Has tension built up in your legs and back from training, competing, or simply sitting at a desk for too long?
Sports massage is one of the most effective ways to take care of your body, fight pain, recover from injuries, and prevent them too. Sports massage focuses mainly on the soft tissue, and it’s more intensive and more targeted than the kind of massage you’d get at a spa or beauty salon.
Both amateur and professional athletes use sports massage to recover from injuries or intense training, reduce pain, and prevent future damage. Sports massage also works well as a warm-up, a cool-down, or simply to relax before or after a big effort.
Sports massage can help even if you don’t train regularly. Maybe you’re dealing with tension caused by stress, sitting at an office desk for a long time, or simply poor posture. A sports massage therapist tailors the treatment to your specific needs and issues, such as stiffness in the limbs, tense muscles, or back pain.
What are the benefits of sports massage?
Qualified specialists use intensive massage techniques, adjusting the pace as needed and applying firm pressure to soft-tissue areas. Specific techniques, such as trigger point therapy, are also used.
Here are a few reasons why you might want to try sports massage:
1. To reduce pain
Pain can affect any part of the body. A sore back is one of the most common complaints. Tight and damaged muscles are painful and ease up once the tension is released. Those same tense muscles hold onto waste products, like lactic acid. Deep sports massage improves metabolism in the muscles, allowing nutrients to move more freely, and the body releases natural endorphins (painkillers).
2. To reduce tension and stiffness
Deep massage fights tension and stiffness by warming and stretching the tissue, which speeds up blood flow in the muscles. This helps muscles move more easily and adds flexibility.
3. To prevent post-workout muscle soreness (DOMS – delayed onset muscle soreness)
Sometimes called muscle “fever,” this is a painful, stiff feeling that develops after a workout that was especially demanding or unfamiliar to the body. This feeling can show up hours, or even days, after training. Sports massage helps prevent this before greater tension and discomfort set in.
4. It improves how you feel
Being an athlete isn’t only about physical ability. Most people know how good it feels to get even a simple, relaxing back massage. An intensive, targeted sports massage also has a great psychological effect, which in turn improves performance and speeds up recovery.
Specific techniques encourage the body to release mood-boosting chemicals – dopamine and serotonin. This helps improve focus and has a calming effect, while also reducing anxiety.
