Designed to prevent and treat injuries, improve flexibility, and enhance athletic performance, sports massage can be used by athletes of all abilities to prepare for or recover from athletic or sports events. Even if you aren't an athlete, sports massage may help muscle pain or restricted range of motion.
The idea behind sports massage is to manipulate the body's soft tissues and focus on certain muscle groups depending on which sport the athlete plays. This type of massage can help with increased blood flow, increased range of motion, and increased flexibility.
In sports massage, the strokes are generally faster than a typical Swedish massage. The therapist may also include compression, pressure point therapy, friction, and joint mobilization.
Sports massage is based on Swedish massage but also uses other more intensive techniques for the prevention and the treatment of sports injuries. It focuses on muscles that athletes who train continuously will be using. The aim is to enhance endurance, improve performance, lessen the chance of injury and shorten the time needed to recover from a competitive event.