When it comes to modern sports, it seems that boxing was ahead of the game when it comes to the concept of sports massage. Sports massage isn’t only for athletes, but a high number of people who partake in physical activity would find that sports massage would be beneficial to their physical well being, whether they got the massage before an event or after an event.

Sports massage is a form of Swedish massage, but also a form of deep tissue massage. It can be used for their relaxation or to help the healing process go a lot faster. It’s not meant to feel good, although it can. Instead, it’s meant to work usually on one area of the body that’s giving an athlete the most problems, whether due to an injury or other distress. The idea is to stimulate the blood flow, bringing fresh blood into the area, which brings oxygen with it, to help stimulate quicker healing. It’s not meant to cause more pain that someone is already in, although to the person it might feel that way sometimes.

When it comes to sports massage, there are some basic techniques employed. The first is a stroking motion over and over in the affected area. It’s usually a firm stroke, as it aims to work deeper into the body than just relieving stress on the surface. The second is looking for pressure or trigger points, knots in the body, which a therapist will work to try to loosen up. The third involves a chopping motion, which is meant to not only loosen tight areas, but help speed up the blood flow. And the fourth is stretching, which can involve either pulling areas of the body or bending those same areas; this usually works the joints and back more than other areas of the body.

Most of those techniques are after physical activity has taken place. If you get a sports massage before activity, not all of the above will apply, because sports massage can leave a body tender after its been performed, and that’s not always the best option beforehand. A sports massage might still try to work out the kinks in a certain area if an athlete’s range of motion is impeded, but generally before an event, the purpose of a sports massage is to relax the muscles and the athlete, helping to bring clarity to the mind by, once again, stimulating blood flow. A lighter touch is employed for the most part during this time, and may include stretching to help prevent injuries during the activity.

In general, sports massage can provide these benefits for you:

1. Reduce healing time from injuries
2. Stimulate blood flow
3. Relax muscles
4. Improve mobility
5. Break down scar tissue
6. Reduce pain
7. Bring peaceful thoughts

If you have chronic pain, restricted motion, or injuries that just don’t seem to be going away, you might want to look into getting a sports massage from a qualified therapist. It just might help stimulate the blood flow to help you heal quicker, while offering some quick relief from your distress.

Guest post courtesy of The London Physio- specialist sports physiotherapy in London.