Massage for sports and exercise have both physical and psychological benefits. Massage prevents injury and is also an injury soother. It can relieve the muscle soreness associated with competition and exercise and hasten your return to workouts and competition. Massage also can help reduce anxiety levels before or after competition.
Injury Prevention
Sports and exercise, if done regularly and rigorously, can lead to overuse of your muscles, which in turn can create imbalances in your soft tissues. If these imbalances become chronic, further overuse can lead to injury. As SportsInjuryClinic.net explains, massage can stretch muscles and tissues both lengthwise and sideways, releasing tension. Massage can also break down scar tissue, which can affect your muscles, ligaments and tendons, leading to inflexible tissues that are more susceptible to injury. By loosening tight muscles, blood flow to the area will better absorbed and utilized.
Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness
Delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, is a condition that develops after exercise, especially vigorous exercise. During such exercise, muscle tension builds in your soft tissues, and any minor injuries and small muscle tears cause soreness and pain several hours later or the next day. A small Australian study, published in the "Journal of Athletic Training" in 2005, found that massage reduced DOMS by about 30 percent by increasing blood flow and circulation to the painful areas.
Psychological Benefits
Massage relaxes the body and also the mind. Certain longer stroking movements, known as effleurage, are particularly good for relaxation. Massage releases endorphins, which helps ease pain and soreness. Mechanoreceptors that sense touch, pressure and warmth are stimulated by massage, resulting in further relaxation and reduced anxiety. A pre-sport or exercise massage, done with brisker movements, can invigorate you and prepare you for a workout or competition.
Considerations
You shouldn't get a massage for sports or exercise if you feel sick or if your temperature is over 100 degrees. You shouldn't get a massage if you have damaged blood vessels, cancer, melanoma or an infection. If you have diabetes, a massage will affect you in the same way that exercise influences your blood sugar level, so have insulin or other appropriate medications available.
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