By Shweta Srinivasan, IANS,
New Delhi : India may not have enough masseurs and physiotherapists with specialised sports oriented training, but filling the gap at the Commonwealth Games will be ayurvedic masseurs and therapists from Kerala and West Bengal.
Thousands of athletes and players are expected to take part in the Oct 3-14 event — the 19th edition of these Games — during which sports masseurs and therapists will be needed.
In India, however, sports masseurs are very rare to come by and in fact the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has around 10 of them working under it at any given time. So to meet the deficit, organisers have looked outside the state and have chosen those involved in ayurveda – an Indian system of medicine – which experts say could be an added advantage.
“Around 150 ayurvedic masseurs from the Indian system of medicine have been identified to be trained in sports massages. The Delhi government shortlisted the names from Kerala’s Directorate of Health Services and we have recently given the names to the Games Organising Committee,” J.P. Singh, the Delhi government’s health secretary, told IANS.
In addition, the Delhi government has identified 100 more people from Kerala and West Bengal for physiotherapy requirements also.
However, these ayurvedic masseurs will undergo rigorous training conducted by foreign experts before the sporting event.
“Since a sports massage is a very different concept from the Indian system of medicine-based massage, the selected candidates will undergo training from foreign experts. After the Games they can be inducted for the domestic demand also,” Lalit Bhanot, the organising committee’s spokesman, told IANS.
The foreign experts will teach the candidates massages like ‘Petrisage’ (massage based on pressure application for relaxing), ‘Efflurage’ (for warming up muscles before a sporting event) and many more, he said.
“Typically, this type of specialised training is made available in countries like the United Kingdom and Australia. The training will be an 11-day module. This is likely to held in Kerala and the experts from abroad will be flown down there. After that, the masseurs will be tested through a written exam ahead of the Games,” the official added.
Explaining the importance of masseurs in any sports event, Alakananda Banerjee, head of the physiotherapy department at Max Hospital in Saket, told IANS: “They are a very important aspect of the training for sportspersons and are required in all sports like hockey, football and others. Masseurs are required before, during and after any sporting event.
“When sportspersons play, their muscles get tightened which can lower their performance. The sports massage helps in blood circulation, ultimately helping the sportspersons.”
According to sports medicine expert P.S.M. Chandran, the concept of sports massages is still unknown in India.
“Sports massage is an unknown entity in this country. As of now under the Sports Authority of India (SAI), we have just 10 of them and they too have knowledge of the ayurveda system. Even without the Games, there was a demand for them but no supply,” Chandran, who is also director of sports medicine at the SAI.
“If you know some massaging technique, it is better since you can be easily trained. Ayurvedic massages are used for certain diseases and have different training. The masseurs already know how the hands are used and have knowledge of the human anatomy,” he added.
(Shweta Srinivasan can be contacted at [email protected])