[Sports Massage Quick Guide] Techniques, benefits, and taboos revealed! Answers to 10 sports massage precautions

Sports Massage is a massage technique designed specifically for athletes or people who exercise regularly. It uses targeted techniques to relax muscles, promote circulation, accelerate recovery, improve athletic performance, and even prevent sports injuries.

It combines deep tissue massage, fascial release, myofascial trigger points and other techniques, and adjusts the method of application according to different exercise types and physical conditions.

OnMoricang Health StudioIn addition to doing fascia massage with bare hands, other props will be used according to each person's condition to make the effect more noticeable, such as using cupping and fascia knives to enhance fascia relaxation. At the end of the massage, the body will feel much more relaxed and the original pain problem will be solved.

There are many benefits of sports massage, whether you are a professional athlete, a fitness enthusiast, or a sedentary office worker, you can all benefit from it. Here are five benefits of sports massage:

Sports massage techniques include deep pressure, kneading, stretching, and the use of a massage gun or massage knife to target specific areas for relaxation. These technologies can promote blood circulation, reduce lactic acid accumulation, accelerate recovery after exercise, and effectively reduce muscle soreness. Compared with general massage, sports massage applies deeper force and is mainly aimed at athletes, fitness enthusiasts or sedentary people to help improve flexibility and mobility.

To better understand the differences between sports massage and other massage techniques, you can refer to the following different characteristics of sports massage, general massage (SPA relaxation), rehabilitation massage, and fascia relaxation:

Although both sports massage and physical therapy can help the body recover, they serve different purposes.

Sports massage is suitable for athletes, fitness enthusiasts and sedentary people. Through deep pressure, fascia relaxation and other techniques, it helps muscles relax, promotes blood circulation, speeds up recovery after exercise, and reduces the risk of injury, but it cannot truly treat injuries. Physical therapy is specifically aimed at sports injuries, postoperative recovery or chronic pain. Professional therapists provide electrotherapy, hot compresses, rehabilitation exercises and other methods to help reduce pain and resume normal activities.

Sports massage is usually mildly painful, but may cause soreness during deep relaxation, while physical therapy may involve more intensive rehabilitation and be more challenging.

The frequency of sports massage depends on the intensity of your activity, your recovery needs, your physical condition, and whether you have specific soreness or injuries that need to be addressed:

• Low intensity: generally refers to general sports enthusiasts, such asYoga, Pilates, jogging, etc. Sports massage 1-2 times a month. The main goal is to relax muscles, promote blood circulation and improve flexibility. It can be used as regular maintenance
• Medium to high intensity: such as weight training, CrossFit,rock climbing, Marathon trainers, sports massage once a week or once every two weeks, in addition to increasing the frequency of muscle relaxation, can also allow sports masseurs to check the physical condition and avoid more serious sports injuries
• High intensity: For professional athletes and competitors, 2-3 times a week, adjusted according to the intensity of exercise and season. Because muscles are under long-term stress, recovery speed and physical condition directly affect competition performance, so a higher frequency of sports massage is needed.
• Injury to a specific part of the body: When the body is injured, muscles in other parts of the body may compensate, leading to improper body alignment, overexertion of other muscles, or even injury. In this case, you can also go for sports massage to check the condition of other muscles and avoid more serious sports injuries.

Whether sports massage will be painful depends on the situation! The pain of sports massage varies depending on the massage technique, muscle condition, and personal tolerance. Some people feel that sports massage is "sore but comfortable", while others may feel that it is "so painful that they want to escape". This mainly depends on: the massage technique and strength, whether the muscles are overly tight, whether there is lactic acid accumulation or inflammation after exercise.

Moricang Health StudioWe remind you that if you feel severe pain during sports massage, you should communicate with the masseur in time so that he or she can take a breath before continuing, or use other techniques to relax you.

Yes, it is normal, but the degree varies from person to person. After a sports massage, your muscles may feel slightly sore or tight, similar to delayed onset muscle soreness after exercise. This condition usually occurs within 24-48 hours after the massage and will gradually improve, but if there is no improvement at all, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible.

1. Do not massage within 30 minutes after exercise: Just after exercise, the blood flow and temperature inside the muscles increase. Deep massage at this time may make the muscles more sensitive and even aggravate tiny tears (micro-trauma). It is recommended to wait 1-2 hours, do some light stretching and cooling exercises, and then massage.
2. Do not massage if you have severe muscle strain or tear: If your muscles have just been injured, especially if they are severely strained or bruised, do not massage them, otherwise it may increase bleeding and swelling. You should first give first aid and rest, and consider massage after the pain subsides.
3. Do not massage during acute inflammation: Any acute inflammatory condition, such as arthritis, bursitis, and tendonitis, is not suitable for massage! Avoid irritating inflamed tissues and increasing pain and swelling
4. Do not massage if you have varicose veins or vascular problems: Strong massage may cause blood clots in the veins to fall off and cause thrombosis. If you have varicose veins, consult a doctor to confirm that you can massage again.
5. Not recommended during pregnancy: Avoid vigorous massage of the abdomen, lower back and specific pressure points during pregnancy, as this may affect the fetus or stimulate uterine contractions. It is recommended to go to a specialized maternity massage center to ensure that the technique is suitable for pregnant women.
6. Do not massage during fracture, dislocation or post-operative recovery: Gentle rehabilitation massage can only be performed after the fracture is completely healed and the doctor approves it.
7. Do not massage when you have a fever or a cold: Massage is not recommended when you have a severe cold, flu, or are extremely tired, because massage will stimulate circulation and may make the condition worse.
8. Patients with hypertension and cardiovascular diseases should massage with caution: People with hypertension, heart disease, and those who have had a stroke should avoid excessively forceful massage, especially on the neck and chest! Deep massage may affect blood pressure and even cause cardiovascular problems. It is recommended to consult a doctor before massage to make sure your body can bear the massage.
9. Do not massage after drinking: Massage after drinking may accelerate blood circulation, increase cardiovascular burden, and even cause dizziness, hypotension, and vomiting.
10. Do not massage your abdomen right after eating: Massaging your abdomen right after eating may affect digestion and cause gastrointestinal discomfort

以Moricang Health StudioFor example:

• 50 minutes: $1,400/class
• 90 minutes: $2,100/class
• 120 minutes: $3,000/class
• Monthly relaxation plan: buy 12 lessons and get 1 lesson free

Of course, two out of seven explorations recommendMoricang Health Studio", located in Morikang, Taiping District, Taichung City, adopts a full appointment system and is a fully customized fascia relaxation massage. Coach Yang will make adjustments based on each person's condition and use cupping and fascia knife to enhance fascia relaxation.

The sports massage here has moderate strength, which can relax the muscles moderately without being too painful. If you need sports massage in Taichung, go there now. Line reserve!