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Massage Therapy for Sports Injury

Many types of massage are associated with sports. In some cases, massage can help prevent sports injuries from occurring. However, once a sports injury has occurred, massage therapy fcan help speed healing and reduce associated pain.

  1. Bennefits of Sports Massage

    • In addition to sometimes helping prevent injuries from occurring, post-injury massage can help speed healing by encouraging blood flow to the affected area, reducing muscle tension that could affect a joint injury, and reducing pain and general discomfort associated with the injury.

      Massage can have both physical and psychological benefits. Physical benefits include enlarging tissue pores to speed healing, stretching tight tissues, breaking down scar tissue and improving the elasticity of tissues. One of the psychological benefits of sports massage after an injury is the simple psychological benefit of feeling good. This, when combined with increased blood and lymphatic flow, will reduce healing time and will help reduce the likelihood of the same area being injured again.

    Massage for Specific Conditions

    • Although massage can be beneficial for a wide range of sports-related injuries, it is frequently used to treat shin splints, plantar fasciitis, ankle strains, hamstring strains and groin strains. Because certain sports injuries can trigger muscle tension and spasms, it is especially useful to bring the body back into balance to allow natural healing to occur.

    Sports Massage Techniques

    • Sports massage techniques tend to be deep-tissue techniques and can range from being very pleasant to being moderately painful. If the massage itself is painful, rest assured that the benefits will come later with far less long-term pain and quicker healing.

      Specific techniques for sports massage include Swedish massage, compression techniques, cross-fiber massage, trigger point massage, tender point massage and lymphatic massage. The appropriate technique will depend on the type of injury and the expertise of your masseuse.

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