What is sports massage? The benefits and techniques of soft tissue manipulation
What is sports massage? We examine the benefits and different techniques that focus on correcting imbalances in your soft tissues caused by athletic performance
Sports massage can be beneficial for anyone engaging in regular physical activity, especially those which emphasize repetitive movement
Gone are the days when we thought getting faster and stronger simply meant training harder. We now know that proper recovery is essential for increasing our performance, as well as for longevity. Sports massage can be beneficial for anyone engaging in regular physical activity, especially those which emphasize repetitive movement. So what is sports massage, exactly, and why should you try it?
What is sports massage?
Sports massage includes different techniques that focus on manipulating the soft tissues of your body to correct imbalance caused by athletic performance. In addition to your muscles, which you would expect to receive manipulation in an ordinary Swedish massage, sports massage focuses on fascia, which lines and connects all the structures in your body, and even tendons and ligaments.
The theory is that when you perform repetitive movements in your training, such as the continual flexion/extension pattern of ankles, knees and hips in running and hiking, you create imbalances in the soft tissues surrounding those joints. After all, there’s only so much impact a good pair of trail running shoes can offset. Basically, your body adapts to the needs of your sport, but that can sometimes result in imbalance that affects your ability to perform other activities and day to day tasks. This imbalance can look like dysfunction, tension and even pain.