I believe one of the most dreaded parts of any sports activity is sustaining an injury before a competition. In fact, it is every athlete’s nightmare. And while massage therapy can help you prevent the risk of a possible injury during training, sports massage therapy also benefits you in several other ways.
What is Sports Massage Therapy?
Sports massage therapy is a form of bodywork system that helps athletes to improve their muscle system, flexibility, and increases soft-tissue blood flow.
While the process is good for the body, here are, however, some things you should consider before venturing for sports massage therapy;
Take a good amount of water
The process of sports massage can be strenuous and dehydrating. Hence, it is essential to keep a good amount of fluid in your body. Allowing you to stay hydrated.
Massage releases the fluids in your body from the tissues into the bloodstream, and then into your kidneys. From there, you pass them out of your body. This process also helps in flushing out waste from your system.
According to recommended guidelines, men should consume 2.6 litres of water a day while women should have 2 litres.
Do not engage in a heavy workout
It is often advised to wait for a period of 24hours after having a sports massage before going for an intense workout routine. Your period of waiting will help your muscles regain the needed capacity to fit your training to avoid injury.
Avoid heavy eating
Massage helps improve the circulation of blood flow. It also aids digestion. While you may consider having a small snack after leaving the massage, it is often an excellent idea not to take a heavy meal before having a massage.
Since the process aids quick digestion, having a big meal before a massage would cause grumblings in your stomach, which can make you feel uncomfortable.
Avoid alcohol intake
Since sports massage helps the blood to circulate properly, it could have a ripple effect on someone who is under the influence of alcohol.
The movement of blood around the body during the massage would increase the impact of alcohol on you. Alcohol also makes you feel dehydrated, which is not ideal as opposing to rehydrating yourself after a massage.
Do not go sick
Massage therapists advise that while going for massage therapy, you should avoid going sick. This could put the practitioner at risk. More so, massage therapy can worsen the symptoms of the sickness and increase your body temperature. Stay away till you recover.
Here are some benefits of Sports Massage Therapy to you:
1. It releases muscle tension
Sports massage therapy can help release muscle tension after a period of stress and reduce soreness. This procedure improves flexibility, mobility, and reduces possible risks of injuries.
2. It reduces or alleviates pain
A variety of research reveals that sports massage therapy impacts positively on your pain level. You can significantly reduce strains on the shoulders and lower back when you get exercise and then massage therapy.
3. It helps to speed up the recovery process
Well-Administered massage therapy will aid free blood flow and flush out wastes which could be toxic to the body. This activity helps the body to recover quickly from an injury, and even regain lost energy during stress. It also helps to restore your fitness level for training.
4. It improves body posture
To an athlete and beyond athletic activities; When you spend long hours at your desk, it causes your muscles to shorten, or joints to pull into positions. These effects could lead to a reduction in their functionalities over time.
Sports massage therapy can help improve body posture by releasing your muscles and reducing the negative impacts of working in a fixed position at your desk.
5. It helps the body to relax
The process of sports massage helps to ignite the parasympathetic system that is concerned with what goes on in the inner body. This activity helps your body to ease off stress and improve relaxation.
6. It improves overall performance
Sports massage therapy will help you to grow in the overall performance of your regular activities. From reducing your pains, soreness, and stress to promoting your flexibility, wholeness, and energy, you can be sure to be able to perform better in your daily routines.
In conclusion, the benefits of Sports massage therapy are numerous and are not only for athletes. It also benefits everyone who desires to improve their output and performance in their daily engagements.
