The Value of Sports Massage
During training, athletes use and extend their joints and muscles often to exhaustion. This is excellent for training and competitive strength building, but can cause severe stress, prolonged pain, and inadequate opportunity for recovery. Sports massage is exceptionally valuable in helping an athlete’s muscles recover adequately, stretching, firming, and preparing them for the next challenge.
Sports massage helps the body to relax naturally and alleviates stress and tension buildup. When combined with aromatherapy or deep oil treatments, sports massage can aid in removing toxins, flushing out energy blockages, and help to recover from fatigue. Any injuries and ongoing buildup of acid in the muscles can also be alleviated or reduced dramatically with this type of massage, and post-athletic events are a prime opportunity to engage in a session.
Swedish massage and Shiatsu massage are the most common forms of sports massage, as they work deeply into the muscle tissues and fibers. These massage techniques prime and condition the muscles well, and most people will feel sore after a session. The soft tissues are the target areas of this massage, and are areas that usually cannot be reached without specific techniques.
Additional benefits of a sports massage is an increase in endorphins, overall muscle relaxation, and ability to focus and train within 24 hours. Since endurance is important for any athlete, incorporating a sports massage into a regiment is ideal for enhancing performance and extending endurance to its optimal level.
Reducing the risk of injury over both the short and long-term is another component of frequent sessions of sports massage. Athletes can gain significant strength during their rest and recovery periods, that in turn ensures a full range of movement in joints and muscles. Improvements in posture and overall balance will greatly reduce your chances of injury, and can help to increase your stamina as well!
Ongoing remedial massage will not only help get ‘knots’ out of your body, but will also help to relieve any aches and pains that occur in between sessions. Remedial massage sessions can help to reduce oncoming stress or injuries naturally, and can reduce migraines, headaches, general joint pain, and increase relaxation.
From the Olympic athletes enjoying a massage after competition, to the marathon runner preparing for the next event, sports massage can be customized for all levels and men and women alike. Finding the right massage therapist is critical to your decision; you will need to work with someone who is familiar with the techniques, as well as someone who knows and has an idea for what your goals are athletically. When you find what works best for you, stick with it! You’ll learn very valuable information about your body, as well as experiencing a variety of benefits that sports massage has to offer.
