Exploring the 5 Unique Advantages of Sports Massage Therapy

You'll notice as an athlete that your muscles and joints are frequently tense after exercising. As you are probably aware, this can cause aches and pains the following day, pain that sports massage therapy can help to relieve.

In this blog, we'll discuss the advantages of sports massage therapy and how it may help you and your body perform at your very best without being hurt or in pain.

Discover all the advantages of sports massage in the next paragraphs.

Sports Massage Therapy: What Is It?

Although sports massage therapy is comparable to deep tissue massage, this does not imply that you can stroll into any spa after suffering a soccer injury and receive the same similar level of attention as a medical massage therapist.

To perform a proper sports massage, a massage therapist must be certified in sports massage. Your therapist will have a greater understanding of human anatomy thanks to this additional instruction and training, which will help them create a treatment strategy that is 

tailored to your particular injury.

Although it is considerably more focused than a regular deep tissue massage and uses additional techniques, including stretching, to help muscles and other soft tissues recover from physical activity, sports massage's primary goals are to release tight muscles and promote circulation.

Not "relaxation," but rather injury prevention and healing are the main objectives.

Advantages Of Sports Massage Therapy 

You might also be surprised to learn that you don't have to participate in "sports" to gain from a sports massage. Anyone who engages in regular physical activity will see a difference!

Sports massage therapy can benefit you greatly whether you're a professional athlete, an amateur, or just your ordinary gym goer.

Increased adaptability

Tense muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues restrict your body's complete range of motion. In addition, our bodies lose flexibility as we age unless we take action to change it.

Your comfort and performance can both be improved with better flexibility, regardless of whether you're leaping, running, hitting, or lifting. Tight muscles can be made more flexible and stretch further with the help of sports massage.

Greater Efficiency

A 10-minute sports massage therapy can enhance the levels of mitochondria in your muscles.

The phrase "the powerhouse of the cell" commonly refers to mitochondria and for good cause. Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is a chemical that mitochondria use to make energy. 

Your muscles' ability to produce ATP from oxygen is accelerated by having additional mitochondria.

In addition to providing your muscles with a boost when they most need it, this method also lets you obtain a soothing massage.

Less Pain in the Muscles

Your body typically uses oxygen to provide energy to your muscles during strenuous activity. However, your muscles will produce lactic acid (also known as lactate), which can function even in the absence of oxygen if your activity levels exceed your oxygen intake. This lactic acid can occasionally accumulate in your system more quickly than you can use it.

Even while your body will ultimately get rid of the excess lactic acid (and any other pollutants), you might not want to choose to tolerate muscle soreness, particularly if you have upcoming training sessions or a crucial game.

Fortunately, lactic acid may be broken down by sports massage, making it easier for your liver to eliminate it.

The optimum time to have a massage is right after a workout to prevent muscle tightness. However, as you continue to receive sports massages, you might notice that you recover from workouts less stiff and sore than you otherwise would.

Prevention of Injury

Although there are times as an athlete when injury is unavoidable, there are also preventative measures you may take. Sports massage can also help you avoid injuries if that's what you like to do.

Before your workout, a sports massage can help loosen up your muscles and reduce the risk of strains and sprains that could keep you from participating. Following an exercise, sports massage therapy can assist your muscles in regaining their relaxed state to prevent the occurrence of painful trigger points or other issues that could compromise your performance and general health.

Psychiatric Advantages

Although, as an athlete, you may be more aware of the physical advantages of sports massage, you shouldn't minimize the importance of your mental wellness.

A sports massage therapy can provide the same psychological advantages as any regular massage, including relaxation, better sleep, and a decrease in worry.

If you're a professional athlete, the mental strain you put on your body each day can be equally as taxing as the physical. Decompressing your body and mind will improve both your performance and personal life if you take the time to do it.

Prepared for the Sports Massage Therapy?

Because it is considerably more concentrated on the injuries, problems, and regions that are specific to your physical performance, sports massage differs greatly from ordinary massage. This is why it's crucial to explain to your therapist exactly how you hurt yourself so that they can give you the finest possible care.

You can benefit from improved flexibility, fewer pains and injuries, higher performance, and decreased mental stress by receiving regular sports chiropractic adjustments and massages—either before or after a training session.

At Blue Ginkgo Therapies, we approach wellness holistically because we think your body functions as a unit, not as a collection of independent systems. Because your skeletal, neurological, and muscular systems are all interrelated, regular chiropractic adjustments and massage therapy are both essential to regaining proper function.

Certified medical massage therapists are on staff to help you perform at your best by releasing tight muscles, reducing inflammation, and boosting mitochondrial production!

Call our office right away to make an appointment for sports massage therapy!