Post Sports Event Massage – How Does It
Help?
After a big sports event your body will be stretched to its limits, and
you will more than likely be feeling tired and sore. The ideal time for a
massage, we think!
A post-event massage is typically performed anything from 30 minutes
up to a day and a half after a race or event. It’s designed to help
improve your blood circulation, get lymph flowing and relax tired
muscles after you’ve pushed them hard.
What’s A Post Event Massage?
Getting a post-event massage will give you an immediate boost,
however well you performed in the event. If you opt for a massage
immediately after the event, like a pre-event massage it will be short
yet effective. Targeted at the areas you’ve over-used and may be
hurting, it’ll be a 15-minute session that quickly gets the blood flowing
where it’s needed for repairs, stretches your muscles and relieves any
cramp or tightness.
Massage after a sporting event is most likely to involve light pressure as
well as stretching techniques that help you to get your muscles back to
normal after a big event involving strenuous exercise. It can help to destress
mind and body, as well as preventing delayed onset muscles,
fatigue and muscle tightness.
Why Do I Need A Post-Event Massage?
You’ve put your body to the test during a big sporting event, now it
needs to recover! Your muscles will feel tight after you’ve completed an
event, which can be a result of tiny, microscopic tears in the muscle
fibers. Although this is perfectly normal, tight muscles can lead to
injuries like muscle strains and tears if not dealt with, and a massage is
the perfect way to soothe stressed muscles. It can also boost lymph
movement around your body which can help prevent lactic acid build
up in your muscles.
Having a post-event massage may help prevent the dreaded delayed
onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and is good for overall recovery after
any strenuous exercise. If you’re feeling stiff and sore, a good postevent
massage will revive you, helping to improve your range of
movement, reduce soreness, fatigue and more. The rubbing and
friction help to warm up muscles which relaxes and loosens muscle
fibers too.
If you’ve had a cramp during the event, be sure to tell the massage
therapist so that he or she can target specific techniques on the
affected areas. If you have had cramps in several areas, you’ll probably
be advised to drink plenty of fluids as this can be down to dehydration
too. Tell the therapist if you have any other symptoms, too, like any
light headedness or dizziness, although it’s quite normal to feel a bit
wobbly after the massage.
Afterwards, remember to book in more massage sessions. Sports
massage is the ideal type of massage for athletes, for obvious reasons,
and ideally you should try and book something in on a weekly basis
after a big event to help heal and strengthen your musculoskeletal
system and prepare you for your next event.