Sports massage is aimed towards athletes that practice a sport professionally or recreationally. Regardless of the sport, whether it be the occasional jogger or professional football player, sports massage is highly beneficial to maintaining healthy performance. It is a crucial aspect of preventing injuries, and can make an athlete’s life much easier throughout his or her career.
Sports massage can be used to prepare for a physical event, after the event to relax and loosen the exhausted muscles, or rehabilitation after a minor or major injury. It improves function of muscle systems by targeting muscle/tendon junctions. The pressured strokes stimulate blood circulation and lymph fluids in order to sooth sore and excessively used muscles. In the event of a sporting injury, sports massage is essential to injury rehabilitation. It could also be useful during a training regimen, or as an addition to an athlete’s weekly routine.
Each treatment is sculpted towards the specific sport the athlete participates in. Sports massage is geared towards the areas in an athlete’s body that are overused and stressed from repetitive and intense movement.
Athletes that have participated in Sports massage have reported improvement in many different areas, including:
- Pre-event preparation
- Flexibility
- Reduced fatigue
- Greater endurance
- Injury prevention
- Better performance
In some cases, non-athletes may also benefit from a sports massage. Clients with chronic pain or restricted range of motion may be good candidates for the sports massage technique. This type of massage is usually geared to a specific problem area or a persistent issue that cannot be addressed by the average massage. Similar to the deep tissue massage, it is a great option that can relieve constant pain.
Your massage therapist can help you decide which type of sports massage is right for your body, catering to exactly what you need.
