Sports and other rigourous acitivities create strain on the human body. Athletes and active individuals are more suceptible to injury and pain because of their highly physical lifestyle. Post-event massage is thus a very popular massage procedure as it helps athletes recover from strain and pain before it develops to a more serious problem. Massage after sports helps to reduce soreness post-excerise and also helps to re-establish a full range of motion. Restricted blood flow results in tightened muscles. Massage helps to enhance the blood flow thus relieving pains in joints and muscles. Additionally, recovering from injuries due to sport stress become more and more difficult the more time passes. The faster a massage is performed the more likely pain will be reduced. Studies have recorded a reduction of pain if massages are performed at least 2 hours after a sporting activity which also helps to reduce the effects of muscle soreness.

Post-event massages also help to lower stress and have measurable effects on emotional problems. It is also common for massages to be performed after rigorous training sessions as well as after competitions. This is a critical aspect for athletes who experience the damaging effects of exercise and sport.

Primarily, post event massages are fairly similar to pre-event massages. They both promote circulation and help to loosen tight muscles. The difference is that the muscles are in different stages before and after sport or activities. The muscles are both fatigued and congested after rigorous effort. The objective of a post-event massage is to help increase the rate of recovery by successfully decreasing fatigue and soreness as well as speeding up the athletes metabolic by-products. This type of massage is also able to increase tone in muscles.

Delayed onset muscle soreness is often caused by several factors which develops if an athlete does not acquire a massage after activity. These factors include both ischemia which is a pain cycle brought about by oedema and inflammation or micro-tearing of the fascia. In some cases both can plague an athlete and bring about onset muscle soreness.

Post-event massages are usually administered for about 10-15 minutes within the first 2 hours after exercise or activity. These massages are not close to full body massages but are beneficial for the areas that are concentrated on such as the legs, arms and back.

For instance, after an event a typical leg massage consists of compression to the nervous system, compression to the muscle fibers enhancing blood flow, easing of tension in the muscles and soothing finishing strokes. Therapists administer massages dependent on the athlete’s circumstance and sport. Some may consider therapeutic massages while others concentrate of stretching techniques. During post-event massages it is common for therapists to encounter bruises, cuts and abrasions. Therefore, therapists are keen on looking out for scrapes and bruises and also treating these during the massage. However, some therapists are not learned in first aid and will seek the assistance of a medic in those cases. Pre and post-event massages are beneficial aids for athletes as they will need assistance in relieving muscle tension and similar ailments following sports or exercise.

Author Bio: I write for TIR Massage Stone about performing hot stone massage therapy and obtaining a proper hot stone massage kit.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: post-event massage,training sessions,leg massage,therapists,therapeutic massage