If you are an athlete, player, or someone who likes to do intensive workouts, you can greatly benefit from sports massage therapy. While the primary purpose of a sports massage is to reduce stress and tension that builds up in the body’s soft tissues, it also helps improve the healing process after a sports injury. In this blog, we will discuss sports massage therapy, what it involves, and how it can benefit you.
What does sports massage therapy refer to?
Sports massage therapy is a distinct form of massage that is designed to effectively prevent and address a wide range of issues that athletes of all skill levels face while (or after) engaging in their favorite sports or activities. This therapy is helpful for anyone who needs to increase flexibility, prevent injuries, and boost healing essential after a sports injury.
As opposed to what you might imagine, sports massage therapy is not a relaxing form of massage and can be very strenuous. It’s because this massage works by stretching tight muscles, improving the condition of soft tissues, and stimulating inactive muscles.
What can I expect during sports massage therapy?
Before starting, your sports medicine massage therapist will sit down with you and discuss your health and lifestyle. Once they assess your condition and needs, they will ask you to remove the cloth from the injured area and lie down on a massage table. To keep you comfortable and warm, they will cover you with a towel as needed. Then, the massage therapist will massage the affected area by using massage oil with healing properties or your sports medicine such as a cream or ointment if prescribed by your doctor.
Your sports massage therapy mainly depends on the nature of injury or condition and may involve techniques from other disciplines such as Swedish massage, physiotherapy, and osteopathy. Some of the techniques used during a sports massage are:
- Soft tissue release technique – to decrease muscle spasms and cramps while improving range of motion and flexibility
- Neuromuscular technique – to alleviate pain, increase strength, improve blood circulation, and ensure balanced musculoskeletal and nervous systems
- Fascial release technique – to help release knots and trigger points, enhance muscle function, and reduce exercise-related soreness
- Positional release technique – to increase range of motion, restore proper pain-free movement and decrease pain level in joints and muscle tissues
What are the benefits of sports massage therapy?
Depending on what kinds of techniques are used to recover from sports injuries and conditions, the person will experience the benefits of sports massage therapy.
However, sports massage therapy is not only beneficial after sports injuries, such as shin splint, tennis elbow, sprains, and strains. One can also benefit from sports massage therapy in different ways.
For instance, a sports massage helps treat sore muscles after exercises, do exercises more efficiently, and prevent some of the common problems and injuries that can occur while playing or doing exercises. Besides, sports massage can also improve blood pressure, heart rate, circulation, and lymph flow.
Though sports massage therapy is safe to treat sports injuries, it is highly recommended to consult your doctor to know whether it is safe or not in your particular case before making an appointment.