Four Ways Young Athletes Can Benefit From Massage Therapy
Massage therapy helps to keep an athlete’s body healthy and toned for an extended period. Many of the young athletes invest a considerable amount of money in their health, well-being, and physical training. But, seldom they know that massage therapy contributes much to prepare, soothe, and strengthen their muscles for optimal athletic performance in the future. Massage therapy provides many benefits to young athletes. It helps release muscle tensions, spasms, and pain. Let’s have a look at the five ways how sports massage therapy can benefit young athletes:
1. Reduces Muscles Tension and Spasms
If your muscles become stiff and sore due to an injury or rigorous training, then massage therapy helps alleviate the pain by releasing the tension built up in tissues and stripping the muscles of any toxins causing stiffness. Furthermore, massage therapy tones the muscles by stimulating natural reflexes found within muscle fibres.
2. Helps Treat Injuries
Injuries are common among athletes. Young athletes are always exposed to the risk of sprains, strains, and collisions. Massage therapy can treat the flexibility of muscles in case of injuries to high-risk body areas like the knee, lower back, and the rotator cuff. Also, going for a massage lessens the possibility of injury apart from helping injured young athletes to recover faster.
3. Prevents Adhesions
When a muscle tears, a fibrous tissue develops and that is known as adhesion. Adhesion in the muscle fibers restricts the muscle’s full range of motion. Transverse massage strokes prevents adhesions from occurring in between muscle fibres. If the adhesions build up then it can lead to muscle knots and further problems. Massage therapy can release these adhesions, thus improving muscle flexibility and range of motion.
4. Offers mental relaxation and strength
Massage therapy has a stimulating and sedative effect on the nervous system. Thus, creating a more mentally focussed athlete. Massage therapy helps to improve coordination between your mental and physical attributes, as it gives relaxation to your muscles by reducing pain caused by surgery, injury or chronic problems. Massage therapy manipulates the body muscles and soft tissues to relieve pain and decrease stress. It helps lower blood pressure and heart rate, thus reducing the strain on your heart and maintain a healthier blood circulatory system.
An athlete should have a high degree of flexibility to perform well irrespective of the sport to which they are associated. Sports massage therapy is designed to increase an athlete’s strength, stamina, agility, speed, endurance, and flexibility. You should approach a massage therapist who can help you with any injuries and improve your flexibility and muscle strength so that you can perform better and excel in your sport.
