If you lead an active lifestyle – whether this means gardening, going on long walks, or swimming every so often – a sports massage can improve your performance. Even if you’re not an athlete, a sports massage can still help you. With this in mind, let’s explore some of the biggest benefits of this treatment!
Improve Blood Circulation
While this might look like a simple benefit, it brings many other advantages to your active lifestyle too. When you get a sports massage in Tucson, the therapist will work on improving your blood circulation. By using certain movements, more oxygen and nutrients are being brought to your muscles, which is ideal if you’re looking to improve your performance during a workout.
Aid Recovery – In addition, this helps with post-workout recovery as it clears out any built-up lactic acid in your muscles. This is what often causes that feeling of soreness the day after a tough training session.
Reduce Inflammation – What’s more, improved blood circulation will also reduce any inflammation in your muscles, which is great if you’re dealing with an injury.
With this in mind, improving blood circulation is one thing but it indirectly brings several other benefits.
Work Specific Areas
Another reason a sports massage can help is that it can be used to work on specific areas that are causing you pain or discomfort. For example, if you have a tight knot in your shoulder after tennis, a sports massage will loosen it up. Meanwhile, those who experience lower back pain after running can have the same problem addressed.
In short, a sports massage can be tailored to your needs to alleviate any pain or discomfort you may be feeling.
Improve Flexibility
One of the more unexpected benefits of a sports massage is that it can improve your flexibility and range of motion. How? Ultimately, the massage loosens up your muscles, which in turn makes them more flexible. This is great news for athletes who want to improve their performance and avoid injuries.
Prevent Injuries
We just touched on it, but one of the biggest reasons professional athletes are encouraged to get regular sports massages is to prevent injuries. When your muscles are loose and flexible, they’re less likely to be pulled or strained. If you exercise regularly, you’re constantly putting your muscles through a lot of stress, so it’s important to give them some extra TLC.
Improve Sleep
With so much stress in daily life, it’s no wonder that so many of us have trouble sleeping. But did you know that massage can improve sleep quality? A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that people who received a 45-minute massage slept better than those who didn’t. So, if you’re having trouble catching some Z’s, a massage might be just what you need.
Reduce Anxiety and Depression
Stress can take a toll on your mental health, but massages can help. Once again, studies have shown that massage can reduce anxiety and depression. In one study, people who received eight weeks of Swedish massage therapy saw significant decreases in both anxiety and depression. Although scientists and researchers are still working in this area, it’s thought that a massage can help by:
- Reducing the level of stress hormones in your body
- Slowing your heart rate
- Increasing blood flow and circulation
- Promoting relaxation
Encourage Lymphatic Fluid Movement
If you allow us to get technical for a moment, a sports massage can help to remove metabolic waste from your muscles. This is because the lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump, like the cardiovascular system does, so it relies on muscle contraction to move the fluid. With a high-quality massage, you’re left feeling lighter because…well, you are.
Why not explore these benefits with a sports massage this week?
