Why Sports Massage Therapy Should Be Your Secret Weapon for Training Success

Pushing your body to its limits is the name of the game for athletes. Whether you're a seasoned marathon runner, a dedicated CrossFit enthusiast, or a weekend warrior striving for personal bests, training demands dedication, discipline, and a smart recovery strategy. While proper nutrition and rest are crucial, there's a secret weapon that many athletes overlook: sports massage therapy. At Bodyworks DW in New York City, we understand the unique needs of athletes, and we're here to explain why incorporating sports massage therapy into your routine can be the key to unlocking your full potential.

Understanding the Demands of Athletic Training

Athletic training places significant stress on the body. Repetitive movements, intense exertion, and the constant push for improvement can lead to muscle fatigue, soreness, tightness, and even injury. While the body is incredibly resilient, it needs proper care to recover effectively and adapt to the demands of training. Ignoring these needs can lead to plateaus, decreased performance, and increased risk of injury. This is where sports massage therapy comes in.

What is Sports Massage Therapy?

Sports massage therapy is a specialized form of massage that's designed to address the unique needs of athletes. It's not just about relaxation; it's a targeted approach that focuses on manipulating soft tissues, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia, to improve performance, prevent injuries, and accelerate recovery. While some techniques are similar to other forms of massage, sports massage therapists have specialized knowledge of sports-related injuries and the biomechanics of athletic movement.

The Benefits of Sports Massage Therapy for Athletes

Incorporating sports massage therapy into your training regimen offers a multitude of benefits for athletes of all levels:

• Improved Performance: Tight muscles can restrict range of motion and limit power output. Sports massage therapy helps to release muscle tension and improve flexibility, allowing for more efficient movement and enhanced performance. By addressing muscle imbalances and restrictions, athletes can optimize their biomechanics and achieve peak performance.
• Injury Prevention: One of the most crucial benefits of sports massage therapy is its ability to prevent injuries. By identifying and addressing areas of muscle tightness and dysfunction, therapists can help to prevent imbalances that can lead to strains, sprains, and other common athletic injuries. Regular sports massage can also help to improve muscle elasticity and resilience, making them less susceptible to injury.
• Faster Recovery: Intense training creates microscopic tears in muscle fibers. Sports massage therapy helps to increase blood flow to these damaged tissues, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen that promote healing and reduce recovery time. By flushing out metabolic waste products that accumulate in muscles after exercise, massage can also help to reduce soreness and stiffness.
• Reduced Muscle Soreness: Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a common experience for athletes. Sports massage therapy can help to alleviate DOMS by increasing circulation and reducing inflammation. By targeting specific muscle groups, therapists can help to break up adhesions and knots that contribute to muscle soreness.
• Increased Flexibility and Range of Motion: Tight muscles can restrict flexibility and limit range of motion, which can negatively impact performance and increase the risk of injury. Sports massage therapy helps to release muscle tension and improve flexibility, allowing for greater range of motion and more efficient movement.
• Stress Reduction: Athletic training can be physically and mentally demanding. Sports massage therapy provides a relaxing and rejuvenating experience that can help to reduce stress and promote a sense of well-being. This stress reduction can improve sleep quality, enhance focus, and contribute to overall athletic performance.
• Improved Sleep: Adequate sleep is essential for muscle recovery and overall athletic performance. Sports massage therapy can promote relaxation and reduce muscle tension, which can lead to improved sleep quality. Getting enough sleep allows the body to repair itself and prepare for the next training session.

Massage Therapy for Athletes at Bodyworks DW

At Bodyworks DW, we understand the specific needs of athletes. Our therapists are trained in various sports massage techniques and have experience working with athletes of all levels, from weekend warriors to professional competitors. We tailor each massage session to the individual athlete, taking into account their specific sport, training regimen, and any areas of concern. We focus on targeting the muscle groups that are most heavily used in the athlete's sport, helping to release tension, improve flexibility, and promote recovery.

What to Expect During a Sports Massage Session

During your sports massage session at Bodyworks DW, your therapist will begin by discussing your training program, any injuries you may have, and your specific goals. They will then use a variety of techniques, including kneading, compression, stretching, and trigger point therapy, to address your individual needs. The pressure used during a sports massage can be deeper than that of a relaxation massage, but it should never be painful. It's important to communicate with your therapist throughout the session and let them know if you are experiencing any discomfort.

Incorporating Sports Massage into Your Training Routine

The frequency of sports massage therapy will depend on your individual training schedule and needs. Many athletes benefit from incorporating massage into their routine once or twice a week, especially during periods of intense training. Talking to your therapist about your training schedule will help them recommend the optimal frequency for you.

Make Sports Massage Therapy Your Secret Weapon

Don't let muscle tightness, soreness, and the risk of injury hold you back from achieving your athletic goals. Sports massage therapy can be the secret weapon you need to unlock your full potential. At Bodyworks DW in New York City, we're dedicated to helping athletes perform at their best. Contact us today to schedule your sports massage and experience the difference it can make in your training and performance. Invest in your recovery, and you'll see the results in your performance.

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How has sports massage in NYC benefited our clients? Part 1: Massage for Crossfit Injuries

 

Competitive athlete? Weekend warrior? Recreational fitness enthusiast? At Bodyworks DW, we work with a wide variety of active individuals. Our therapists provide custom-designed sports massage for crossfit sessions focused on helping you maximize your activity enjoyment. This can include sessions for injury recovery, injury prevention, tune-ups and maintenance. Sports massage in NYC for active people and athletes is hardly a luxury – it’s an investment!

Sports massage for crossfit provides targeted, therapeutic treatment tailored to the biomechanics and physical needs of the athlete. In other words, it’s not going to be like your typical fluff n’ buff spa massage  You’re going to be moving around a bit for analysis. You and your therapist will be working together on increasing range of motion and unwinding injuries. And you’re going to get some homework!

Curious how a sports massage for crossfit injuries in NYC might work for you? We’ve taken some of our most common client-athlete cases and given you a run-down of how a sports massage could benefit each one. Keep reading more to dive in!

Update August 2020: Sports massage for athletes is especially important right now after months of COVID-19 shutdowns! We’ve all been trying to exercise via Zoom in ways that we aren’t used to and without the ability of trainers to give us hands-on adjustments to form and posture. Most of us are feeling more pain and stress than we are used to and could use a tune up 

All-Around Athletes: CrossFitter (CrossFit, Boot Camp)

The CrossFit community is known for its high-intensity, highly variable workouts. These incorporate anything from gymnastics to Olympic weightlifting to aerobic conditioning. In particular, CrossFit places a high demand on the shoulders. There are a lot of overhead movements. And also plenty of movements that require quite a bit of shoulder stability AND mobility. We get a lot of clients coming in for sports massage for CrossFit with shoulder injuries from pushing a bit too much too soon. 

Shoulder stability and mobility is a complex interaction between the scapular-thoracic interface and the glenohumeral (GH) joint. The scapulae (shoulder blades) sit near the upper half and outside portions of the back of the rib cage. The GH joint (or shoulder joint) is at the side of your upper arm. It’s where your arm attaches to your shoulder. Both have to work together to keep your entire upper body properly positioned when doing any overhead movement. 

For More Information: Sports massage NYC

How has sports massage in NYC benefited our clients?

Competitive athlete? Weekend warrior? Recreational fitness enthusiast? At Bodyworks DW, we work with a wide variety of active individuals. Our therapists provide custom-designed sports massage sessions focused on helping you maximize your activity enjoyment. This can include sessions for injury recovery, injury prevention, tune-ups and maintenance. Sports massage in NYC for active people and athletes is hardly a luxury – it’s an investment!

Sports massage provides targeted, therapeutic treatment tailored to the biomechanical and physical needs of the athlete. In other words, it’s not going to be like your typical fluff n’ buff spa massage  You’re going to be moving around a bit for analysis. You and your therapist will be working together on increasing range of motion and unwinding injuries. And you’re going to get some homework!

Curious how a sports massage in NYC might work for you? We’ve taken some of our most common client-athlete cases and given you a run-down of how a sports massage could benefit each one. Keep reading more to dive in!

All-Around Athletes: CrossFitter (CrossFit, Boot Camp)

The CrossFit community is known for its high-intensity, highly variable workouts. These incorporate anything from gymnastics to Olympic weightlifting to aerobic conditioning. In particular, CrossFit places a high demand on the shoulders. There are a lot of overhead movements. And also plenty of movements that require quite a bit of shoulder stability AND mobility. We get a lot of clients coming in with CrossFit shoulder injuries from pushing a bit too much too soon. 

Shoulder stability and mobility is a complex interaction between the scapular-thoracic interface and the glenohumeral (GH) joint. The scapulae (shoulder blades) sit near the upper half and outside portions of the back of the rib cage. The GH joint (or shoulder joint) is at the side of your upper arm. It’s where your arm attaches to your shoulder. Both have to work together to keep your entire upper body properly positioned when doing any overhead movement. 

More Information: Sports Massage in NYC

The Benefits of Sports Massage: NYC Client Experiences

Germain Phanord, LMT at Bodyworks DW, writes about the immense benefits of getting a medical sports massage at Bodyworks DW. Read below!

Benefits of Sports Massage: NYC Client Stories

New Yorkers are a special breed. We pound it out at the office, then pound it out at the gym. Or yoga studio, pool, court, field, etc. Sports massage in New York helps reduce your pain by improving circulation of blood and lymph throughout the body. And especially to sites of current or former injuries that have restricted blood flow (ischemia). This assists your body in removing metabolites and other toxins.

Your heavily exercised muscles lose their capacity to relax over time. Which requires more of your effort and energy when moving. The lack ability for muscles relax is linked to soreness, and predisposes you to injuries. Especially muscle pulls and tears!

 

A regular routine of sports massage therapy is very effective in combating these effects.

Sports massage frees your muscles to move your joints more openly and efficiently. It also introduces new sensory information into your system. A system that is normally locked into its own patterns.

There are many benefits of sports massage. It can help you recover from injury and prevent new injuries. It helps make your complex human machine perform optimally with less pain in any activities. Running faster, jumping higher, and hitting balls harder all with greater endurance are just some of the benefits of sports massage.

 

There is such a thing as “too deep”

At the studio we see lots of common injuries like stiff necks, rotator cuff injuries, runner’s knees, and Achilles tendinitis. During your massage, you may find some of the work uncomfortable. It may even have painful moments, depending on your threshold and how tight your muscles are. Keep in mind this discomfort should always be bearable.

If you have to tense up just to handle it, that’s not actually going to give you a better result. The best work is done at a level that is slightly uncomfortable and you can breathe through it and keep your muscles relaxed. It is not uncommon to find that your muscles ache for a day or two after a sports massage. Keeping well hydrated and mobile will help this pass quickly. You’ll feel more freedom of movement after and see better performance than before!

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