Show number. Georges Clemenceau, Bry-sur-Marne, France. Salvador Allende, Champigny-sur-Marne, France. A sports massage is designed to boost blood circulation, increase tissue elasticity, and reduce muscle tension. It can be used as part of a muscle warm-up before exercise or to prevent and relieve injuries caused by repeated physical activity.
The massages were originally given to athletes but non-athletes can benefit from them, too. A sports massage is focused on myofascial release — myo meaning muscle, fascial meaning fascia — the white connective tissue surrounding the muscle.
It helps prevent and relieve injury caused by strenuous and repeated physical activity. Deep tissue massage tends to be a full body massage; a sports massage targets a specific area of the body that needs healing or relief.
It depends on your pain threshold and the extent of your injury and muscle stress. Your massage therapist should tailor their technique to work within your pain threshold. There are four main types of sports massage: Pre-event — given minutes before an activity, a pre-event sports massage focuses on the areas of your body that are most likely to be exerted during the activity.
Post-event — given up to two hours after an activity to help it help myofascial release. Restorative — aims to prevent injury and enable intensive training in the lead-up to an sports event you are training for.
