Sports massage is a form of bodywork geared toward people who practice sports. It is used to help prevent injuries, to help reduce muscle tension and fatigue from workouts.
Sports massage consists of a special stimulation of the tissues with mixed techniques, to improve performance and facilitate intense muscle movements. Sports massage, here at the Sol i Lluna Técnicas Naturales center in Valencia, is the result of a combination of classic massage techniques and specific techniques and consists of three basic forms:

– Pre-event or pre-competition sports massage (preparation, warming-up) – Post-competition or unloading sports massage (recovery, relaxation)
– Sports maintenance massage.
“Sports massage” is a generic term for these three different types of massages associated with sports performance. Each type of massage has its benefits and uses different techniques.
Our goal in all sports massage is to maximize performance. Depending on the discipline you practice, the massage will be done on different parts of the body. The pre-competition sports massage mainly uses an invigorating massage technique that stimulates the tissue and reduces muscle tension. Massage maneuvers such as percussion or kneading are used. Post-competition or regenerative sports massage mainly uses a sedative massage technique. The tissue relaxes and the muscle tension reduces. This can be accomplished with vibrating motions, kneading, or lymphatic drainage. At Sol i Lluna Técnicas Naturales in Valencia our sports masseurs will combine the techniques to achieve the maximum desired result.
Sports massage sessions usually last between 30 and 60 minutes.

Pre-event sport massage

The pre-competition sports massage is performed either just before the athlete competes or up to 48 hours before. Sports
massage prior to competition has its most important function in the warming-up. It’s a quick, never too deep massage, which favors vascularization and increases muscle temperature.
By generating heat and increasing the temperature of the skin and muscles, muscle functions are being stimulated and being put in a state of tonic receptivity, so that they are ready to contract with maximum speed and force. At the same time, it improves joint mobility. Pre-competition massage is also very important from a psychological point of view: for athletes, feeling that their muscles are good and that they are ready to compete is as important as the massage technique itself. In our Sol i Lluna Terapias Naturales in the Valencia center we work mainly with a quick “rub” to stimulate and warm the muscles and with “kneading” to help drainage and reduce muscle tension.

The “rubbing” is a technique that consists of a light caress with the palms of the hands or the thumbs. Pressure and speed depend on the desired result. “Rubbing” increases blood flow to the muscle. In the pre-competition massage, the touch is done quickly to give a stimulating effect to the muscles. As the massage continues, the pressure increases, and as the masseuse applies percussion strokes, she stimulates the muscles to contract and then relax. The part of the body that is massaged varies from sport to sport, although the muscles of the legs and back are common targets for this type of massage.

The “kneading” is a massage technique applied with pressure by lifting the muscle in circular and upwards motions. This technique is frequently used to relax the muscles.
The “percussion” is a technique composed of blows to the muscle, often performed with the little finger or cup-shaped hands. They are used to tone muscles because they stimulate the skin and cause muscle contractions. There are variations in percussion, such as force and depth of action, depending on the goal.
In the pre-competition massage, the joints are also mobilized to increase the fluidity of the movement and at the same time to stretch the muscles.

At Sol i Lluna Terapias Naturales in Valencia we offer a specific professional oil that helps to warm up the muscles. .
This type of massage usually takes 30 minutes and must be pre-reserved.
We suggest it is done at most 24-48 hours before the competition. The proximity to the sporting event should be inversely proportional to the pressure exerted by the massage and directly proportional to its speed of execution.

Massage post-competition or unloading sports massage

In general, it is done a few hours after the competition, maximum up to 48 hours later, so that the dilated blood vessels return to their normal state.
The sports discharge massage helps the athlete to accelerate muscle recovery. Post-competition regenerative massage mainly uses a sedative massage technique: the tissue relaxes and muscle tension decreases.

We achieve this in our Sol i Lluna Técnicas Naturales center in Valencia with vibratory movements, light kneading or lymphatic drainage. The mixture of techniques relieves posthumous muscle pain. The discharge massage is light and delicate, to avoid damage to already stressed muscles. It is a slow, relaxing and draining massage. It is a very pleasant massage because it helps muscle relaxation and favors psychophysical recovery. Very light touch reduces swelling while light kneading helps flush out toxins and soothes tight and stiff muscles. The “vibration” is a maneuver that is performed with the whole hand or with the tips of two or more fingers, and consists simply of vibrating the underlying tissue to loosen the muscles and help the venous-lymphatic return. If the athlete suffers from cramps, light stretching and mobilization maneuvers are performed instead of a sports massage.

Here at our Sol i Lluna Natural Techniques Center in Valencia, the session begins with a “rubbing” technique on the muscle groups affected by the effort with heat-affect oil or suitable cream. After warming up and

vascularizing with this first technique, it is convenient to move on to deeper techniques such as friction and kneading, exercising the muscle fibers longitudinally, also practicing deep tractions and stretching on them. All this can ́t take place without evaluating the athlete’s muscular state first.
This type of massage reduces the feeling of fatigue and physical heaviness, favors venous lymphatic drainage, oxygenates the tissues and indirectly creates a psychophysical relaxation for the athlete. At the end of the treatment, in our Sol i Lluna Técnicas Naturales center in Valencia, a refreshing arnica gel is used to help the athlete’s recovery even more.
The duration of the massage is approximately one hour. At 24-48 hours it is possible to perform a new session, with deep maneuvers, stretching and mobilizations. Post-competition massage is recommended as a weekly practice after a competition.

Sports maintenance massage

We recommend the sports maintenance massage at least once a week while the athlete is training. It is often focused on the back and legs. Deep rubbing and kneading are used to relax and tone contracted muscles.