9 Benefits of Sports Therapy
Getting injured or incapacitated is every athlete’s worst fears. Injuries negatively affect athletic performance. Training and conditioning performances are delayed. Overall sports morale is low. Fortunately, sports therapy is an effective rehabilitation and preventative treatment for injured athletes.
For anyone, dealing with limited mobility and all levels of pain is frustrating and exhausting. However, this is especially true for sports professionals. While the body has an amazing ability to heal itself, we must help keep it well maintained in order to help it deal with current or future injuries.
Sports Therapy Can Treat and Prevent Injuries
Since athletes need to be at their peak form to perform well, when they are impaired or disabled, it negatively impacts their professional career. Thus, all measures must be exhausted to treat and prevent any injuries.
Over time, these injuries and impairments worsen the effects on the body. Most of the time, damaged tissues can heal and recover. However, when athletes continue to do physical activities – which is inevitable given their line of work – muscles and tissues can’t repair themselves completely.
Sports Therapy Has Come a Long Way
Sports therapy has undoubtedly come a long way. Many techniques involving massage therapy are developed to correctly heal and prevent injuries in athletes.
Studies suggest that sports massage following a high-intensity physical workout can help grow brand new mitochondria. This part of the cell is what transforms the nutrients into energy.
And to an athlete, having energy is highly essential.
Researchers discovered that deep-tissue and sports massage treatment helped build up new mitochondria following a workout – compared to working out without it after. An increased number of mitochondria can vastly improve an athlete’s endurance.
The rate that our muscles use oxygen is greatly enhanced, as well. And as you know, oxygen is extremely important – especially for athletes who are consistently doing physical activities.
Additional research also suggests that sports therapy – aside from treating existing injuries – can also prevent future ones. A regular sports massage and conditioning treatment before training or warm-up sessions help prepare the body for a rigorous workout.
And as you know, sports massage – when rightfully administered after training or workout, relaxes the muscles and helps calm the tissues down.
More Than Just Healing the Muscles
Sports massage treatments mainly concentrate on treating our muscles and tissues. However, after this type of treatment, many people have reported feeling full relaxation, leading to improved mood, better attentiveness, and reduced anxiety levels.
These essential psychological factors for an athlete to get their head in the game. Giving them a full body and mind therapy.
Researchers compiled by the National Center for Biotechnology Information concluded that massage therapy provides the following benefits:
- Lowers blood pressure.
- Improved blood circulation bringing nutrients and oxygen – which the body needs.
- Improved endurance.
- Minimized recovery time following an injury.
- Rehabilitation.
- Enhances mood.
- Relieves muscular stress and tension.
- Manages the body’s cortisol amount (cortisol is a stress hormone, which is similar to adrenaline).
- Helps the joints’ flexibility.
- Helps the joints’ movements.
And if you think that that’s already plenty of benefits of sports massage, the International Journal of Neuroscience reported that this type of therapy elevates our sleep quality.
Not Just for Athletes
Of course, sports therapy treatment programs are not limited to athletes – primarily because of the numerous benefits we mentioned above. Weekend warriors, school athletes, sports enthusiasts, those with jobs that require strenuous physical activities, or those with a very active lifestyle can benefit from therapy from a professional sports massage therapist.
Sustain Optimal Performance
To keep pace with the rigorous demands of an athletic lifestyle, sports professionals must follow a healthy diet regimen, get sufficient rest, do regular exercises, conditioning, and training programs.
Whether you need to jump higher, run faster, lift heavier, swim further, improve your throw, or enhance your golf swing, your muscles and tissues need to be well maintained.
Find an experienced and reliable sports therapist to help you get started on a tailor-made treatment program just for you.
On top of all those, athletes require top-notch health and wellness plans to maintain their optimal performance. By having regular sports therapy, athletes can keep their muscles and tissues healthy, enhance their flexibility, help their muscles relax, and get the right amount of sleep they need.