Massage Therapy for Golfers

Massage can help people from all walks of life, but for the athlete or weekend golfer, it can relax tension and relieve painful, sore, and stiff muscles. If you are experiencing soreness, stiffness, or pain, regular therapeutic massage can help you get relief and improve your game. Massage allows for the reprogramming of the nervous system and opens channels for new habits to form. If you are receiving training lessons, massage can keep muscles less stressed and better able to adopt new strategies to help better your swing. Massage also promotes health, vitality, and well-being. It allows for the release of muscular tension and stress, eliminates metabolic waste products, and restores muscle elasticity, length, and range of motion. Massage has positive physiological effects on the nervous system and organs as well. It releases powerful endorphins that give you a great feeling after a rub down. HOW GOLF-SPECIFIC MASSAGE CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF INJURY Golfers are less likely to incur injuries if their muscles are flexible and mobile. Massage can be especially beneficial if you are returning to the game after a long hiatus and are looking to get your muscles moving again. Golf massage is also specifically designed to work all of the muscle groups involved in the swing. Healthy muscles help maintain 204  
communication between themselves and the nervous system. This enables efficient movement of the muscles controlling the extremities, as well as those controlling your center of gravity, or your core. This movement is key in maintaining the dynamic balance required for a proper golf swing. Healthy muscles also help preserve bone structure to ensure good posture. TYPES OF MASSAGE THERAPY There are relaxation massages and therapeutic massages. A relaxation massage involves touch with light to moderate pressure. It involves continuous strokes and a rhythmic gliding touch that creates a total-body experience. Examples include Swedish and Esalen massages, which use effleurage, pettrissage, and kneading. Therapeutic massages are best for golfers, because they address the specific muscles that tend to tighten from play or overuse. The following are four different therapeutic massages and what they accomplish to help relieve stress and restore your aching muscles. 1. Deep-tissue massage therapy combines deep pressure with kneading strokes to help relieve tight muscles and connective tissues. This type of massage focuses on muscle tension to help release the toxins that cause muscles stiffness. 2. Myofascial trigger point therapy releases the triggers that limit the range of motion of the muscle. These triggers can also cause pain, myofascial dysfunction, soreness, and stiffness. 3. Sports massage therapy pairs rigorous massaging strokes with passive assisted stretching to relax tightened muscles. When performed on a regular basis, this type of massage can help prevent injury by improving muscle condition. 4. Neuromuscular therapy restores elasticity in the muscle fibers by stripping and breaking up adhesions caused by injuries or muscle strains. This type of therapy helps stabilize low levels of neurological activity to maintain normal function and overall health. Ferguson highly recommends these types of massage because the results are enormously effective for the golfer. Regaining flexibility, mobility, and stability in the hips, shoulders, legs, and arms are a must in improving your body’s ability to perform a great golf swing. Ferguson uses a combination of these therapies, depending on the client’s issues and goals.