The Benefits of a Sports Massage After a Major Sporting Event
Sporting Event + Massage = Bliss for Tired Muscles!
Playing sports is a great way to stay fit. But even the roughest and toughest athlete needs some muscle pampering. Treating yourself to a massage is not just a luxury for athletes. It is also a necessity.
Many of us think that the aches and pains we experience are an inevitable consequence we have to bear when it comes to exercise. Sports massage therapy is important for all athletes, especially those engaged in physical contact sports where bruising is likely, such as rugby and AFL. Endurance athletes are also excellent candidates for sports massage therapy because of the long training hours and the nature of competitive endurance activities such as running and cycling. Here are the different benefits of sports massage therapy:
Physical Benefits
The physical benefits of sports massage therapy include improved blood flow and nutrient delivery to your muscles, increased joint range of motion, increased flexibility, reduction of scar tissue, improved tissue elasticity and increased elimination of exercise waste products.
Sports massage therapy also helps to relieve stress on joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. It helps to reduce fatigue and speed up recovery. It enables more productive training with longer, more effective workouts. This allows you to have improved performance with few injuries.
Physiological Benefits
The primary physiological benefits of sports massage therapy include pain reduction and relaxation. These two important benefits are what can keep you healthy and competitive over time. Sports related pain can result from a muscle strain, a contusion or bruise, or excessive use of a muscle. Overuse of a muscle or muscle group may result in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is associated with increased physical exertion. Studies have shown that massage therapy is effective at alleviating DOMS by approximately 30 percent. It also reduces swelling.
Muscle relaxation is another important physiological benefit of sports massage therapy. Muscles are relaxed when they’re exposed to heat, receive increased blood circulation and are stretched appropriately. These are all common results of an effective sports massage therapy session.
Psychological Benefits
Decreased anxiety and improved mood and well-being are psychological benefits of sports massage therapy. Approach anxiety, which is the anxiety you feel about an upcoming match or event, is a common part of sports participation.
A massage therapist skilled in the art of sports massage will know what techniques to use to help counter your anxiety. The simple act of having your body worked on can give you a psychological edge that reduces your anxiety.
Many benefits from sports massage have been reported based on experience and observations. A possible side effects of sports massage is tenderness or stiffness for one to two days after the massage. But for the most part, sports massages are safe, provided they are performed by a qualified massage person.
Investing in massage therapy can make a world of difference to your overall physical health. It is important to find the right massage therapist for you as well, someone that understands your needs and actions issues accordingly. Body Kneads Massage offers sports therapy massages, and can help you ease your muscles and joints so that you can improve your athletic abilities and decrease the aches and pains often associated with sports training and events. Contact us today and we’ll come to you!