Sports Injury Prevention: 5 Benefits of Regular Massage Therapy

One of an athlete’s greatest fears is injury.

When you’re injured, you can’t compete in the sport you love. The world passes you by while you work to recover.

But what if there’s a way to prevent injury instead of having to recover?

At A+ Athlete Sports Medicine, Adam Redlich, MD, and our team are here to help athletes compete. One of the services we provide is massage therapy, not just to help them relax, but to prevent sports injuries. To do this, our massage therapists focus on the specific muscles the athlete uses while they’re on the court or the field, especially areas affected by repetitive training and motion.

We use various techniques during our massages to improve tissue health. These include effleurage (fast, long strokes), tapotement (tapping or chopping), and petrissage (kneading and rolling) to improve circulation and release tension. 

A few other massage techniques include trigger point therapy (maintaining pressure on a particular spot) to reduce local pain while improving muscle function, and joint mobilization and assisted stretching.

Based on these techniques, here are five proven benefits of regular massage therapy related to injury prevention.

1. Improved recovery

A massage helps recovery after a workout or game by increasing blood flow, which speeds up delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscles that are tired and working to recover. This gets you back to training and competition more quickly and safely.

2. Increased range of motion and flexibility

Want to release tension in your muscles while improving joint mobility and muscle elasticity? Massage techniques, including stretching and tissue manipulation, can help you move more efficiently and reduce your injury risk.

3. Reduced DOMS

DOMS stands for delayed onset muscle soreness. Massages help reduce DOMS by removing metabolic waste from your muscles, which decreases inflammation. The massage also stimulates your blood flow and lymphatic drainage, helping your body get ready for action again.

4. Less fatigue

A massage releases tension and pain while fighting stress by reducing your cortisol levels. This can decrease fatigue, improve your sleep, and help your body be more relaxed and ready for competition.

5. Prevent scar tissue

We’ve mentioned that a massage stimulates blood flow. This also helps prevent the formation of excessive scar tissue, which keeps your body from becoming more stiff and injury-prone. The increased nutrients that arrive through stimulated blood flow also help your body heal more quickly if you do experience an injury.

If you would like to get on a rotation of regular massage therapy, our team at A+ Athlete Sports Medicine will be glad to help. Just call our Robbinsville or Neptune, New Jersey, offices today to get on the schedule, or use our online tool to book your first appointment.