Precision Massage- Benefits of Sport Massage Blog
Sport Massage Benefits:
Within our last blog we spoke about back pain and how it can be managed
conservatively, following on from this I feel it is a good idea to talk about
Sport massage one of the treatment techniques I am heavily involved with and
that we briefly spoke about in the previous edition.
We are going to speak about what sport massage is and how and why it can
benefit you as individuals. Many people oversee and under estimate the effect
this treatment can have on their body which is why I would like to provide some
educational information within this edition.
So what is Sport Massage?
Sports Massage can be defined as ‘the manipulation of soft tissue to
release tension, reduce pain, restore range of movement and promote good
condition. It’s a form of physical therapy used to help recover from and
prevent injury. Massage can reduce postural problems, muscular tension, aches,
pains, and cramp within the body. It also clears the muscle cells of waste
products from exercise, increasing recovery and improving performance. This is
why it can be so beneficial for a large quantity of individuals.
How & Why can sport massage benefit
you both physically and psychologically?
This treatment technique can have many physical and psychological
benefits for various individuals. Below we are going to speak about some of the
positive effects this treatment technique has.
Physiological effects:
Pain reduction - Tension and waste products in
muscles can often cause pain. Massage helps reduce this in many ways including
releasing the body’s endorphins in the same way endorphins are released through
exercise.
Relaxation - Muscles relax through heat
generated from the massage techniques, circulation and stretching.
Mechanoreceptors which sense touch, pressure, tissue length and warmth are
stimulated causing a reflex relaxation.
Physical effects:
Improve circulation - The stroking movements in massage
can help to extract fluid through blood vessels and lymph vessels. By
increasing the pressure in front of the stroke, a vacuum is created behind.
This is especially important in tight or damaged muscle tissue as a tight
muscle will release blood out like a sponge, depriving the tissues of vital
nutrients and energy to repair.
Increased tissue permeability - Deep massage causes tissue
membranes to open, enabling fluids and nutrients to pass through. This helps
remove waste products such as lactic acid and encourage the muscles to take up
oxygen and nutrients which will help them recover quicker.
Stretching - Massage can stretch tissues that
could not be stretched in the usual methods. Bundles of muscle fibres are
stretched lengthwise as well as sideways. Massage can also stretch the sheath
or fascia that surrounds the muscle, so releasing any tension or pressure build
up. Muscular “Knots” as many of us refer to are an area of tension within the
muscle fibres where the fibres have contracted and twisted to protect
themselves this may be due to increased activity or poor posture.
Break down scar tissue - Scar tissue is the result of
previous injuries or trauma and can affect muscle, tendons and ligaments. This
can lead to inflexible tissues that are prone to injury and pain if they were
not treated correctly first time round. Certain massage techniques can break
down the collagen reigniting the healing process.
Improve tissue elasticity - Hard training can make tissues
hard and inelastic. This is one reason why hard training may not result in
improvements. Massage can help to reverse this by stretching the tissues and
muscle fibres to improve flexibility.
Micro-circulation - Massage increases blood flow to
tissues but in a slightly different way to how exercise does. What massage also
does is open or dilate the blood vessels and by stretching them this enables
nutrients to pass through more easily.
If you feel you could benefit from Sport Massage and you would like to
contact us to discuss anything you have read then we are contactable via email
at massage.precision@yahoo.co.uk or via www.precisionmassage.co.uk