Why Sports Massage is Important for Swimmers?

As in all other sports, swimming is also a branch where athletes often suffer. Swimmers use all the muscles in their bodies to reach the power and high speeds they need. So, total body care is important for a swimmer at the end of the day.

Swimmers have to do stressful work every day for important competitions and spend most of their time in the pool. Sport massage helps swimmers stay healthy both mentally and physically.

4 Basic Swimmer Injury

Shoulder

The most common problem for the swimmers is their shoulders. The frequent use of the shoulders in various forms damages the bodies of the swimmers. Racers usually concentrate on certain techniques. This means that they use more specific muscle groups than others. These cyclic repetitions, naturally, cause the muscles to lose power over time.

Swimmers are often observed in technical changes to relieve muscle pain and prevent function loss. Athletes who experience swim-type shoulder injury generally experience pain, fatigue, and weakness in the anterior (lateral) portions of their shoulders. In this case, it is almost impossible for swimmers to work with certain techniques. Injured swimmers usually continue to swim with a completely wrong technique, and it can cause more serious problems in time. This type of shoulder injury can be a small-scale discomfort, but sometimes it may take a long time to heal.

Knee

Another injury, which is frequently seen in professional racers, is knee injury. Approximately 25% of swimming-induced injuries are related to knees. In the breaststroke swimming technique, the swimmer takes power from his knees continuously in the water. If the knees are in the wrong position during this continuous movement, this causes pressure on the knees.

Back

Swimming is actually effective in relieving back and neck pain, but it can also cause back pain. Many swimming techniques require a serious back strain so that the swimmer can take his head out of the water. The combination of periodic movements for stretching and the continuous movement of the legs during swimming can cause discomfort and muscle weakness in various areas of the back.

Muscle Cramps

Similar as all other tiring activities, swimming also triggers muscle cramps. Muscle cramps are involuntary contraction of muscle tissues and the duration of these contractions may vary from a few seconds to several minutes. Swimmers often experience arm and leg cramps. Muscle contraction may happen several times until it is completely healed. Muscle cramps can become severely irritating, painful and unbearable. The area around the cramping zone can harden and it may cause lack of movement for the athlete.

Sports Massage

According to research, there are 10 known benefits of sports massage:

1. Improves circulation.
2. It provides healing.
3. Reduces the effects of muscle pains.
4. Increases mobility and flexibility.
5. Loosen tight muscles.
6. Reduces contractions, swelling and pain.
7. It provides muscle renewal.
8. Reduces the risk of injury caused by repetitive movements.
9. Provides relaxation and warming of muscles and connective tissues.
10. Strengthens the mental focus.

Massage therapy can play a major role in preventing swimming-induced injury. Sports massage therapy can help swimmers to adjust their body mechanics and help them to eliminate imbalances in posture and muscles. Specialist massage therapists can identify sensitivities of swimmers' bodies. Sports massage techniques can be applied to improve flexibility, relax and soften connective tissue when needed. Massage therapists can provide flexibility and basic personal care strategies for swimmers to balance their disturbances. Apart from its physical effects, sports massage can also help swimmers deal with stress.

Pre-training Sports Massage

Sports massage can be applied before and after swimming activities. The sports massage applied before or after the practice allows muscles to warm up, improve circulation and flex the muscles. A strict massage should be avoided before a sports event. A relaxation massage can help the athlete to focus and feel stronger.

Post-training Sports Massage

After training or after the race, the massage focuses on the most working muscles during swimming. This type of massage usually does not exceed 30 minutes. Sports massage should help relieve muscle cramps and pain. An effective sports massage after the swimming race helps the swimmers to relax and rest the brain and body.

Effective sports massages are very effective therapies for swimming injuries. Experts can identify the problem, speed up the healing process, resolve dysfunctions and return the athlete to ideal performance.