Massage and Recovery

Are you the weekend worrier or a daily trainer in any physical activity, massage can bring longevity and stability to your performance. The benefits of recovery/sports massage include, returning muscle to a relaxed state, better blood flow and overall a faster healing process.  Recovery massage should not be a random event but a planed hour of your day in order to achieve the best results.

Do you play hard that one day a week and find it takes you three days to get back to normal? Massage can cut that in half.  Are you committed to the daily workout and find muscle soreness last longer than expected? A planned massage can allow those muscles to get back to an elongated state and allow you to achieve a better goal. Once the body has adopted the regiment the overall neurological benefits will be noticed; better sleep, calming thoughts and less joint stiffness.

Understand I am not talking about lactic acid build up and just the flushing the toxins, but a more neuromuscular relaxation allowing for muscle lengthening and blood flow to micro tears in the fibers. This article can give you a more detailed read for those who enjoy the scientific brake down. This article will help you understand lactic acid, muscle soreness and the chemical relationship inside your muscles.    http://www.massagetherapy.com/articles/index.php/article_id/541/Sports-Massage--Recovery-Time  

The question for all athletes at any level is how much stretching do you do before and after, how much ice or even heat do you apply to your body during the time the body is recovering.  A good therapeutic massage will include stretching, some specific fiber work and relaxation allowing the body better recovery. The massage should be specific to the athlete's sport and focus on areas of the body that are overused and stressed from repetitive and often aggressive movements.

A massage a day keeps the doctor away :)

Sharon Scubla; Licensed Massage Therapist