Sports Massage: The Best way to Recover Quickly and Keep Training Plans on Track

Many athletes put a lot of effort and time each day into training their bodies and skills. Unfortunately, not many of them take care of their bodies in the downtime. If you let your body and mind rest appropriately, you’ll see more benefits from your training and be less prone to injury.

One of the best ways to optimize the resting period is by scheduling regular sports massages. This type of massage is ever-present and gaining popularity amongst athletes. The intended advantage of a sports massage is enhanced recovery – prevent injuries and increase performance level. The massage can also help improve flexibility and mobility, reduce muscle tension, increase muscle blood flow, and reduce muscle soreness.

How is Sports Massage different from Other Massages?

Although sports massage and regular massage do employ some similar techniques, there are many noticeable differences. The most significant one is that traditional massage has a fixed set of routine strokes intended to relax a group of muscles like hamstrings, quadriceps, etc. That isn’t the case in sports massage, which addresses and treats every athlete for their own particular issue.

Here’s how sports massage can help athletes perform at their peak:

  1. Prevention and Maintenance

Therapists perform this massage when the athletes can recover from soreness. The therapist helps remove any restrictions in the tissues and make adjustments to the body without interrupting the preparation cycle. It can:

  • Normalize tissue
  • Improve tissue healing
  • Improve range of motion
  • Reduce muscle stiffness
  • Remove trigger points
  • Improve scar mobility
  1. Injury Treatment

Sports massage is often performed when an athlete suffers an injury while performing or playing. The massage may help the athlete recover and get back to the track or field right away. The massage can also:

  • Prepare tissue to improve treatments
  • Improve tissue healing
  • Remove trigger points
  • Improve scar mobility
  1. Recovery

The recovery period is a time where an athlete can receive sports massage therapy. The phase may include a post-event massage and a thorough recovery massage. This massage is ideally performed after the completion of the competition. The massage can:

  • Reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness
  • Help with muscle endurance and power output
  • Increase neutrophil count
  • Decrease pain-causing substances in the muscle
  • Improve blood flow
  • Calm the nervous system and help effect relaxation]
  • Increase the pain threshold after a workout
  • Reduce muscle fatigue
  1. Event Preparation

Sometimes athletes need a massage before the event. Many athletes include massage therapy in their overall warm-up routine. This massage is quicker, lighter, and doesn’t last more than 10 minutes. It helps:

  • Warm the muscles
  • Excite the nervous system
  • Increase blood flow
  • Delay the feel of exertion
  • Reduce injury

Some people might experience soreness during and after sports massage; however, a reputable and skilled therapist can reduce such excruciating experiences through constant feedback.

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