Physical and Psychological Benefits of Massage in Sport

Physiological and psychological benefits of sports massage​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Although many people are aware of the relaxant properties of massage, how many will consider the far reaching benefits that can be achieved on both a physiological as well as a psychological level. ​Regular athletes and sportsmen and women have long​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ known how they can perform better and longer with regular massage as part of their training regime. There are, however, underlying issues that can be resolved by massage that the majority of the public and sports people take for granted.
There are the obvious reasons for anyone to seek out a sports massage therapist, they can be suffering from pain due to an injury sustained or long standing aches and pains, unknowingly the patient can find relief from numerous psychological problems as well as the physiological ones with the help of massage. After suffering from minor lower backache for four years, a patient received deep massage for the first time. Over the next few days he felt very emotional and kept thinking about his dead father. His back problem recovered very quickly and never returned. He had not experienced much grief when his father died four years before and his back problem had begun about three months later. Mel Cash (1996) 
The physiological benefits in sports massage are numerous: 
Stress relief
Alleviation of pain and tension
Injury recovery
Improved circulation​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Greater range of motion
Relieves musculoskeletal problems and aids posture
Promotes a feeling of well being
Stress is one of the biggest issues trouble present day society​​​​​​. In a poll 80% of people felt stressed at work, 50% felt they needed help in dealing with their stress. Gallup (2000). With the regular use of massage techniques a majority of people could benefit and have a real...