The Origins of the Sports Massage Therapy Enjoyed in Holmdel NJ

Sports massage therapy is as well loved as the other therapeutic massage modalities including reflexology massage therapy, Swedish massage therapy, deep tissue massage therapy and pregnancy massage therapy by the people of Monmouth County, Middletown, Hazlet, Red Bank, Colts Neck, Lincroft, Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, Union Beach, Keyport, Matawan, Aberdeen, Leonardo, Rumson, Fair Haven and Little Silver in therapeutic massage spas in Holmdel NJ.

Not many people know, however, that sports massage therapy had its origins in equine massage or horse massage. Sports massage therapy as practiced to this day was first developed by the recognized “father of equine sports massage,” Jack Meagher.

Meagher was born in Gloucester in 1924. Ironically, he learned how to do massage from a German prisoner of war while he was a medic during World War II. After the war, he went on to study at the Massachusetts School of Physical Therapy and the Columbia Institute in Philadelphia, getting formal training in massage for people.

In 1970, Meagher successfully treated a lame quarter horse that belonged to a friend. That launched his career in equine sports massage. He was able to combine his skills in human massage and equine massage when he became the official masseur of the U. S. Olympic Equestrian Team since he was in charge of giving sports massage therapy for the riders and their horses. Soon, other athletes flocked to become his clients, too. Meagher then began to give his sports massage therapy sessions right at the YMCA.

Meagher wrote several books on sports massage therapy, among them, ''Sportsmassage," ''Beating Muscle Injuries for Runners" and ''Beating Muscle Injuries for Horses." These are still available even after his death in 2005.

The sports massage therapy developed by Meagher is seen as a combination of the techniques also used in Shiatsu and Swedish massage. Meagher based it on what he saw as the twelve basic body postures that are used in all types of athletic movements. The basic postures predict how each specific posture used in each sport strains the muscles. Because of this, sports massage therapy can identify and prescribe the appropriate preparations needed to avoid or lower the risk of injury while optimizing performance. Sports massage therapy is also able to stretch body tissues through certain techniques that go beyond what stretching exercises can achieve. Sports massage therapy can stretch even the fascia wrapped around the muscles.

After hard training and after a sports event, sports massage therapy enables athletes to achieve faster recovery, restoring tissue elasticity to prevent hardening. Old scar tissues from previous injuries and traumas are broken down. Metabolic wastes are flushed out and muscles and tissues are better oxygenated and have improved ability to absorb nutrients. Pain is relieved and any new injury heals faster.

There are psychological benefits from sports massage therapy, too. Endorphins are released and anxiety is reduced and replaced with a higher level of confidence. The mind is relaxed, leading to the body becoming more relaxed, as well. At the same time, the athlete feels uplifted and invigorated with higher levels of energy.

Sports massage therapy can help athletes play better and maintain more successful careers for far longer. The history of sports massage therapy shows how effective it is in eliciting peak performance. Perhaps now, residents of Monmouth County, Middletown, Hazlet, Red Bank, Colts Neck, Lincroft, Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, Union Beach, Keyport, Matawan, Aberdeen, Leonardo, Rumson, Fair Haven and Little Silver will have even more appreciation of the sports massage therapy they have been enjoying along with reflexology massage therapy, Swedish massage therapy, deep tissue massage therapy and pregnancy massage therapy in the therapeutic massage spas of Holmdel NJ.