Are you a weekend warrior? How about a professional or amateur athlete? Regardless of the level you train at, you’d benefit from including Sports Massage and stretching into your sports recovery routine.
Denver athletes know that when you train, you are putting stress on your muscles. This is how you build strength, stamina, and endurance for your sport. This process of building up and breaking down muscles causes them to become tight and short, which restricts circulation and creates muscular imbalances. All of these conditions are a normal byproduct of athletic training but all need to be nurtured with stretching and Sports Massage in order to enhance athletic performance and prevent injury.
Common conditions for athletes, treated by stretching and Sports Massage Therapy:
- Tight muscles – Muscles move our bones by the connective tissue (fascia) that envelopes and connects them to our bones via tendons. Chronically tight muscles can put excessive stress on our tendons which can lead to tendonitis, and in some cases tendon pulls and tears which can put an athlete out for weeks if not months.
- Restricted circulation – Muscles are made of microscopic fibers surrounded by tiny capillaries that nourish the muscle with blood. If they become too tight, the blood flow is greatly decreased which cuts off the supply of oxygen and glycogen to the muscle. Without proper fuel, the muscle(s) simply can’t perform properly.
- Muscular imbalances – There are two types of muscles – slow twitch (postural) and fast twitch (movers). The former metabolizes fuel for long sustained efforts and tends to shorten when stressed. Fast twitch muscle fibers utilize higher amounts of oxygen than slow twitch fibers to produce quick bursts of energy and tend to weaken under stress. This juxtaposition causes an imbalance in opposing muscle groups and an inefficiency in the way the body works. It is very important to restore balance by lengthening short/tight muscles and re-energize weakened ones in order to maximize their capacity.
How stretching and Sports Massage Therapy alleviate common conditions for athletes:
In order to compete and/or perform at your very best, all athletes need to address the issues above. The good news is there are two incredibly simple solutions – stretching and Sports Massage.
Stretching is an often overlooked, yet essential component of training, especially in new and amateur athletes. They tend to be focused on the “no pain, no gain” aspect and want to push their bodies to the limit. While this is part of athletic training, sports recovery is just as important. You should spend almost as much time stretching and lengthening your muscles as you do strengthening them.
Sports Massage should also play an important role in all athletic training and sports recovery routines. Some people think of massage as a very passive and pampering type of activity. Sports Massage is far from this stereotype. During a Sports Massage, the client is actively participating in the session. They are asked to engage specific muscle groups to activate their bodies natural reflexes and responses. This helps to achieve a deeper therapeutic stretch. Clients are also asked to engage in movement and resistance to enhance the effectiveness of traditional massage strokes and achieve an optimal result.
Both stretching and Sports Massage Therapy help bring your muscles back to a state where they can operate most efficiently. When they are lengthened and pliable, blood flows freely and they are able to work effectively and efficiently.
Additionally, receiving massage has been shown to enhance your body awareness. This in turn improves your ability to recognize potential problem areas. The earlier you can identify problem areas, the more likely you are to address them before they become injuries that prevent you from being able to train and compete.
Massaging the Diaphragm for Increased Lung Capacity:
The diaphragm is the muscle that we engage every time we breathe and like any other muscle it is susceptible to dysfunction. If it is not operating efficiently, your body is running on low octane rather than high octane fuel. Receiving regular massage on this area can enhance your lung capacity!
The Wellness Center is a holistic health center in Glendale, CO. Our team includes many Sports Massage Therapists who offer Denver Sports Massage Therapy for injury prevention and performance improvement. We also offer treatment plans for sports injury recovery. For more information, call our front desk team at 303-357-9355.