Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Whether you’re working out a few times a week to stay in shape or training for a marathon, massage therapy sessions from Massage Envy Spa should be part of your regimen. Massage Envy offers sports massage therapy geared toward athletes of every kind, from world-class professionals to weekend joggers. Each massage is tailored to the individual’s specific needs, and focus on areas of the body that are overused and stressed from repetitive and often aggressive movements.
Sports massage therapy is gaining popularity as a useful component of a balanced training regimen. It can be used to enhance pre-event preparation and to reduce recovery time either during training or after an event. Many athletes have discovered that specially designed sports massage promotes flexibility, reduces fatigue, improves endurance, helps to prevent injuries and prepares the body and mind for optimal performance.
A 2010 study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found that even a 30-second massage improved hip-flexor range of motion. Another study demonstrated a notable trend toward decreased muscle soreness in athletes who received massage either before or after exercise.
Some of the physical effects of massage for athletes include increased tissue permeability, which helps to open the pores in tissue membranes, improving the exchange of fluids and nutrients throughout cells. Massage also stretches tissues in ways they would not otherwise flex, helping to relieve tension. And by encouraging increased blood flow before and after exercise, massage helps to increase the absorption of nutrients and the removal of waste products from muscles and other tissues. This also leads to a reduction in pain by increasing the removal of lactic acid and stimulating the production of endorphins.
In addition to the physical effects on muscle tissue itself, massage induces a sense of relaxation. The generation of heat and increased circulation causes the nerve tissues that sense touch and pressure to be stimulated, which causes a relaxation reflex. Massage also leaves the athlete feeling much less anxious and more invigorated, ready to take on the next challenge.
Massage Envy therapists are trained to address all areas of the body, including common trouble spots such as the Achilles tendon, rotator cuff, hamstrings and lower and upper back. If you have specific areas that are particularly sore after an intense workout or training session, let your massage therapist know, and he or she will discuss some of the techniques used to address those particular spots.
For anyone participating in regular physical activity, whether casual or intense, the addition of sports massage therapy on a weekly or bi-weekly basis could be a great addition to the training regimen. The massage therapists at Massage Envy can help you find a plan that will work with your schedule, level of activity and budget. To find your nearest Massage Envy Spa location, visit www.massageenvy.com/regions/FL/Southwest-Florida. Massage Envy Spa has locations in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Estero and Naples.
