Cheerleading requires the same athleticism as any other sport such as football and basketball. And unlike those other officially-recognized scholastic sports, cheerleading season goes all year long, with no break in practice or performance, increasing the chance for injury.
Just as it would for a linebacker in football, a sports massage helps cheerleaders prepare for performance and recover from, and prevent future injury. The techniques in sports massage emphasize prevention and healing of injuries to the muscles and tendons.
Sports Massage
Cheerleaders have the potential for falls from heights of more than 10 feet. According to a 2006 report by ABC News, researchers have found that the most common injuries among young cheerleaders were strains and sprains, which make up 52 percent of cheerleading injuries.
Sports massage focuses on treating soft tissue aches, pain and injuries that are associated with the cheerleading. Massage can stretch tissues or bundles of muscle fibers that could not be stretched in the usual methods. Massage can also stretch the tissue that surrounds the muscle, so releasing any tension or pressure build up.
Ankle and Knee Injuries
Be it a sprained ankle or a twisted knee, massage can assist with flushing out the swelling in the joint, breaking down adhesions and stretching tight tissues.
The pressure of massage may also improve blood flow during the massage and increase muscle temperature, promoting healing. During the rehabilitation of a severe knee injury, cross-fiber friction massage techniques improve the formation of strong and flexible repair tissue, which is vital in maintaining full pain-free range of motion.
Hamstring Injuries
Problematic for every athlete are strained hamstrings. Massage before performance will flush out the tissue, lengthening the muscle and causing it to be softer and prevent tearing. Massage after an injury will help loosen scar tissue and stretch out tightness, and stimulate blood flow for faster healing.
Back and Neck Injuries
Trigger point techniques reduce the spasms and pain that occur both in the injured and surrounding "compensation" muscles of the back and neck. Basic Swedish compressions and strokes around the area of a bruise, but not directly on it, encourage blood circulation and faster healing.
Pain in the neck which radiates to other areas is usually a result of nerves being trapped by tight muscles, disc damage, or formation of bony deposits. Deep tissue therapy helps remove waste products such as lactic acid and encourage the muscles to take up oxygen and nutrients which help them recover quicker.
Broken Bones
After your cast or splint is removed, you'll likely need rehabilitation exercises or physical therapy to reduce stiffness and restore movement in the injured limb. Due to lack of movement, you may even have stiffness and weakened muscles in uninjured areas. Massage therapy helps the body respond to the rehabilitation treatments.
Injury Prevention
By stimulating blood circulation, sports massage increases the range of motion and reduces the chance of injury by warming up and stretching the muscles and breaking down knots in the muscles.
Pre-event sports massage is given within the four hours preceding an event to improve performance and help decrease injuries. It is used as a supplement to the cheerleaders' warm-up to enhance circulation and reduce excess muscle and mental tension prior to competition.
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