Baltimore Sports Recovery is proud to provide sports massage therapy services in Baltimore, Maryland to both its elite athlete patients and to casual sports enthusiasts. Sports massage harnesses a wide range of massage techniques to manipulate and relieve tension or tightness of the soft tissue, and can be administered pre-performance, post-performance, as a part of training, or for rehabilitation purposes. Athletes and casual exercisers alike have relied on the benefits of sports massage to keep them limber, increase flexibility and range of motion and minimize the likelihood of injury due to strain since the early 1920s. Today, it is an integral aspect of maintaining overall fitness for most elite athletes and for those seeking general overall wellness as they workout and compete.
What are the benefits of a sports massage session in Baltimore?
Sports massage benefits manifest themselves both physically and mentally/physiologically. Further, some benefits that can be experienced after just one session while others require several visits to begin to take full effect. After a first visit, patients can expect to experience:
- Increased blood flow to muscles to increase flexibility/range of motion,
- Decreased stiffness,
- Decreased muscle tightness or pain, and
- Improved relaxation; an overall improved sense of well-being.
Further, repeated visits either pre- or post-exercise or as a part of on-going athletic training can have the following long-term benefits:
- Decreased risk of muscle injury due to strain or overuse,
- Decreased muscle spasms,
- Improved sleep,
- Decreased lactic acid build-up, and
- decreased recovery time in-between workouts.
Our Baltimore-based massage therapists can use any number of different techniques to achieve these results depending upon when sports massage is administered (pre-workout, post-workout, or as part of on-going training or recovery). Pre-workout, sessions will likely be kept short (no more than 20 minutes); massage therapists will keep the pace of massage stimulating and brisk so as not to leave athletes feeling sleepy. Pressure will be minimally-invasive so as not to create any pain – rather, the focus will be on stimulating blood flow and warming the muscles, and pushing muscles through various movements to exercise their full range of motion. Post-workout sports massage will also be kept short; the goal here is to facilitate recovery, prevent muscle tightness and stave off cramping or soreness. Strokes will be long and somewhat deeper than the pre-workout therapy session.
Massage therapy sessions administered in-between workouts, as part of on-going training or for injury recovery might employ any number of techniques depending upon the need of the patient. Baltimore athletes who are dealing with chronic pain or stiffness might need deep-tissue massage techniques employed; this will involve deep, targeted strokes administered to core muscle areas that are tight or “knotted” and might result in slight pain post-massage. Likewise, injury recovery would focus on targeted areas and would seek to increase circulation and relieve muscle tension. Our Baltimore massage therapists will work with your specific needs to address particular pain points and prepare you for your individual sport or sports; we know that not all bodies are built the same and not all athletes perform and recover similarly, so understanding your needs and working with you is key.
Whether you need post-workout tension relief, to prepare for an upcoming event, or just to keep yourself limber in-between workouts, talk to Baltimore Sports Recovery. We’ll help you get the most out of your session by focusing on specific issues or areas of tension and working together towards common goals. Baltimore-area athletes rely on Baltimore Sports Recovery to get them off the bench and back into the game! Schedule your appointment today by calling (443) 455-1984.