"Sports Massage: discover the secret for those who have an active life"

For those who lead an active life, improving physical performance can be just as important as relaxing. Sports Massage prepares and recovers the body from exertion, with benefits known since ancient times, when it was applied to Greek and Roman athletes during the Olympics.

There is a lot to know about this procedure, how it is developed and who can benefit from it.

If you want to know more about this technique, you are in the right place. In this article you will find all the necessary information and find out the best place to enjoy this massage.

Understand the technique behind Sports Massage

Leading a physically active lifestyle has numerous health benefits, but just as important as exercising your body is helping it to recover, especially after strenuous exertion. Thus, the muscles can regain their capacity. Otherwise, imbalances can occur that impair performance and overall health.

Sports Massage integrates the so-called recovery plans, improving and manipulating the soft tissues, the most used during physical activity. They are:

• Skin;
• Ligaments;
• Tendons;
• Muscles;
• Fascia (connective tissue structure that surrounds the entire body).

How is the treatment performed?

Despite being, in general, seen as a recovery measure, and therefore performed after physical effort, it can also be used to prepare body structures. In this case, it is applied before training.

The massage techniques are performed in the areas of the body most used during the sporting activity in question. This means that the massage must be personalized and tailored to the specific needs of each person. Thus, in addition to location, it varies in several aspects, such as applied pressure, intensity, and speed of movements.

Even so, gliding movements on the skin are usually used, following the contours of the body, compression to have a deeper effect, and/or friction movements, moving forward and backward with pressure in isolated areas.

Despite the variation in methods, the objectives include:

• Warm up tissues and relax muscles;
• Assess tissue condition;
• Awakening the peripheral nerves;
• Stimulate blood and lymph circulation;
• Stretch muscle fibers and relieve their tension;
• Relax the ligaments.

To enhance the effects of this treatment, it is important that it is carried out regularly, depending on the frequency of physical exercise sessions.

Know for whom the treatment is indicated

This type of massage is recommended for those who have an active life and practice physical exercise, amateurs, or professionals, with greater or lesser intensity of training.

It can be performed in the presence of symptoms resulting from physical exertion, such as muscle pain, joint pain, or tendon injuries. In these cases, it is essential to act immediately to prevent the initial discomfort from developing into chronic pain.

However, as we have seen, Sports Massage also acts as a preventive measure to avoid injuries, so it can and should be performed even in the absence of complaints.

The “endless” Benefits of Sports Massage

As we have seen, Sports Massage allows you to stimulate and stretch your muscles, with the aim of preparing or recovering the body from physical exertion. This is just one of the many benefits this procedure has. Below, we present other advantages of this technique.

• Stimulates blood flow, providing a better supply of nutrients and oxygen to muscle structures, making them less vulnerable to trauma;
• Improves blood circulation, reducing pain and discomfort after physical activity;
• Activates adrenaline production, helping to increase physical performance;
• Tones muscles, making them stronger and more proactive.
• Working the joints;
• Reduces muscle fatigue, contributing to a better recovery;
• Increases range and flexibility of movement, helping to boost performance and prevent   injuries;
• Improves post-workout recovery time, allowing for a more active life;
• Reduces stress, stiffness and tissue inflammation, preventing discomfort;
• Eliminates toxins and other metabolic waste from muscle tissue, contributing to better health of the body;
• Corrects any edema, muscle imbalances or other problems that result from physical activity, reducing the risk of injury during physical exercise.

Remember that, even with specific goals, Sports Massage has advantages common to other types of massage, such as relaxation and the increase in hormones responsible for general well-being, such as endorphins.

Discover the reasons to book your Sports Massage at a Spa:

By choosing to receive a Sports Massage at a Spa, you will be able to enjoy a series of benefits that these spaces offer:

Serene environment and quality infrastructure

In addition to an environment that provides serenity, you can enjoy different infrastructures and services. Access to the swimming pool, sauna or Turkish bath allows you to transform a Sports Massage session into a true body healing experience, able to relax and invigorate the most exhausted muscles. If possible, take advantage of the facilities before your massage.

Experienced and certified professionals

The technical requirement of this massage requires that it be performed by experienced and qualified professionals, capable of customizing the treatment to identify any sensitive areas that indicate problems, adapting it to your needs.

At Mandalay Spas, you can book a Sports Massage applied by qualified specialists who know the best treatment methods and assess your condition. You also have access to all the perks that a Spa offers, the infrastructure and the calm environment, enhancing your experience and your recovery to the fullest.