Post-exercise massages can significantly speed up your recuperation and lower your chance of injury.
Have you ever had sore muscles or suffered in agony a day or two after working out? Even professional sportsmen are susceptible to overuse injuries or delayed onset muscular soreness (DOMS).
For the best outcomes on the field and off, whether you’re an elite athlete, a professional athlete, or an avid gymgoer, you should think about incorporating sports massage into your post-workout regimen.
This article will teach you about the most typical post-workout injuries and shed light on how a post-workout massage can help you feel and perform at your peak between workouts.
Common Injuries and Symptoms Following Exercise
Anyone can sustain a workout injury, even the most talented athletes.
If you sustain an injury after working out, you may notice symptoms including swelling, muscle discomfort, backaches, or the sensation of muscles “catching” or joints locking up after a strenuous workout or game. Along with a loss of mobility or flexibility in the arm, hips, wrist, legs, or feet, you might also experience a burning feeling, numbness, or shooting pain in the affected muscle.
All of these post-workout symptoms indicate that you may have hurt yourself due to incorrect form or technique, overuse, or lack of adequate warm-up and cool-down periods.
Remember: When seeking the services of a masseur, look for a practitioner with massage therapy. This will help to ensure you are protected should you sustain an injury during the massage.
Massage Techniques to Speed up Recovery
After exercising or if you have sustained an injury, massage can be utilised as a fantastic tool to reduce subsequent discomfort and inflammation.
Combining sports massage with remedial, deep tissue, and relaxation massage is the greatest way to speed up recovery after exercise. Several massage modalities can be incorporated into your post-workout routine to help with pain relief, reduce muscle tension, and offer therapeutic advantages for the mind. Some of these are described below:
Sports therapy massage
Common sports injuries are treated and prevented by sports massage therapy. It incorporates several massage and muscle-manipulation methods to assist in the treatment of muscular strains.
Your injuries or unique needs will determine the kind of sports massage you get. Soft tissue massage, deep tissue massage, and whole-body massage are a few of the most popular varieties of sports massage.
Deep tissue massage
Deep tissue massage targets the deeper layers of the muscle fascia, which helps to lessen lactic acid production and reduces tension in the muscles.
To target the inner muscles and connective tendons around the joints, the massage therapist will use slow, prolonged strokes to deliver deep pressure. Adhesions will be removed, the pain will be reduced, stress will be reduced, and muscle healing time will be accelerated.
Remedial massage
The goals of remedial massage are to stop injuries from happening and to improve or restore muscular mobility and movement patterns.
Stretching, deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, myofascial release, and other techniques are all combined in remedial massage to significantly reduce muscular soreness and speed up healing.
Massage for relaxation
Slow, rhythmic movements are used in relaxation massage to soothe the body and mind.
For athletes, a therapeutic massage like this offers several advantages. By easing the tension and pressure associated with training and performance, it can improve recovery.
A relaxing massage can also aid in calming the body and mind after an injury, as well as allay any thoughts or worries you may have about needing time off from exercise.
The Advantages of Massage
The use of the aforementioned post-workout recovery massages has many advantages. Here are some of the ways massage can help you recover after a workout injury or a strenuous training session, from pain management to enhanced flexibility and performance:
Reduce discomfort and muscle spasms
Getting a massage right away after working out can lessen muscle soreness and weakness as well as lower the risk of swelling and inflammation.
Treat DOMS
By releasing tension and restoring blood flow to the muscles immediately following a workout, massage can significantly reduce DOMS.
Boost blood flow and nutrients to injured tissue
A post-workout recovery massage enhances blood flow, which boosts the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles.
The muscles and tendons are made more flexible and longer, and injured tissues are repaired with the aid of a healthy blood flow. Having a massage immediately following exercise may also help to dissolve any unintentional clogs or obstructions you may have acquired.
Reduces injury risk and healing time
After exercise, massage can speed up the regeneration of muscle fibres, reducing the amount of time needed to recuperate. By keeping the muscles flexible and elastic after exercise, massage can help lower the chance of future injuries.
The muscles are frequently short and tight after exercise and in many injuries, which increases your risk of swelling or soreness.
The tightness in the muscles will be released during a massage, which will also promote normal blood flow. This will lengthen the muscles and restore their original structure, allowing for more fluid stretching and movement with a reduced risk of injury.
Increased flexibility/range of motion
By extending your range of motion and flexibility, post-workout recovery massage can be used to maximise athletic performance.
The highest possible performance comes from the soft tissues’ ability to extend, move, and become more elastic as a result of massage.
By enabling the muscles and joints to move with their full effort without getting hurt or strained, keeping the body flexible improves performance.
Relaxation
All massage techniques induce calm in the body and psyche. When massaged, muscles go from being stiff and tense to being supple and relaxed. The body reacts physiologically to this by going into a state of deep relaxation and a heightened sense of wellbeing.
After an exercise, a soothing massage can help you recuperate by releasing muscle tension, lowering your stress level, and treating chronic pain. On your recovery days, massage encourages relaxation and makes you feel your best by causing the body to release feel-good hormones.
Following an exercise or sporting event with a massage can help you recover and perform better.Regular sports massage can be extremely beneficial to your general health and wellness, whether you’re a beginner in the gym or a professional athlete looking for a quicker and more effective recovery process.
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