Sports massage effects and benefits

Benefits and Effects of Sports Massage

There are three main areas where sports massage can be utilised:

1)    Maintenance

This involves frequent massage programmes to optimise muscle function, flexibility and contractile capability. This is always tailored to the individual and focuses on specific muscle groups or problematic areas. These areas are often the most painful but will also be identified as localised tension/taut bands in the early stages of the massage by the therapist.

2)    Specific Activity/Event Massage:

Sports massage can be used in preparation for events/activities to optimise muscle and joint flexibility as well as improving overall performance. These techniques can be used as part of a tailored warm up regime and can prepare muscles in a stimulating or in a relaxing approach depending on the requirements of the activity. In addition to this, post-event sports massage can prove beneficial in aiding recovery and reduce muscle tightness and aches. Muscle spasms as well as the accumulation of the body’s metabolic products can be relieved with sports massage. Such treatment can stimulate the normal recovery process and enhance your ability to return to training and competition earlier than expected.  It can also decrease the risk of injury and fatigue in subsequent activities.

3)    Rehabilitation:

Despite all preventative measures and appropriate strengthening, muscles may still ache, tear, spasm or go into cramp, leading to significant pain and enforced rest. Sports massage can encourage faster recovery as well as reduce pain associated with rehabilitation. The variety of techniques that can be performed by the therapist are very effective at treating both new and long-term injuries. They can be used to regain the muscles length as well as its contractile ability. This can reduce pain in not only the injured muscles but also the compensatory movement patterns that are often associated with injuries. As with all injuries and cases, sports massage techniques are often implemented in collaboration with other types of therapies to ensure the most appropriate treatment is delivered.