassageT.com
1244 William D. Tate Ave
Grapevine, Texas 76051