Effects and Benefits of Sports Massage

In all types of massage, the therapist has specific aims in mind. These aims are different and are tailored to the individual needs of the athlete. Most therapists generally have set aims when it comes to massage. These include things such as;

–          Maintaining or restoring normal functioning

–          Prevent sport and exercise related injury

–          Improve performance in training and competition

–          Improve recovery and rehabilitation from sport related injury

–          Maintain athletes well being

With the number of people taking part in sport increasing, combined with the increased competitiveness and intensity of exercise the demand for sports massage is increasing. It is becoming more recognised as a skill could possibly aid recovery and potentially enhance performance.

There are many effects of sport massage. These are divided into two categories: physical and mechanical and physiological

The physical and mechanical effects of sports massage include things such as tissue permeability, opening microcirculation, relieving muscle tension, reduced swelling, reducing/remodelling scar tissue, movement of blood and lymph, stretching soft tissue, increasing flexibility and mobilising muscle fibres.

Tissue Permeability – Massage improves the absorption of substances within the body tissues. Deep massage causes the pores in tissue membranes to open; this enables fluids and nutrients to pass through. This helps the removal of waste products such as lactic acid and encourages muscles to absorb oxygen and nutrients that aid in recovery.

Opening Micro-circulation – Massage increases blood flow to tissues, but so does exercise. The difference between the way massage increases blood flow is to dilate the blood vessels by stretching them. This enables nutrients to pass through the vessels easier, carrying the nutrients to muscles required.

Relieving Muscle Tension – Massage is one of the best ways for relieving muscle tension. It can help release contracted muscles and lengthen tight ones. The type of muscle tension will have an effect on what type of massage is used. For lighter forms of tension, a gentle touch massage will be used. Whereas deep tissue massage is effective with deeper muscle tension. These techniques will all help to relieve tension. Tension is relieved through circulation being stimulated. This blood flow delivers oxygen and nutrients and is key to helping muscles eliminated waste products.

Reduced Swelling – Massage helps to elevate swelling in the affected area. Depending on the pressure placed on the injured area massage will help to reduce the swelling. Massage stimulates blood flows because the pressure used in a massage technique compresses then releases the blood vessels and supplements a normal pumping action. This increases blood circulation to other limbs which aids lymphatic drainage. Furthermore, this increases nutrients and oxygen. This helps decrease the onset of muscle fatigue and soreness.

Reducing/remodelling scar tissue – When an injury occurs scar tissue can form during the healing process. The injured muscle will slowly lose its flexibility and elasticity increasing the muscle’s stiffness. If massage is applied effectively in the direction of the muscle fibre which has scar tissue then it will help to separate the fibres and break down the scar tissue. This will benefit performance and increase flexibility in the affected area.

Movement of blood and lymph – Blood circulation can be improved through sport massage. The pressure exerted by the massage technique compresses and releases blood vessels which supplements their normal pumping action. By increasing pressure a vacuum is created which sucks fluid through the blood and lymph vessels. This is important in tight or damaged muscle tissue as a tight muscle will act as a sponge and won’t provide the vital nutrients that muscles need to repair. Increased circulation has the benefit of increasing the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the affected area and aids lymphatic drainage.

Stretching – Massage can stretch tissues that could not be stretched in the usual methods. With the forces applied during massage, muscle fibres can be separated and the connective tissues that surround the fibres can be stretched. The fibres can also be stretched in a longitudinal direction as well as lateral

There are a number of physiological and psychological benefits of sports massage. This includes things such as stress reduction, enhanced wellbeing, improved body awareness, pain reduction and relaxation.

Stress reduction and enhanced wellbeing – Massage can enhance a sense of wellbeing by stimulating the release of endorphins and by reducing levels of stress hormones. These endorphins that are released give a sense of tranquillity and make you feel happy. This is why they’re often referred to as ‘happy hormones’. The release of endorphins will make the athlete feel better about themselves and could potentially improve their performance in sport.

Improved body awareness – Sports massage helps to improve an athlete’s nervous system function. This allows them to have better awareness of their body. If their nervous system doesn’t function correctly or as well as it could this could have a serious effect on their performance. This could cause the athlete to become stressed because they know they’re not performing as well as they should be. Psychologically, massage increases your awareness of how your body actually looks instead of how you think it looks. This can lead to a more positive body image, potentially increasing your confidence and in turn increasing performance.

Pain reduction – When an athlete becomes injured they will usually experience a lot of pain. When this pain occurs, messages are sent to the brain through ‘afferent nerves’ – ‘sensory nerves that have receptors at the skin and joints’. By massaging the painful area, ‘cutaneous mechanoreceptors’ – ‘sensory nerve endings in the skin’ are stimulated. This blocks the signals before they reach the spinal cord. Because the brain never receives the pain signals, your perception of pain is reduced.

Relaxation – Many people that all types of massage aid in relaxation. This is not true. Only certain massage techniques have relaxing effects on your nervous system. These techniques can also relieve muscle tension as well as stimulate the release of endorphins which, as explained earlier, can enhance your mood. This combination leads to generally a pleasant, and in most cases, relaxed feeling.