Many people believe that massage is only beneficial for people looking to relieve their stress as they spend an hour or more getting pampered by caring hands. While massage can certainly feel great, it can also be extremely beneficial for athletes that spend hours each day conditioning their bodies. From injury prevention to increased flexibility, here are some ways that massage can help athletes feel better as they dominate their competition.
How Massage Can Help Athletes
Build Muscle and Stretch Out
Many athletes spend time on and off the field doing conditioning exercises to build muscle. While this is extremely beneficial, the muscles often repair themselves in crooked patterns, leaving the athlete with reduced mobility.
Massage for athletes can easily remedy this, though. A skilled massage therapist will find the location of the reduced mobility, and slowly correct these improper striations in the muscles in order to increase flexibility in the area.
Prevent an Injury
Most athletes try to avoid injury as much as possible. From icing tender joints, to playing less aggressively, there are plenty of ways an athlete can modify their game in order to prevent an injury that may end a season, or even a career.
But did you know that massage can often be the best prevention of all?
Many sports-related injuries occur in areas of the body that have withstood too much abuse, or that haven’t been properly cared for. An adept massage therapist can spend time on these areas, helping the muscles of an athlete stay more limber and supple. As this happens, the target areas become more resistant to injury, a benefit to any athlete.
Reduce Soreness
Have you ever finished a long run feeling great, only to wake up the next morning to legs so stiff that you couldn’t walk? Or have you dominated the competition on the field, and then collapsed on the sidelines as cramps take over your muscles? This is often the result of lactic acid buildup in muscles, a substance that is secreted as a waste fluid by your body.
Wouldn’t it be great to find a cure for this, though? Massage is the key. A post-event massage can help manipulate the muscles into dissolving this waste fluid, leaving you feeling better and ready for more.
Breathe Better and Play Longer
Massage can also help regulate the flow of your circulatory system. A poorly functioning circulatory prevents your body from adequately utilizing the oxygen it receives. This can leave you feeling more winded after a shorter period of time, and can keep oxygenated blood from reaching your muscles, a problem that results in the onset of fatigue.
Getting a massage, before or after any sporting event, can help regulate this process, and can help your body use the oxygen that it needs in order to stay in top shape.
Get a Massage to Play Better
If you are an athlete, consider getting a massage before or after your next event. Receiving treatment from a skilled massage therapist can leave you feeling stronger, moving quicker, and playing better than ever. Contact Matrix Spa & Massage in Salt Lake City Utah, today.