Does Sports Massage Improve Performance?

Yes!
When sports massage is done the right way, it will definitely improve your performance. It will speed up your muscle repair, as well as improve your physical repair which will help you recover from any injury even faster. It should actually be a routine for each and every athlete. Other individuals who don’t participate in sports should also consider having some sports massage once in a while as they can greatly benefit from it, too.

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What is sports massage? 
It is a type of massage that is designed for athletes and other active individuals. The aim of sports massage is to prevent injuries as well as relieve muscle soreness, which in turn relieves pain that an athlete might be having. If sports massage is done right, it can in the long run help an athlete achieve top performance as well as keep his body functioning exceptionally. As I have already told you, sports massage is not for the athletes alone - anyone can enjoy the benefits of this type of massage.

The benefits of having these massages are not just physical, it also has emotional and mental benefits. It will decrease your risk of getting injured and it will also improve the blood circulation, which will in turn reduce stress and improve your quality of life. Having a massage after a tiring workout will help you relieve your mental tension as well as make you relax. A massage done by professional like My Home Therapy will reduce fatigue and it will restore injured tissues, which will allow you to work even harder and more efficiently.

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A lot of athletes are taking full advantage of professional massage to ward off their muscle fatigue after extensive exercises. It will also decrease the swelling and muscle tension which comes as a result of exercises, and it has been known to play a great role in post training recovery. It can actually be used in rehabs to help people improve their performance and help them relieve stress. It can be usually performed by massage therapists in their massage their massage centers or it can even be performed in healthcare facilities. It has a lot of benefits to both athletes and anyone who decides to enjoy its benefits.

Some studies about the massage have been conducted, and in one study, those who received sports massage for 30 minutes each exhibited improved performance in a cycling test. Other studies have revealed that sports massage has a great impact in mood relaxation.

What are the benefits?
It brings some fresh and oxygenated blood to your muscles. The massage is actually performed according to your need. What I mean by this is that there is no template that is followed in order to do this massage, the services are usually tailored according to your need. For example there are techniques that are employed to treat a person with strains and pulled muscles while there are techniques that are employed to help a person have a relaxed mood. Sports massage usually involves stroking and these movements stimulates lymph flow in your body as well as remove the metabolic waste plus increase the circulation of blood and oxygen throughout your body. This helps any athlete recover faster from injuries sustained during training and it keeps the performance on peak. Some of the benefits of sports massage include:

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Prevents injuries
Most of the strokes that are used in are actually similar to the strokes used in therapeutic massage, the only great difference is the objective of each massage. The aim of this is to improve your muscle function as well as improve your performance while therapeutic massage aims at stress relief and improving the well-being of a person. This means that during a massage session, the therapist will focus on the overused and stressed muscles. Your muscles will be left feeling relaxed which will prevent you from getting injured from time to time.

Reduces pain
Soft tissue and sports massage have been used alongside physiotherapy and this helps reduce pain caused by injuries. Several research and studies have demonstrated positive impact of this type of massage in reducing pain in lower back as well as shoulder pain. You can be sure of reduced pain if you receive this from a professional. No matter which muscle you pull or hurt, there should be a massage technique that helps to relieve and reduce that pain down. For instance, if you have pulled your glutes, then you will want to know "what is the fastest way to heal a pulled gluteal muscle?" - so that you do not suffer for too long, and can focus on getting better.

Assists in recovery
It will not only help you prevent future injuries; it will also help you deal with the injuries if you have already sustained them. Moreover, it will reduce soreness on your muscles by increasing the circulation of blood to the massaged area which in turn flush out the toxins that build up when you exercise. This will leave you improve the recovery and from there you can be sure to optimize your training in order to produce the best performance.

Releases muscle tension
When your body is undergoing through a lot of stress, your muscles tend to create tension and trigger points. If you enjoy a good sports massage session, your tissue pliability will be optimized which will in turn improve mobility especially to those with limited mobility and it can also prevent injuries.

Supports good posture
If you work on an office, then you understand how we spend longer hours on our desks in the same posture. The posture on our desks can sometimes cause your muscle to shorten and pull the joints into positions. This with time increases the risk of repetitive strain injuries. To avoid getting into that, it is very important to have a sports massage session once in a while. It will help release the “shortened” muscle and it will counteract the negative impacts of being on your desk all day.

Improves the quality of sleep
It has many benefits that contributes to the well-being of a person like improving mood, lowering blood pressure, reducing heart rate, and lowering anxiety among other benefits. In addition to those benefits, a research that was published on international journal of neuroscience revealed that sports massage improves the quality of your sleep.