Whether performing on a field with your teammates, rehearsing dance steps in front of a mirror or running down a country road, participating in sports can be exhilarating and rewarding.  Be it for the love of health, a drive to compete, or simply to finish a distance race, anyone who is active in sports strives to care for their body.  Many people seek massage therapy regularly to help them perform their best and reach their personal goals.

Massage after a strenuous workout

When vigorous exercise leaves your muscles feeling fatigued, stiff and sore, massage can help.  Massage stretches and lengthens shortened muscles and reduces spasm.  It’s gentle kneading improves circulation which speeds up the removal of waste products that can make you sore, and brings in the oxygen and nutrients your muscles need to rejuvenate.  A deeply relaxing massage also promotes restful sleep, allowing your tissues time to repair naturally.

Because massage helps your muscles return to normal function, it can help you resume activity sooner, enhance your performance, and help your muscles work more efficiently.

“I had painful calf cramps that kept me awake at night.  After my massage session I was able to sleep the night though.”

C. Combs, Soccer Player

Maintaining your fit body

Many sports and fitness enthusiasts rely on regular massage as an important part of their health maintenance routine.  This is because an area of chronic tension can impair performance and even lead to injury when stressed.  Assisted stretching, kneading and other massage techniques can loosen areas of chronic tension and help relieve new areas of tension before they become chronic.

Your massage therapist will work related muscle groups, such a as those in the upper back and the chest.  This relieves stresses that may impair your body alignment and helps muscles throughout your body to work more efficiently together.

A massage is also a great place for you to relax and take time to notice areas in your body that are tight and painful.  Developing an awareness of how your body feels and moves can help you adjust or adapt your fitness routine to avoid injury.

“I have a tendency towards “rounded” shoulders which affected my softball play.  Through regular massage concentrating on my upper chest and range of motion exercises, I could bring my arm back further, and get more distance in my throw.”

Weher, Foftball Player

Pre-event massage

Massage can help your prepare for a competitive event.  A pre-event massage is brief and invigorating, usually fifteen to twenty minutes long.  It is given within an hour before your event, right through your clothes.  Your massage therapist will rock and jostle your arms and legs, and will use compression-firm and repetitive palm pressure into the belly or your muscles.  These strokes are warming and energizing.  Many athletes use this time to focus on their upcoming event and visualize their success.

“I am able to do more now and with fewer injuries, even though I’m older, because of massage.

P. O’Rourke, Extreme Outdoor Enthusiast

Post-event massage

After your event when you’ve cooled down, a post-event massage will be calming and relaxing experience with the goal of easing pain and soreness and reducing inflammation.  Your massage therapist will use a slow compression stroke to being blood and oxygen to tense areas and to help flush out metabolic waste products built up during heavy muscle use.  He or she will lightly jostle and shake your arms and legs and help you stretch your muscles.  A post-event massage can last from 15 to 20 minutes, and is a so given though your cloths.

I had a massage after my last marathon and it really helped me recover.  In fact, I felt so good I went running the next day.  I’ll get a post-event massage next time, too.

T. Slyles, Marathoner

Massage for sports injuries

An injury to anyone who loves to be active is more than just pain and frustration.  When your sport is your passion, and injury can be emotionally devastating.

A variety of massage techniques can help with injuries such as tendonitis, muscle strains and ligament sprans.  Because massage increases circulation, it can also reduce swelling and increase the supply of nutrients needed for healing.

In addition, your body often repairs injuries with scar tissue consisting of tightly matted collagen fibers.  These fibers tear and re-tear easily, making healing difficult and causing your movements to be painful and restricted.  Appropriate massage techniques can limit scar tissue formation in new injuries and can reduce, or make more pliable, the scar tissue around old injuries.  Your muscles will move more freely and with less pain.

You may experience some discomfort at first with massage in the area of an injury or chronic pain, but the sensation should lessen after a few minutes.  Always let your massage therapist know if your session is uncomfortable in any way.  She or he can work within your comfort level by using less pressure or changing techniques.

Your sports massage therapist

Massage therapists have extensive training that includes a wide variety of massage techniques, anatomy and physiology, and knowledge of when and when not to massage.  In addition, massage therapists specializing in sports massage are trained to recognize and work with the unique demands that different sports place on the body.  Your massage therapist will be happy to answer any questions about his or her specialized education, experience, and certification or licensing.

“Having a sports massage therapist helped me to take my body seriously—not ignore aches and pains, but to get them treated so I can run without pain.”

K. Hughes, Distance Runner