Sports massage is reported to have a number of different beneficial effects in athletes. Sports massage can be utilised pre-performance, post-performance, during training or – alternatively – for rehabilitation. From elite athletes to recreational exercisers, sports massage is a popular choice.
It’s very easy to count it out, however recovery is a very important step of any training programme. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to the gym or are getting ready to run your next marathon, any type of exercise puts your body through wear and tear. This means that you want to give your muscles and tendons the opportunity to repair properly. This is why a lot of active people opt sports massage.
What Is Sports Massage?
Sports massage is a methodical manipulation of the soft tissues of the body which focuses on muscles that are relevant to a particular sport.
Runner Paavo Nurmi, who is known as the “Flying Finn,” was one of the very early users of sports massage. Nurmi is said to have made use of sports massage throughout the 1924 Olympics in Paris where he earned five gold medals. Jack Meagher is believed to be the father of sports massage in the United States of America.
A lot of different movements and techniques are utilised in sports massage. Examples of these techniques include:
- Swedish-style massage,
- Effleurage (stroking),
- Petrissage (kneading),
- Compression,
- Friction,
- Tapotement (rhythmic striking),
- Vibration,
- Gliding,
- Stretching,
- Percussion, and
- Trigger points.
These movements and techniques are used in order to try to help the athlete’s body achieve maximum performance as well as physical conditioning with a decreased chance of injury or pain and a quicker recovery.
Benefits Gained
The following benefits can be felt through the application of sports as well as deep tissue massage techniques:
- Reduction in muscle tension, muscular pain as well as discomfort
- Increased range of motion, which leads to enhanced performance
- Reduced muscle stiffness as well as soreness after exercise or physical activity
- Lowered recovery time post injury
- Boosted levels of relaxation and decrease in physical and psychological stress levels
- Helps sleep quantity and quality.
These benefits are mainly the result of an increase in local blood circulation which aids with flushing out chemical irritants and waste products that have stored up within the muscle. At exactly the same time, fresh blood flow increases oxygen and nutrient content within the muscle. This in turn can assist with muscle repair and leads to a reduction in muscle tension.
Sports massage is extremely valued by many athletes as well as non-athletes, even though some of its alleged benefits are not supported by research. If your goal is relief from sore and tense muscles after a workout, as well as general relaxation, it may be valuable for you.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
If you would like to become a sports massage therapist then you need to do our Sports Massage Course. Find out more about this course by following this link.
