Massage is a popular treatment choice among sports professionals. It not only helps in making their muscles relax after a tiring game but it can also aid them in getting rid of muscular spasms and heal from various sports injuries. Because of the effects of massage on athletes, most physiotherapists and chiropractors recommend it to their patients.

Although sports massage was initially introduced as a technique to help athletes relax that isn’t the only purpose that it serves. Whether you’re a sportsperson who gets involved in strenuous activities or someone who indulges in sports occasionally, sports massage is beneficial for you both.

Because of the therapeutic nature of this type of massage, it can be used to heal as well as prevent muscular injuries. On this note, let’s take a look at some of the amazing benefits of sports massage that anyone can enjoy.

What is Sports Massage?

Sports massage is a special type of massage technique that physical therapists with specialization in sports medicine offer to provide instant relief to athletes. It consists of systematic manipulation of soft body tissues for providing relief to relevant muscles. Using this technique, a physical therapist can apply pressure on certain tissues that the patient continuously uses to give him relief.

The trend of using sports massage by the athlete is quite old and can be traced back to the Greek Era when gladiators used to get it both before and after their games. However, the trend of modern-day sports massage can be traced back to the 1924 Olympics where a runner brought his personal massage therapist with him.  

Benefits of Sports Massage

Apart from providing pain relief to athletes, let’s take a look at some other benefits of sports massage.

It can Reduce Athletic Injuries

Undoubtedly, sports and injuries go hand in hand, and getting injured before an important game is the worst nightmare for any athlete. Injuries not only make an athlete miss a game but also delays training and hinder overall performance. Not to mention the pain and lack of mobility one has to face after being injured. This is where sports massage comes in handy, it not only reduces the pain that makes movement difficult but also assists in healing.

Recent research revealed that after getting a sports massage, new mitochondria grow within the cells. As you’re well aware that mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, so it means increased energy. Similarly, deep tissue massage is said to increase the endurance of a person as it enhances the size of mitochondria.

More Beneficial than Just Relaxing Muscles

Even though muscles might seem to be the only ones reaping the benefits of a sports massage, there are other factors influenced by it as well.

After undergoing a sports massage, the majority of people report feeling relaxed, less anxious and in a good mood. Similarly, sports massage is also said to enhance the attentiveness of the athletes as well as lowers cortisol levels. Because of its numerous benefits, sports personnel get a sports massage to treat their body and mind alike.

According to different studies sports massage is effective for:

• Lowering blood pressure.
• Reducing heart rate.
• Decreasing the recovery time.
• Improving mood.
• Improving the flow of blood throughout the body.
• Enhancing the healing of connective tissues that leads to increased muscular elasticity.
• Stabilizing cortisol levels in the blood.

Helps in Relaxing Your Entire Body

It can do much more than merely alleviating the pain. By getting a sports massage, your entire body will feel relaxed. Some other benefits of sports massage that are supported through scientific study include:

• Increasing flexibility.
• Increasing the joint range of motion
• Better sleep.
• Reduction in stress and anxiety.
• Increased feeling of well-being.
• Helps in decreasing muscular tension
• Helps in making nerves relax.
• Treats muscular spasms.

Final Words

All in all, sports massage is considered an integral part of every athlete’s routine because it not only helps them in relaxing but also prepares them for the coming game. Because of this reason, most local and international teams have the services of the best specialists who offer physical massage therapy. As a matter of fact, these physiotherapists now accompany teams to different tournaments as well. 

Walnuts Nutrition Facts:

Walnuts are the oldest tree food acknowledged to man, dating back to 7000 B.C. Native to Persia, they were kept for royalty. The Greeks termed it the “nut of Jupiter”, the nut for the spirits. Walnuts have been started as the signs of academics because the kernel looks like the brain and not astonishingly, they are a good cause of omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients that keep the brain working normally.

What’s more, walnuts pack an imposing punch of vital minerals. In just one ounce of walnuts, you’ll obtain:

• 50 percent of your DV for copper
• 5 percent of your DV for iron
• 11 percent of your DV for magnesium
• 42 percent of your DV for manganese
• 8 percent of your DV for phosphorus
• 8 percent of your DV for zinc

Health benefits of walnuts:

A new study recommends that walnuts may be a mainly good choice. And this isn’t the primary time investigators have come to this deduction. A preceding analysis by the same researchers (counting 365 study contributors in 13 trials) found that diets improved with walnuts led to lesser total and LDL (“bad”) fat when likened with other diets.

This modern analysis collective data from 26 preceding trials that comprised more than 1,000 people; associated with those on an unvarying diet, those intense a walnut-enriched diet had:

• lower total cholesterol (by about 7 mg/dL, representing a 3% greater reduction)
• lower LDL cholesterol (by about 5.5 mg/dL, a 4% greater reduction)
• lower triglycerides (by about 5.7 mg/dL, a 5.5% greater reduction)
• lower apoprotein B (a protein linked to cardiovascular disease) by nearly 4 mg/dL

While these enhancements in blood fats were rather minor, larger advances (for instance, a 12 mg/dL drop in total lipid) were well-known when the contrast diet was a typical US or western diet (that is, a diet high in red meats, high-fat dairy foods, and artificially sweet foods).