Sports massage is more of a category than a singular style, bringing together a variety of treatments with different sport-related purposes. Sports massage specialists can tailor treatments to your code, your training, and whether you’re pre-event or post-event.
When might a sports massage be helpful for you? These are the three main reasons that people seek treatment:
Pre-event preparation
If you have a big game, race, or event coming up, you can use massage as a tool in your preparation. While a massage cannot make you stronger or faster, it can support your training and performance to help relieve tension, decrease anxiety, improve flexibility, and minimise soreness after hard sessions. This study demonstrated how massage and stretching combined can boost overall performance, and this one demonstrated a significant increase in flexibility of the hamstrings.
A sports massage specialist will discuss your sport, your event, and your training goals in order to provide a massage that will help and not hinder your preparation. Don’t be afraid to chat!
Post-event recovery
Booking a massage after a big sporting event is somewhat of a rite of passage. However, a post-event massage is more than just a reward for your hard work; it can have some very real positive effects.
One of the most well-documented effects of sports massage is a significant reduction in delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. This study, as an example, supported previous research showing the helpful effects of massage on reducing DOMS, as well as reducing muscle swelling.
If you’d like to recover faster from any big effort, book a strategic massage for a few hours later. You won’t regret it!
Injury prevention
By reducing muscle tension and improving flexibility and range of motion, ongoing sports massage can help athletes to avoid being injured. It’s a privilege for our therapists to be part of a long-term training plan for high-performing sportspeople, runners, and more!
Massage sessions can also help athletes to discover and rehabilitate issues before they become bigger and turn into more serious injuries. Our sports massage specialist, Liezl, would love to chat about how we can support your athletic endeavours.
A note: you don’t need to book a sports massage to get firm pressure! Sports massage doesn’t necessarily mean hard (especially when therapeutic, it can be very gentle), and other types of massage can employ a lot of pressure where required or requested. We always encourage clients to be honest about what they need, and their massage can be tailored to that.
Make the most of massage as a tool in athletic preparation, recovery, and ongoing wellness! Find out more and book on our sports massage page.