How Massage Can Help Improve Your Post-Workout Recovery Routine

Published on January 14, 2022

Getting a massage post-exercise can greatly improve your recovery and reduce the risk of injury.

Have you ever experienced muscles screaming out in pain a day or two after a workout? Even seasoned athletes can experience delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) or put themselves at risk of injury from overuse.

Whether you’re an elite athlete, a sporting professional or a gym regular, you should consider including sports massage in your post-workout routine for maximum results on and off the field.

In this article, discover the most common post-workout injuries and how a post-workout massage can help you to perform and feel your best in between workouts.

Common post-workout injuries & symptoms

Workout injuries can happen to anyone, including the most elite of athletes. It doesn’t matter your age or fitness level, everyone is at risk of a sporting injury.

Common post-workout injuries include:

• Low back pain
• Muscle tightness and strain
• Knee pain
• Elbow pain and tenderness
• Tendinitis
• Shin splints
• Wrist sprain
• Dislocation
• Shoulder strain
• Hip tightness or pain
• Foot strain or Plantar Fasciitis

After a gruelling gym session or game, you may experience symptoms such as swelling, muscle pain, backaches, or the feeling of muscles ‘catching’ or joints locking up. You may also feel a burning sensation, numbness or shooting pain in the muscle as well as a loss of mobility or flexibility in the arm, hips, wrist, legs or feet.

All these post-workout symptoms signify that you’ve either injured yourself from overuse, by using improper form/technique or have failed to properly warm-up/cool down before and after exercising.

Types of massages to improve recovery

Massage can be used immediately after a workout or following an injury to help reduce further pain and inflammation.

The best types of massage to improve recovery post-workout include a combination of sports massage, remedial, deep tissue and relaxation massage. Including these massage types in your post-workout routine will help to relieve pain and muscle tension, as well as provide therapeutic benefits to the mind.

Sports massage

Sports massage therapy treats and prevents common sports injuries. It combines different forms of massage and muscle manipulation techniques to help treat muscle strains.

The type of sports massage you receive will depend on your injury or individual needs. Some of the most common types of sports massage include soft tissue massage, deep tissue massage and whole body massage.

Deep tissue

Deep tissue massage targets the deeper levels of the muscle fascia, helping reduce lactic acid and ease muscle knots and tension.

The massage therapist will apply deep pressure using slow, sustained strokes to target those inner muscles and connective tendons surrounding the joints. This will get rid of adhesions, relieve pain, reduce stress and provide faster muscle recovery.

Remedial

Remedial massage aims to prevent injury and correct or rehabilitate muscle movement patterns and mobility.

With a combination of deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, myofascial release and stretching, remedial massage will greatly decrease muscle soreness and facilitate a faster recovery.

Relaxation

Relaxation massage uses slow, rhythmic movements to help calm the mind and body.

A therapeutic massage such as this has great benefits for sportspeople. It can help support recovery by reducing the stress, anxiety and pressure surrounding training and performance.

If you have suffered an injury, a relaxation massage can also help to calm the body and mind and ease any fears or worries regarding your injury or impending time off sport.

Original Article: How Massage Can Help Improve Your Post-Workout Recovery Routine