Whether you’re an amateur or professional athlete – or simply in pain – sports massage has huge psychological and physiological benefits.
In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the effects of getting regular sports massages so you know exactly what to expect.
Table Of Contents:
- Physiological Effects of Sports Massage
- #1 – Relieve Muscle Tension And Pain
- #2 – Extended Range Of Motion
- #3 – Improved Circulation
- #4 – Increased Lymphatic Drainage
- Psychological Effects Of Sports Massage
- #5 – Reduced Anxiety
- #6 – Improved Mood
- #7 – More Efficient Rest
- Potential Negative Effects Of Sports Massage
- #8 – Increased Soreness
- #9 – Medical Complications
- Before You Go!
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Physiological Effects of Sports Massage
#1 – Relieve Muscle Tension And Pain
Sports massage therapists employ many different techniques during sessions, but one of the most commonly used is the stroking technique.
This stroking action helps to stimulate peripheral nerve receptors. These are nerve endings in the skin that detect changes in the environment such as temperature, pain, or pressure. The body’s response to these sensations is known as a reflex action.
If the stimulus is pain or discomfort, the body’s reflex action will usually be to increase muscle tension. To counteract this, the stroking technique helps to relax the muscles. This is because peripheral nerve receptors interrupt and block pain signals to the spinal cord, hence the brain and the rest of the body.
As a result, one of the main physiological and neurological effects of sports massage is to reduce muscle tension. This relaxes the muscles and causes patients to feel less pain in the long run.
#2 – Extended Range Of Motion
Alongside stroking, two of the most common sports massage techniques are kneading and wringing. These are more rigorous massage movements, which help to stretch and loosen the skin and underlying tissues of the body.
Additionally, putting pressure onto the muscles during these techniques helps generate an increased body temperature, as well as improving localised blood circulation. Tissues become more pliable and muscle fibres are stretched and lengthened, too.
As a result, one of the key effects of sports massage on performance and recovery is that it can increase the range of motion in specific joints and muscles. Any tension or pressure built up within the muscles is released, which helps restore and improve flexibility, reduce the risk of injury and boost performance.
#3 – Improved Circulation
Many sports massage techniques involve compressing and releasing blood vessels. This helps to increase blood flow and improve circulation throughout the body.
Increased circulation has a huge range of positive effects including:
- A greater supply of oxygen for the soft tissues.
- Vital nutrients carried to tissues and organs.
- White blood cells transported throughout the body efficiently to prevent and fight infection.
All these things will help improve recovery time and help prevent delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
#4 – Increased Lymphatic Drainage
Another positive physical and mechanical effect of frequent sports massage is that it can help increase lymphatic drainage.
The lymphatic system is part of the body’s immune system, protecting it by filtering toxins away from the tissues. In this system, lymph fluid flows through lymph nodes, which are situated throughout the body and connected by lymph vessels. The lymph nodes filter out any harmful cells and waste material not required by the body.
Lymph flow can be stimulated through deep kneading and stroking techniques applied to the various lymph nodes within the body. As a result of this increased circulation through the lymphatic system, the body can remove waste products more effectively from tissues.
This process offers a range of benefits, including:
- Reducing muscle fatigue and pain by draining away lactic acid (which causes DOMS),
- Improving your recovery rate. Having less fatigued and sore muscles means that patients can recover more quickly and are likely to perform better during their next session.
- Reduced swelling. Lymphatic drainage helps remove the waste fluids that cause swelling more quickly, so you can recover quicker and return to regular exercise.
Psychological Effects of Sports Massage
#5 – Reduced Anxiety
Many of the mental effects of sports massage are a direct consequence of the physical effects.
Although the muscle relaxation caused by sports massage is a physical response, when your body feels relaxed, your mind will follow. Therefore, the pleasant relaxation feeling induced by massage can help with the process of mentally letting go.
Sports massage also helps to regulate and interrupt the production of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Scientific studies suggest this is due to the relaxation of the muscle and interrupting our ‘fight or flight’ response that can arise from physical tension.
Finally, lymphatic drainage helps to flush out these stress hormones. As a result, getting a sports massage is a great way of detoxifying yourself of any unnecessary and excess stress hormones.
#6 – Improved Mood
Sports massage doesn’t just reduce stress hormones. It also releases a range of neurotransmitters such as:
- Dopamine
- Serotonin
- Endorphins
This is because sports massage triggers the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). In contrast to the sympathetic nervous system, which drives the body’s fight or flight instinct, the PNS stimulates the rest and digest response.
The production of these neurotransmitters has a range of beneficial effects:
- Dopamine is responsible for the ‘feel-good’ function within your body. The chemical is released when you are performing an activity associated with pleasure.
- Serotonin plays a vital role in the regulation of mood, as well as memory, concentration, and learning.
So, not only will the increase in these neurotransmitters improve your mood, but they may also generally improve your cognitive function.
#7 – More Efficient Rest
The production of serotonin has another significant benefit – it can substantially improve the quality of your sleep.
That’s because serotonin is a chemical precursor to melatonin, which induces sleep in the body.
Melatonin is regularly prescribed to help people when their natural sleep rhythms have become disrupted. This might be people suffering from insomnia or even jet lag.
So, stimulating the production of serotonin will turn into melatonin in the body and help regulate your body’s circadian rhythms.
Potential Negative Effects Of Sports Massage
#8 – Increased Soreness
Though you might think of massage as a predominantly gentle and relaxing experience, sports massage can be much more intense and vigorous than a standard session.
Although the effects of sports massage on performance and recovery are generally positive, this added intensity means that you may experience some discomfort during the massage and in the days following.
If you’re new to sports massage, this is because your muscles aren’t yet accustomed to being manipulated in this way, and so they will respond with inflammation to protect themselves.
A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that out of 100 people surveyed, 10% of massage clients experienced some form of discomfort in the 12 to 36 hours after their session.
However, as long as you’re aware of the sports massage aftercare you should be doing, any soreness or discomfort shouldn’t last longer than a day or two after a session.
If it does last longer than this, be sure to ask your massage therapist to lower the intensity of the massage during the next session. If the pain is intense or does not improve over time, visit your GP to check there isn’t an underlying issue or chronic inflammation or injury.
#9 – Medical Complications
Certain medical conditions or pre-existing treatments make it inadvisable to get a sports massage. These are known as sports massage contraindications.
Patients with conditions such as osteoporosis or brittle-bone disease should avoid sports massage, as the weakness of their bones could be further compromised by the vigorous motion of the massage.
Additionally, if you have a low blood platelet count or are on blood thinning medication, sports massage can cause bruising and pain. Although serious side effects are rare in this case, intense massage can cause internal bleeding or nerve damage. A sports massage therapist will do a screening with you beforehand to check your health and readiness.
Clients with cancer generally experience positive physiological and neurological effects of sports massage, but you should always check with a healthcare professional first if you’re undergoing treatment.
This is why it’s vital you’re given the opportunity to reveal any health conditions or injuries before getting on the table.
Before You Go!
Don’t forget, you can develop your own highly lucrative fitness career, helping others to feel these benefits and effects, with our Level 3 Sports Massage Course.
You can find out more about all of our courses by downloading our free course prospectus.
