Sports massage as a wellbeing tool?

When people hear the words ‘sports massage’ their initial thoughts are usually of muscle recovery after an exhausting sporting event, or other type of demanding physical exertion, and although it’s not incorrect to think that, I have realised after nearly 2 decades helping people with aches and pains that a sports and deep tissue massage can play a significant role in the lifestyle of lots of people, regardless of whether they are competing or training hard for a specific sporting event. 

In regards to sporting or strenuous activity, a lot of people feel that a sports massage treatment afterwards is useful, but what is important to bear in mind that depending on the extent of muscles soreness (and possibly inflammation) there is a time window of ideally 2-3 days afterwards that should be allowed before any intense hands on therapy is applied, this is partly because of the mechanisms involved in muscle recovery, and partly because if there is considerable delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), it’s painful just to lightly move over the areas without using any pressure at all, never mind deep tissue manual therapy, so to minimize discomfort, I usually recommend waiting 2-3 days after intense activity before having a sports massage. 

So in terms of the title of this blog, (can sports massage be used as a wellbeing tool), it most definitely can be, for a variety of reasons depending on your individual needs and lifestyle, but some of the main reasons are consistency of habits (ideally good habits, not bad ones!) and allowing yourself some time to reset and recharge, which is as much mental as it is physical. 

Consistency in anything tends to lead to a compound effect further in the future, and I have observed that people who are consistent in having a sports massage treatment over time, have a general reduction in aches and pains, and don’t seem to be as prone to injury and postural discomfort as someone who is reactive in their approach to recovery, rather than proactive. 

Allowing yourself time to reset and recharge often gives you that window of opportunity to take yourself out of the usual routine of your life, be it work, family life or other concerns that may be causing you to focus on the negative stuff, and so engaging in something like a sports massage is a complete reset for both your body, and your mind, and it sometimes helps to clear the fog that often arises when we try to juggle too many things on an ongoing basis. 

I think that the optimum routine is to try to aim for a treatment every 4-6 weeks as a general maintenance and wellbeing habit. :)