Massage Therapy for Athletes

Athletes often deal with muscle soreness, stiffness, and injuries, affecting their sports performance and career.

This is where massage therapy for athletes becomes invaluable, speeding up recovery, and reducing the risks of injuries. 

However, regular massages extend beyond these benefits. It warms up the muscles and improves focus and performance before an event while helping to flush out toxins and lactic acid buildup afterward. 

This blog explores how massage therapists can help athletes in their journey by learning pre- and post-event techniques and the effects of massage on performance. 

Related course: Sports Massage: Enhancing Training, Participation, and Recovery for Today's Athlete, 2nd Edition 

The benefit of massage therapy for athletes 

Massage therapy has numerous physiological effects that can benefit athletes. Massage helps remove excess lactic acid and other waste products that build up in muscles after intense exercise. This happens because massage increases blood flow to the muscles.  

Lactic acid is a byproduct of anaerobic metabolism, which muscles use when they need extra energy quickly. A good massage can wash out these byproducts, reducing muscle soreness and fatigue after sports. 

Improves blood circulation 

Dehydration, injuries, inflammation, and extreme temperatures can limit blood flow. This can decrease performance and cause swelling or fatigue.  

Massage therapy can improve blood circulation by stimulating blood flow through the tissues and arteries. This can deliver more oxygen and nutrients to muscles, tissues, and organs, aiding in faster healing and recovery. 

Increases lymphatic flow 

Massage stimulates lymphatic circulation, and removes metabolic waste, toxins, and excess fluid from the body. This helps strengthen the immune system, reduces swelling (edema), and detoxes the body. Lymphatic drainage techniques significantly reduced ankle edema, decreasing delta circumference from 2.07 ± 1.3 cm pre-treatment to 0.91 ± 1.0 cm 5-7 days post-treatment. 

Improves flexibility and reduces tightness 

The increased blood flow to the muscles through stretching, effleurage, and other techniques can reduce muscle stiffness and improve the flexibility of the muscles. 

Reduces stress and improves focus 

Massage releases endorphins and serotonin. Serotonin is known to regulate mood, sleep, and appetite. While endorphins can improve mood and reduce anxiety.  

These hormones can improve the mental state of the athlete, leading to better focus, and reduced stress. 

Pre-event massage techniques  

The goal of a massage therapist before the actual athletic event is to prepare the athlete's muscles for the activity ahead. This can be done through techniques like effleurage, friction, tapotements, and petrissage. These techniques facilitate blood and lymphatic flow and warm up the muscles effectively.  

Effleurage itself involves gentle, long strokes and circular motions in the direction of the heart and in an upward direction toward the lymph nodes. This can noticeably improve the athlete’s performance. 

Massage therapists could also incorporate dynamic stretches, along with the above-mentioned techniques. These can involve PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretches, where the therapist applies resistance to the stretch along with movement. 

They should also encourage athletes to perform dynamic stretching exercises as part of their warm-up, such as:  

• Leg swings 
• Arm circles 
• Lunges with twist  
• High knees 
• Open and closing gate 
• Butt kicks 
• Torso twists and others 

These techniques assist in the preparation of muscles before sport, develop flexibility, and may even minimize injuries. The pre-event massage should ideally be done on the competition day, between 45 minutes and 48 hours before the event, typically lasting 15 to 20 minutes. 

Massage therapy during an event 

Therapists can perform massages during events, especially in sports like tennis with frequent breaks. These short, quick massages help maintain muscle temperature and flexibility, which significantly impact the athlete's performance. 

These techniques should prioritize quick and gentle strokes to improve blood flow and minimize fatigue. Therapists can also incorporate passive stretching during the event to improve muscle range of movement. 

Passive stretching requires an external force to achieve the stretch. It takes advantage of the already warm muscles, helping to achieve the desired flexibility and range much easier. Although, the stretch should not be forced or the muscle overstretched. 

Post-event massage techniques 

After the event, the primary goal of the massage therapists should be to speed up recovery. Effleurage, kneading, myofascial release, and lymphatic drainage are commonly used as post-event techniques. 

Deep tissue massage and trigger point therapy can be a great addition, too, as they effectively reduce muscle tightness. These can clear lactic acid which accumulates in the muscles after exercise, thereby reducing next-day muscle soreness. 

Therapists can incorporate static stretching post-competition, too. This involves safely lengthening the muscles to their maximum length and holding the positions for up to 30 seconds. These can assist in regaining flexibility, relaxing the muscles, easing tension, and supporting recovery. 

A massage therapist performs post-event massage from 20 minutes to 48 hours after exercise. Yet, immediate treatment might be better in cases of extreme fatigue or soreness. 

Massage therapy for competitive sports vs. wellness activities 

Massage therapists should understand the difference between competitive sports and wellness activities, so they can tailor their sessions effectively. 

The goal of competitive massage is to enhance athletic performance, prevent injuries, and aid in recovery. It requires more specific and frequent sessions. For instance, a football player will get frequent massages to prevent sprains and strains in the muscles. 

These may include techniques like: 

• Sports massage 
• Deep tissue massage 
• Myofascial release 
• Active and passive flexibility work 
• Trigger point therapy 
• Lymphatic drainage 
• Cross friction and more 

On the other hand, the goal of wellness massage is to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. 

These are often less intense, frequent, or specific to an injury or sport. For example, an office worker suffering from work-related stress or anxiety could highly benefit from wellness massage. These may include techniques, such as: 

• Swedish massage with long and gentle strokes 
• Aromatherapy massage 
• Hot stone massage 
• Lymphatic drainage 

These techniques can improve overall health and wellbeing, and aid in relaxation. 

How to tailor massage therapy for a sport 

Massage sessions should also follow the specificity principle. This means they should be tailored specifically to the sport, athlete, and the body's demands. 

For instance, a runner typically benefits from exercises and massage therapy that target the lower back, hips, and lower limbs. Conversely, a swimmer may need more focus on the shoulders, arms, and upper back. 

Treatment should be tailored to the athlete's specific needs, past injuries, sports demands, and movement patterns. This may require movement assessment and a thorough understanding of the athlete's training and medical history. Therefore, massage therapists should adjust treatments based on these findings.