This summer’s London Olympics illustrated the extent to which today’s sports-people push themselves to the limit of what they can mentally and physically achieve within the resources of mind, body and spirit. However, despite their dedication and determination, pushing themselves to the limit in this manner can often result in strains, stresses and body –trauma that can be a barrier to performing as well as they are capable of. In order to provide fast and effective relief, sports massages have become an increasingly popular option, not just in order to heal injuries, but also to help prevent them in the future and reduce the likelihood of repeated incidents.
Sports massages differs from other massages in that it generally focuses upon the specific area of the body affected by an injury, rather than providing holistic-therapy for the body as whole. Receiving such a massage before a sports activity can help loosen muscles to help enhance performance and getting one afterwards- can help reduce body-pain inflicted by the activity. Its use can benefit the body in a variety of ways and includes: reducing anxiety and stress, helping the mind stay focused on the task at hand, attaining a competitive frame of mind, reducing muscular stiffness and pain, reducing the vulnerability to further injuries or chronic conditions by the tightening of muscles and tendons, improving strength, improving flexibility and blood flow, the breaking-down of scar tissue, enabling a more-rapid recovery from strain and injury, and finally- enabling dedication and determination with psychological boosts.
However despite its huge benefits for men and women, this type of massage is not recommended if you are pregnant and experiencing morning-sickness as it is likely to make it worse. However, by the final-stages of pregnancy, massage of the lower-limbs could provide harmless and effective relief for swelling.
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