Read These Tips About Easily Searching For A Good Sports Massage Therapist
Read These Tips About Easily Searching For A Good Sports Massage Therapist
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Stretching Routines With Sports Massage
Stretching routines with sports massage help enhance flexibility, increase range of motion and reduce injuries. Sports massage also activates the parasympathetic nervous system, decreasing cortisol levels which helps reduce stress.
Enhanced Oxygen Exchange: Improved blood circulation promotes efficient oxygenation in muscles, allowing them to function optimally. This increases endurance and stamina during physical activity and reduces swelling and edema after exercise.
Warm-up
The warm-up routine is designed to increase the blood flow, elevate the heart rate, and prepare the muscles for more intense exercise. This increases flexibility, improves the ability of muscle groups to work together, and helps prevent injury.
Dynamic stretching also includes a series of movements that involve moving the muscles through their full range of motion. This type of stretching is more effective than static stretching because it helps to increase mobility and reduce injuries.
For example, when doing arm crossovers, a person can stand with their feet shoulder-width apart and swing their arms over their head in a circular motion. This movement helps to open up the shoulders, chest, and upper back for improved flexibility.
A general massage can also help relieve lactic acid buildup in the muscles and aid muscle recovery, but it is not a substitute for regular stretching. A skilled massage therapist can intensify the stretch by putting external pressure on the muscles. This allows for the muscles to relax and allows the therapist to go deeper into the stretch.
Stretching
Keeping muscles limber with daily stretching prevents injury and helps alleviate muscle tightness. Especially for those who sit for long periods of time, or work service jobs where they are on their feet all day. Stretching also helps those with sports related injuries and reduces the recovery time after exercise or competition.
It is important to warm up the muscles before stretching, and sports massage for faster recovery never push to the point of discomfort as this can cause injury. Instead, hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds and repeat 3-4 times.
There are many different types of stretches, including dynamic (dynamic stretching), static (static stretching), PNF stretching (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation), and isometric stretching (muscles remain contracted while stretched). Our professional massage therapists provide the best and most comfortable experience possible when performing your stretching routine.
Mobilization
Athletes benefit from incorporating sports massage techniques into their regular routine, as they promote proper biomechanics and improve overall physical conditioning. This enhances performance, reduces injury risk, and allows athletes to reach their peak in training and competition.
Our therapists use the following massage techniques in our sport massage sessions:
Effleurage: Long, gliding strokes applied with palms or forearms to warm up muscles and increase circulation.
Petrissage: Kneading, rolling and squeezing of muscles to break up adhesions (knots) and improve muscle pliability.
Passive stretching: A passive stretch is when you hold a pose for a prolonged period of time allowing the muscle to lengthen at its own rate. This is often performed with the help of a partner.
Dynamic stretching: During dynamic stretch you will be able to increase the range of motion by using your own body weight to guide your movement. This is a good beginner stretch as it doesn’t require the force of a ballistic stretch.
Recovery
When combined with regular stretching sessions, sports massage can be a true game-changer for workout recovery. It boosts muscle function, reduces muscle fatigue, and enhances circulation, all while promoting relaxation and maintaining balance between training and rest.
This approach to muscle health also helps athletes avoid injury and perform at their best. Specifically, it minimizes Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and promotes tissue repair.
In addition, massage techniques like petrissage (deep kneading) and friction (squeezing) help to improve muscle mobility by loosening tight muscles and increasing joint flexibility. These approaches, coupled with proper rest and a good nutrition plan, are essential for optimal muscle function. Regular massage also reduces cortisol levels, which can be a major factor in over-training and injuries.