If you are athletic, a dancer or any type of weekend warrior, massage therapy can improve the flexibility and functionality of the muscles, tendons and ligaments. Many athletes count on the recuperative effects of massage therapy to improve the recovery time in between workouts. In addition to helping athletes, regular massage therapy sessions benefit the average person with an active lifestyle.
Massage treatments can help athletes to:
- Improve/correct structural imbalances
- Increase muscular power range
- Improve joint stability/mobility
- Facilitate proper muscular sequencing
- Improve proprioception and neuromuscular response
In recent years there has been a renewed awareness of the importance of exercise and activity for overall health. Massage therapy is an essential part of any health and exercise program. Long time athletes as well as those just getting started with an exercise program find massage can help with muscle soreness and recovery. During the course of a new exercise routine often muscle imbalance, lack of mobility or coordination, become apparent. Athletes of all ability levels increasingly turn to massage therapy to help correct these issues.
Massage therapy has long been used in the training room to reduce the incidence of injuries that can put athletes on the bench. Even dedicated athletes can fall prey to minor sprains and strains, pulls and muscle spasms which slow or halt training. By receiving regular massage, athletes can greatly reduce the number and severity of these types of annoying injuries. In addition to minor strains and sprains, massage therapy is great for reducing post work out muscle soreness and fatigue.
Many of the sports we enjoy are hard on the body. Athletes often incorporate repetitive one-sided or unilateral movement which over time can lead to uneven development, postural defects, pain and dysfunction. Massage therapy can help to correct these structural and functional compensations so that they don’t become more serious problems. In this way massage can improve performance and prolong careers for both professional and recreational athletes. For more information look at the page on Sports Massage.