What is Sports Recovery Massage?
Recovery massage is applying massage techniques performed as soon as possible following an event to reduce muscle tension, soreness and recovery time.
What are the Main Goals of Recovery Massage?
The primary goal of recovery massage is to reduce the amount of recovery time required by the athlete. However, the following are also important goals of treatment;
- Reduce muscular tension
- Reduce immediate muscle soreness and prevent DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)
- Prevent / reduce chances of injury
- Promote a state of relaxation
- Relieve increased muscle tone
- Calm the nervous system
How Can a Recovery Massage Help Your Physical Sporting Performance?
Recovery massage can:
- Reduce the chance of injury by releasing tension in the muscles
- Increasing muscular flexibility and joint range of motion
- Increase vascular flow to tissues, maximizing nutrient and oxygen supply thus maximizing recovery time and quality
- Improve the elimination of lactic and carbonic waste products, which result from muscle contraction during physical activity
- Decrease fatigue
- Loosen muscle spasms and adhesions
- Facilitate relaxation of both body and mind
When is the Best Time to have a Recovery Massage?
Generally, the sooner after an event, the better the time to have a post-event sports massage. However, how soon you have a massage after the event will determine how your massage therapist will approach treatment.
Massages 30-minutes to 24 hours following an event will draw upon softer, more relaxing techniques.
Repairing and restoring: the secrets of sports massage
While many find a massage pleasurable, the timing is very important – and also whether you are carrying an injury
A 2012 report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine stated that around 45 per cent of sports-related injuries derive from muscle strains and muscle trauma. Yet although skeletal muscle can repair itself, healing can be slow and injuries may recur. So how can we help avert skeletal muscle injuries and accelerate recovery from them? Factors such as training load, flexibility work and diet are important, but the value of massage therapy includes relief of muscle tension and stiffness, faster healing of muscle strains and ligament sprains, reduced muscle pain and enhanced range of motion.
Personally I will stand by the statement that “maintenance is better than cure”. Look after your body as best you can to minimize the chances of injury occurring.
Combining an active recovery with massage therapy has shown a greater effectiveness on muscular recovery than massage alone. Examples of active recovery can be a short gentle run, walking, cycling, yoga or swimming.
Massage can stimulate the release of various feel-good and anti-stress hormones such as oxytocin and endorphins, serotonin and dopamine through stimulating the autonomic nervous system. An increase in the levels of endorphins can leave the individual feeling a reduction in pain and an increase in relaxation and calmness. Stress causes mental, emotional, and physical responses in humans and can hinder anyone in their day to day quality of life whether it is in a sports and exercise capacity, personally, or professionally. Through massage, your body and mind can shift towards a more relaxed state.
To experience the benefits of massage therapy get in touch with us at KP Therapy today!!!
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