Why Regular Massage Is a Must for Tennis Players
Do you enjoy playing tennis but you’re struggling with aches? Does your wrist or elbow hurt? What about your lower back? Tennis is a high-impact activity, so it puts stress on joints and ligaments. It also has a unique profile of injuries and may lead to disability. In fact, there are about five injuries reported per 1,000 hours of participation in the sport.
Most tennis players suffer injuries to their wrists, elbows, shoulders, and ankles. These issues are caused by repetitive and high-impact movements, such as jarring, pivoting, and sprinting. Even though most problems are not a medical emergency, they may cause pain and discomfort.
How Massage Therapy Can Help
There are a number of ways to prevent and manage tennis injuries. A popular option is sports massage.
This form of therapy not only helps with injuries but also relieves muscle tension, decreases low and mid-back pain, and improves mobility. In the long run, it can increase your ability to rotate and shift your weight throughout the swing, strengthen the racket grip, and enhance mental focus.
Sports massage also reduces both emotional and physical stress. This leads to improved concentration and faster recovery from training. When you’re stressed, it takes longer for your body to repair damaged tissues. Additionally, stress affects exercise performance and hormone levels.
Tennis players of all ages and skill levels can benefit from massage therapy. It allows for a more efficient swing, increases joint flexibility, and helps reduce the extent of injuries that may occur. At the same time, it promotes deep relaxation and decreases muscle fatigue.
What Makes Massage Therapy So Effective?
This alternative therapy benefits your health and sports performance in more than one way. First of all, it lowers the stress hormone cortisol levels, which allows for faster recovery. Secondly, it releases the muscle tension that has built up from playing in a match or practicing your swing.
Sports massage also improves circulation and helps your body flush out the metabolic waste accumulated during exercise. This helps reduce inflammation and accelerates healing.
If you have an injury, such as tennis elbow or ankle sprains, your therapist will focus on the affected areas and use massage techniques that encourage healing of soft tissues while increasing oxygen and nutrient supply to the muscles.
On top of that, massage simply feels good! After just one session, you’ll feel refreshed and ready to win the game. Contact a physiotherapist to find out why sports massage is so great for you!
