Sports Massage Tulsa isn’t just for elite athletes. It’s for anyone who wants to enhance their performance, boost recovery and prevent injuries.
It can help you perform at your peak by reducing muscle fatigue, improving flexibility and speeding up recovery. It also reduces injuries caused by overtraining, promoting optimal muscle function and enhancing balance.
Pre-event massage is a key part of any sports person’s preparation strategy. It helps warm up the main muscles that will be used during an exertion, boosting circulation and increasing flexibility.
It can also help reduce stress levels and produce a positive mental state in the days leading up to an event, helping the athlete focus on what is important and easing any anxiety they may be feeling.
The massage techniques used in pre-event sports massage are quick and energetic, often using a brisk effleurage to get the blood flowing to the muscles and delivering the oxygen they need for good performance. It’s important to know that this is not the time for deep tissue work, as doing so too early could cause the muscles to tighten up and restrict movement.
This type of massage is typically done between 15 and 45 minutes before an athletic competition. If it is performed too soon, it will likely start to cool down the muscles by the time the athlete starts their exercise and might not be able to take full advantage of its benefits.
A pre-event massage can be beneficial to anyone who participates in physical activity, whether they are a competitive athlete or not. When you do any sort of vigorous activity, your body will generate a hormone called cortisol, which can lead to muscle tightness and inhibit performance. Massage can help release this hormone, allowing muscles to relax and stimulate feel-good chemicals.
In addition to this, massage can increase the elasticity of the muscles. This can help prevent injuries and decrease muscle soreness in the future, facilitating a faster return to training after an event or competition. It can also be helpful to athletes with an ongoing injury or pain. A study conducted on the effects of pre-event massage found that it decreased subjective stiffness and soreness and increased range of motion and endurance. However, the authors of this study acknowledged that further research with more rigorous methodologies is needed to accurately determine the effectiveness of pre-event massage. For example, future studies should include objective measures such as maximum strength, sprint or jump performance and a range of functional outcome measurements.
Post-Event Massage
Taking part in any competitive sport can be incredibly exhilarating and taxing on the body. Incorporating post-event sports massage into your recovery routine is a great way to help ease the sore muscles, reduce tension and ensure a more streamlined recovery process.
A post-event massage is the perfect treatment for after an event, as it helps to rid the body of metabolic waste (such as lactic acid) that accumulates in the muscle tissues during intense exercise. By promoting circulation, it also allows fresh oxygen and nutrients to flow to the muscles faster, which helps to reduce muscle soreness.
As a result, regular massage can significantly decrease the time it takes for athletes to recover from exertion and increase their overall performance and endurance. In fact, it’s common for elite athletes to schedule two or more sessions of pre- and post-event sports massage in a week in order to prepare their bodies for the next event.
In addition, regular massage can also address the underlying issues that may have contributed to poor performance. For example, tight muscles can lead to over-compensation in other areas, such as the joints, which in turn can cause a loss of flexibility. By releasing these tight muscles through massage, the body is able to restore proper joint function and movement, which ultimately improves performance.
During a post-event massage, the therapist will apply pressure and techniques along the main muscle groups used during the event in order to stimulate the waste removal process and prevent tightness. The therapist can use a variety of techniques, such as effleurage and petrissage, in order to encourage the lymphatic drainage of waste from the muscles. It is important that this massage occurs within a short period of time following the event in order to prevent muscle tightness and speed up recovery.
Regular massage can also be beneficial for preventing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Studies have shown that a massage can help relieve DOMS by increasing the speed of tissue repair and reducing inflammation. A 2018 meta-analysis, published in Frontiers in Physiology, found that massage reduces DOMS by approximately 30 per cent.
Post-Training Massage
Athletes in particular value sports massage, but its benefits extend to anyone who exercises regularly. Whether a recreational athlete, a competitive athlete, or someone who simply enjoys exercise and wants to improve their level of fitness, regular use of sports massage can help reduce muscle tightness and soreness, decrease the risk of injury, and increase recovery time between workouts.
A sports massage focuses on the major muscles involved in the sport being played, and may include stretching techniques. The massage can also target muscle groups that are frequently used or prone to overuse injury. Massage can increase circulation, encourage the removal of waste products such as lactic acid that builds up during intense activity, and help relax the muscles, all of which contribute to better performance and a reduction in muscle injury.
Pre-Event Massage
In the days leading up to an event, massage can help to prevent overuse injuries by loosening the tight muscles and increasing flexibility. This type of massage is often done on the day of the event or between events, and may utilize effleurage, friction, tapotement, vibration, and even petrissage (rubbing with the fingertips, sides, or heels of the hand).
Post-Event Massage
After an athletic event, a sports massage can assist in promoting a flood of positive psychological effects. This can help an athlete to believe in themselves and their potential for future success, which can boost confidence and even lead to a better performance the next time out.
A post-event sports massage can also aid in reducing the risk of tightness and stiffness by increasing energy circulation. Tightness can occur after a physical event due to microscopic tears in the muscle fibers, which can increase the risk of injury. In addition to a sports massage, it’s important to get plenty of rest and use recovery strategies such as proper nutrition and hydration. It is also essential to communicate with the massage therapist and make sure any injured areas are not being targeted, and that the technique used is appropriate for the client’s condition and situation. This will ensure a safe and effective treatment.
Rehabilitation Massage
Depending on the sport, the injury and the individual athlete, sports massage can be used for both prevention and rehabilitation. A regular program of therapeutic massage can help to decrease tightness that leads to injury, improve range of motion and flexibility and enhance athletic performance.
Studies of the effects of sports massage have used various methodologies, including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, single case studies, historical cohort comparisons, and case series. The results of these studies have shown that massage can have a positive impact on pre-event muscle preparation, sports performance, recovery from exercise and competition, and the rehabilitation of sports injuries.
Sports massage is a form of soft tissue manipulation, specifically targeting the musculoskeletal system (ligaments, muscles and tendons). It manipulates the muscles using techniques such as effleurage, petrissage and deep transverse friction. It can also incorporate assisted stretching to improve the movement of joints involved in a particular sport, and trigger point therapy (targeting tight, sensitive areas of muscle fiber that create referred pain patterns) to break down muscle adhesions and restore full muscle function.
One of the key physiological effects of sports massage is enhanced lymphatic drainage, which assists with reducing swelling and inflammation from injury. The massage techniques used in sports massage, such as kneading and compression, help to increase the flow of blood to the area. This helps to stimulate the release of waste products and the delivery of oxygen to the injured tissues, thereby speeding up the healing process.
Another important benefit of sports massage is to increase the elasticity of the tissues, which improves movement and reduces the risk of injury. In addition, the repetitive movements that are characteristic of many sports can cause the formation of scar tissue in the tissues, which can limit movement and lead to injury. In addition to improving elasticity, sports massage can also assist in the breaking down of scar tissue, which helps to restore full range of movement.
Many injuries, especially those from overuse, can be prevented with regular sessions of sports massage. Athletes who have a strong commitment to their sport will often schedule weekly sessions of sports massage to maintain optimal physical condition and improve performance.