Benefits & Effects Of Massage

Benefits of massage

Sports massage can play an important part in the life of any sportsman or woman whether they are injured or not. Massage has a number of benefits both physical, physiological, and psychological.

Sports massage can help maintain the body in generally better condition, prevent injuries and loss of mobility, cure and restore mobility to injured muscle tissue, boost performance and extend the overall life of your sporting career.

Physical benefits of massage

Pumping – The stroking movements in massage suck fluid through blood vessels and lymph vessels. Increasing the pressure in front of the stroke creates a vacuum behind it. This matters particularly in tight or damaged muscle tissue because a tight muscle squeezes out blood like a sponge, depriving tissues of essential nutrients and repair energy.

Increased tissue permeability – Deep massage causes the pores in tissue membranes to open, enabling fluids and nutrients to pass through. This helps remove waste products such as lactic acid and encourages the muscles to take up oxygen and nutrients which helps them recover quicker.

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Stretching – Massage can stretch tissues that could not be stretched in the usual methods. Bundles of muscle fibres are stretched lengthwise as well as sideways. Massage can also stretch the sheath or fascia that surrounds the muscle, so releasing any tension or pressure build-up.

Break down scar tissue – Scar tissue is the result of previous injuries or trauma and can affect muscle, tendons, and ligaments. This can lead to inflexible tissues that are prone to injury and pain.

Improve tissue elasticity – Hard training can make tissues hard and inelastic. This is one reason why hard training may not result in improvements. Massage helps reverse this by stretching the tissues.

Opens micro-circulation – Massage does increase blood flow to tissues, but so does exercise. What massage also does is open or dilate the blood vessels and by stretching them enables nutrients to pass through more easily

Physiological benefits of massage

Pain reduction – Tension and waste products in muscles can often cause pain. Massage helps reduce this in many ways including releasing the body’s endorphins.

Relaxation – Muscles relax through heat generated, circulation, and stretching. Mechanoreceptors that sense touch, pressure, tissue length and warmth are stimulated causing a reflex relaxation.

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