Massage Benefits for Winter Sports

Sports massage has many benefits for all types of sports people, exercisers, and even the more sedentary amongst us!

Benefits of Massage for Skier and Snowboarders

Here are the main benefits of sports massage that skiers/snowboarders will really appreciate:

1. Deactivate trigger points
2. Relax and stretch out tight and tired muscles
3. Ease aches and pains
4. Identify problem areas before they develop into an injury
5. Improve circulation
6. Promote recovery after a hard day on the mountain
7. Treat old injuries by breaking down scar tissue/adhesions and increasing blood flow
8. Enhance body awareness
9. Increase flexibility

Sports massage is ideal for application before your skiing or snowboarding trip to help prepare your body, as well as during your trip, to deal with any developing aches and pains.

Type of Injuries Sports Massage Can Help Prevent

The type of injury that sports massage can help prevent is more overuse or inflammatory, which tends to build up over time due to repeated, unaccustomed forces on the joints and soft tissues.

• Quadriceps Tendinopathy
  An inflammatory/overuse condition of the thigh muscles’ shared tendon causes pain above the kneecap.
• Jumper’s knee
  Also known as Patella tendonitis, it is a degenerative condition of the patella tendon, causing pain below the kneecap.
• Patellofemoral pain
  Also known as anterior knee pain or patella mal-tracking caused by excess knee cap motion and causes pain around the kneecap.
• Lower back muscle spasms and general aches and pains
  Aching pain in the lower back, usually due to postural issues.
• Osgood Schlatters disease (in younger skiers)
  Common in 10-15-year-olds, especially those experiencing a growth spurt, causing pain below the knee.
• Contusions
  Contusions occur due to an impact on a muscle, as may happen during a fall. Massage can help after 2-3 days to improve muscle flexibility, realign fibers and break down adhesions.

Massage Therapy Benefits

Staff Spotlight: Luis Rosario

If you prefer Deep Tissue/Sports Massage that can be truly deep and incorporates stretching. Luis Rosario is very knowledgeable in this area. His specialty is sports massage, table stretching, and deep tissue. Luis has deep knowledge of anatomy, and his specialty is serving professional and weekend athletes. His specialty is invigorating Deep Tissue and Sports massage and Pin & Stretch techniques.

Luis has extensively worked at chiropractors’ offices and gained valuable medical massage experience since graduating from 650-hour massage school in ​Burlington, VT, Touchstone Healing Arts in 2012​, run by Certified Somatic Therapy coaches. Luis also achieved 18 hours of externship credit at Fletcher Allen Healthcare (UVM Medical Center) by volunteering for free chair massages for the nurses of the medical center. Luis also volunteered with classmates at the Burlington Marathon, providing sports massages for runners. He also lives incorporating pin & stretch techniques into his massages. So, book a treatment with him if you are looking for a good stretch! Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Luis grew up in Brooklyn, New York, with his mother and sister. His family is Dominican, so he is a fluent Spanish speaker. With over five years of massage therapy experience, he has a passion for anatomy and physiology and is well-versed in sports and therapeutic massage. Luis loves biking, hiking, and summertime in Vermont.

Brilliant Massage & Skin

Burlington, Vermont

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