3 Minute Read –
Massage therapy has existed for hundreds of years and remains a popular tool for athletes and the general population to recover and improve sports performance. However the effectiveness is still debated as to whether massage actually can improve sports performance. A study from Davis in 2021 showed no evidence that sports massage actually improves performance directly. However massage is a tool to improve flexibility, range of motion and decrease the affects of the dreaded DOMS. Previous research tells us massage gives inconsistent improvements in performance recovery.
A lot of previous research is conflicted on if massage significantly improves performance, but interestingly most conclude there was an decrease in perceived effort. Basically; People that had a massage may not have performed better, but required less energy to produce the same outcome. “Massage therapy slightly decreased pain intensity after habitual running, but had no impact on physical performance”.
While there seems to be a disagreement as to whether it has an impact on sports performance, when it come to recovery, massage is vitally important. Massage when administrated to an injured leg muscles was found to recover stronger and faster than untreated muscles, likely because the compression squeezed inflammation-causing cells out of the muscle tissue. As well as this, massage will help to remove scar tissue as well as adhesions in the muscle that may be causing discomfort.
Massages also can decrease inflammation. Micro-tears in your muscles causes inflammation after substances called cytokines are released into the body. Massages help to stop those chemicals from being released, which decreases inflammation more rapidly. When inflammation is eased, so is pain and soreness!
Other benefits:
- RELIEVES PAIN
- COUNTERACTS BAD POSTURE AND SORENESS FROM SITTING ALL DAY
- HELPS PREVENT FUTURE INJURIES DURING EXERCISE
- BOOST MUSCLE RECOVERY AFTER INTENSE WORKOUTS
- DECREASE INFLAMMATION IN MUSCLE
The outcome?
So the jury is still out on whether massage will improve performance directly, but indirectly it will improve recovery time and muscle soreness, which will enable you to train again faster and more effectively. If you are interested in having a massage, please click this link to find out more.