Benefits of massage for athletes
We Look At The Best Massagers for athletes to help prevent injury.
Consistent massage can reduce athletic injuries. That’s common sense and a proven one at that. And that’s not good for any competitive athlete.
One of the worst things that can happen to an athlete is getting an injury, even the smallest injury can create havoc, it can set you back weeks if not months and impair you hitting your peak performance level and delay any sort of training.
Recovery, on the other hand, can be frustrating, costly, painful and a real pain in the ass. It not only limits your training but also your day to day life. So, it might be worth doing what we can to help prevent an injury in the future.
And that’s where the benefit of massage can really help. Today I want to look into the world of massage and explore the benefits of massage for athletes. Having said that this doesn’t just apply to athletes, anyone who moves should also take note.
Overtime injuries can do some damage. Often though damaged tissue can heal, although when muscles are continually stretched through ongoing high levels of performance the chances of injury are increased and can to some degree result in being permanent.
According to recent studies, massage therapy has progressed a long way, with the assistance of preventative medicines going a long way in helping the best athletes do what they do best.
A study done back in 2016 from oxford university, suggests massage therapy can help to improve certain pain levels. It was suggested that massage therapy should be included in the help of pain management and prevention.
Another study was done by Buck Institute for Research on Aging Mentions that massage after significant exercise can help with the growth of mitochondria. These are known as the powerhouses of our cells, they are there to help convert the nutrients we eat into energy. Pretty interesting stuff.
And for anyone, especially an athlete, energy is power. Whatever we can do to gain that extra energy has got to help.
By adding massage into the recovery routine of an individual helped to increase mitochondria growth. This ultimately helped the overall performance of the individual, this was achieved by increasing oxygen use in the muscles.
Our body thrives on oxygen, and to all of us, oxygen is everything, without it we are a little screwed.
Studies have also shown and it’s a well-known fact, the use of massage helps to increase the muscle range and motion, plus it helps with overall recovery times, allowing you to achieve more in less time.
With all this information it’s clear what massage can do for our bodies. Just take a look at any professional team, they all have their own massage therapist on hand. So clearly massaging helps to get you that edge.
Remember this also applies to the everyday individual. Whether you’re working all day and you have tight and sore muscles or you’re a weekend athlete, this information applies to all of us.
In this case, it’s essential for an athlete to get that extra edge to perform at their best. When you think about it, the same should apply to the everyday person so they can perform at their best, but for some reason, massage is often overlooked as it’s not as essential as it is to an athlete.
The benefits of massage especially for any sports injury work by concentrating on the injury. On the other hand, it also helps in the prevention of an injury, which is really the key here as we don’t want to get to the point of an injury.
Massage before and after exercise can be the key to injury prevention and maintenance. It also can aid in helping the muscle return back into its relaxed position. So there are many benefits associated with massage for athletes and non-athletes alike.
It’s been said. The better we feel the better we can heal, that also applies to your muscles as well. They are at their best in a relaxed state, a bit like us really.
long term benefits of massage therapy
We all think of muscles being the benefits of having a massage but there’s a lot more to a massage than you might think. And whether we are an athlete or not, these what I like to call flow-on benefits can play a massive part in how we feel.
Feeling relaxed would be the other obvious one. Who performs at their best when they are stressed and cannot think clearly, not many of us.
We all look for that extra edge in many things and a massage really does give us a number of benefits, its a bit like a mind and body therapy all in one.
And especially athletes can really benefit from this type of therapy. That can have a real impact on your overall performance.
We have listed a number of health benefits associated with massage therapy. Some are more obvious than others.
- Reduces recovery time with or without an injury
- Lowers your blood pressure
- Relaxes your mind and body
- Relieves muscle tension
- Helps you improve your overall mood
- Helps to improve tissue healing
- Helps to improve muscle movement and range
- Helps with blood circulation
- Can help to reduce heart rate
- Helps with better sleep
As you can see there are plenty of benefits that can help with the improvement of your body performance and your mental health.
Best Massagers For Athletes
Now that you know the health and performance benefits associated with massage therapy. You might be thinking you need to look further into getting your own massager for when you’re on the go. Or get yourself a regular massage.
I’ve put an article together listing the best handheld massagers for athletes and the benefits of massage therapy
Our Conclusion
To get the best out of yourself you need to give yourself the best. That includes the right diet, ongoing massage therapy, recovery, training, sleep and so on.
It’s all part of striving to be the best you can by always looking at the best recovery and training strategies available. Whether it’s including a massage routine into your daily routine or even looking into the health benefits associated with infrared therapy there’s always something we all can do to improve our performance, body and mind.
