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Sports massage can help athletes stay healthy, perform better and recover faster.
If you engage in any regular athletic activity then you have likely experienced the consequences of your attempt to maintain a level of fitness. Muscle strains, pulls and aches are common occurrences of both professional and amateur athletes alike. Sports massage can help reduce the frequency and severity of these ailments. And that's just the start of the benefits.
Whether you are participating in competitive sports or simply exercising to stay in shape, massage will help you to remain in better condition in general and will help to prevent injuries during competition or workouts. Massage can help an athlete to train more effectively, perform better and recover more quickly.
Vigorous training can lead to muscles that are rigid and inflexible. These muscles may look terrific on your frame but they are vulnerable to injury and may hinder performance. Muscle tension may result in an imbalance within the musculo-skeletal structure and may add stress to joints, ligaments and tendons. A well-trained sports massage therapist can detect these irregularities and, by applying proper techniques, help to restore the flexibility and elasticity that reduces these potentially harmful stresses.
Sports massage is essentially a form of Swedish massage that is designed to relax muscles by applying pressure in a manner that improves circulation in the muscles and flushes out toxins and waste. When muscles are tight circulation is restricted and when blood is not reaching all areas of the muscle properly the tissues are missing out on vital nutrients important for muscle repair. By using massage to loosen muscles, lactic acids, uric acids and other waste will not be restricted in the muscle tissues where they can cause damage.
Massage can be an integral part of anyone's training regimen. Incorporating massage into an overall fitness program can insure that muscles remain supple and healthy thus insuring the maximum effectiveness during workouts and peak performance during events. Regular massage during training is essentially a maintenance program and helps insure that optimal results are achieved during training by promoting flexibility and avoiding debilitating injuries.
Sports massage can be a crucial component during a specific athletic event. A brief massage session prior to an event will increase the blood flow to the muscles and reduce tension. This will improve flexibility and performance. Massage applied during a sporting event can address any tightness or cramping that may occur and promote recovery from prior activity. After the event, massage helps the athlete to relax and assists in the repair of tissues slightly damaged during the event.
Even with all of the preventive measures taken to avoid muscle damage, it is inevitable that extreme levels of activity will result in aches, cramps strains and pulls. Sports massage is an excellent method for rehabilitating damaged muscles and insuring that training is not disrupted due to severe injuries.
One thing is certain, building a relationship with a sports massage therapist will be of great benefit to an athlete or anyone else interested in maintaining good physical conditioning. A massage therapist that is familiar with your routines, your goals and the tendencies of your muscular system will be able to help you stay fit and perform effectively.
About the Author: J. Terrence McDermott is the administrator of Massage Schools Guide at http://www.massageschoolsguide.com, a website offering resources for prospective massage therapists. He specializes in online continuing education resources and also administers Access Online Degrees at http://www.accessonlinedegrees.com.
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