During physical activities, muscle tension builds up in the
soft tissues of the body. Because of overuse or overextension, lesions and
minor injuries happen in these tissues causing pain and poor athletic
performance. Sports massage prevents such injuries and helps alleviate pain.
Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness And Sports Massage
Among the common setbacks for athletes is delayed-onset
muscle soreness or DOMS. This refers to muscle pain which often develops
several hours after exercise. It consists of predominantly eccentric muscle
actions. Though DOMS is somewhat symptom eccentric-exercise-induced muscle
damage, this doesn’t affect muscle damage. In fact, recent studies revealed
that sports massage might help prevent and reduce the debilitating and painful
effect of DOMS in athletes.
Based on an Australian study involving 5 women and men who
performed various new exercises, massage has played a crucial role in
alleviating DOMS by about 30%. Swelling was also reduced through the improved lymphatic
and blood system circulation, which resulted to the removal of metabolites and
other toxins.
Sports massage must be applied before and after events, with
lots of maintenance sessions in-between competitions or meets. Warming up the
major muscles to be used and improving tissue pliability are the main focus of
pre-event sports massage. The athlete might even have a good mental state for
competition. Post-event sports massage, on the other hand, is mainly focused on
recovery. Also, it is geared toward reducing metabolic build-up and muscle
spasms, which often happen with strenuous exercise.
The study further emphasized that when sports massage is
integrated into a weekly training routine, athletes might avoid DOMS. Hence,
they will feel more focused and calmer pre- and post-event.
Trivia Info Resource: www.schoolofnaturaltherapies.co.uk
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