A physical therapist is trained in the medical field and has an advanced degree in Physiotherapy (DPT). They have the skills to diagnose and treat your injury or pain.
Research has shown that sports massage can reduce DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). It also helps prevent injuries by loosening, relaxing, and mobilizing muscles before training sessions.
1. If You’re Injured
While a massage session is never an appropriate replacement for proper injury treatment and care, it can be an effective complementary therapy. A trained and experienced massage therapist can identify areas of tension, muscle imbalances, and existing injuries in addition to addressing the general aches and pains that come with athletic endeavors.
Sports massage targets tight muscles to increase flexibility and reduce the risk of injury. Regular sessions can also help maintain optimal muscle health and performance by improving circulation, which carries oxygen to the tissues and removes lactic acid.
Tight, tense muscles are more susceptible to strains and sprains than loose ones. A massage that relaxes the muscles can prevent injuries like tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and other repetitive motion injuries. Incorporating a sports massage into your routine may feel tender at first, as the manipulations release trigger points and adhesions in the muscle fibers. However, the resulting flexibility and reduced tension should make you more able to train hard without the pain.
2. If You’re Looking for Relaxation and Recovery
If you’re not injured and simply need to recover from a hard workout, sports massage can help. It breaks down lactic acid build-up in the muscles, which helps your body get rid of it more efficiently and reduces soreness after exercise.
Like other types of massage, sports massage can relieve stress, increase circulation, improve flexibility, and more. But it’s more than that – it is specifically geared toward athletes and people who participate in physical exercise, to enhance performance and prevent injuries.
Having regular sports massages can prevent injury by identifying and addressing imbalances, tension, and weaknesses that may predispose you to injury. It also speeds recovery by decreasing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and can be utilized as both a pre-event warm-up and post-event recovery technique.
3. If You’re Looking for a Supplementation to Your PT Routine
Adding sports massage to your routine is a great way to keep muscles in prime condition and prevent injuries. Techniques such as effleurage (slow, light pressure strokes) and petrissage (kneading movements that manipulate the tissues) improve tissue elasticity, remove waste products, stimulate circulation, break down adhesions, reduce tightness and help muscles move more freely.
Sports massage also aids the body’s natural healing process and helps manage the minor injuries that are inevitable when training intensely. This reduces the time an athlete spends sidelined and ensures a faster recovery.
Athletes of all levels can benefit from this type of bodywork, not just those who play professional sports. Even those who are gym enthusiasts or work physically demanding jobs can benefit from the increased flexibility, reduced risk of injury and accelerated recovery. Sports massage is a staple in the training plans of most professional athletes and a great addition to your own. Try it and see the difference!
4. If You’re Just Looking for Some Bodywork
If you’re not injured and just need some bodywork before your next workout, sports how to become a certified sports massage therapist massage might be what you need. It’s designed to improve performance and reduce the buildup of lactic acid and muscle fatigue. It also speeds up recovery after a game or training session by eliminating metabolic waste, decreasing swelling and facilitating tissue repair.
Similarly to deep tissue massage, it manipulates the musculoskeletal system to prevent injury. This is done through routine maintenance sessions that entail a slower pace of pressure, stretches and passive movement techniques to improve range of motion.
Regular maintenance sessions can be beneficial for athletes of any level of participation. They can help identify imbalances, tightness and tension that predispose you to injuries. They can also check that your muscles are firing properly and avoiding painful trigger points, while increasing flexibility. They also help promote relaxation and lower stress levels to support a healthy lifestyle. These benefits can be even more important for those with a busy life and career.
