Massage has been used by amateur and professional sports people to prevent overuse injury and injury prevention in general. It can be beneficial in the management of delayed onset muscle soreness occurring from training, which can lead to more serious problems if suppressed. Massage offers a realistic preventative measure.
Timing
The body needs to be able to recover from the effects training has on the soft tissues. As training builds, if the chance to recover is missed, performance can level off. To perform to its optimal level the body needs a chance to rest. It can be a good idea to develop your experience of massage during normal training to get an idea of your individual requirements. If problem areas are highlighted it is better to continue massage until the problem is resolved. If the interval between treatment is too long the problem will continue.
Massage should be more frequent when in training early in the season. This allows tissues to recover from training and any areas of tension can be eased. The best time for sports massage is after hard training or competition. If attending on the day, keep muscles warm between training and the massage therapy. If this is not possible, try to aim to have massage therapy the following day.
Amateur and recreational sports people can benefit from massage twice a month. In competition sports, a deep massage can be done weekly. Should the sportsman have more regular massage therapy, lighter massage should be sought. The area treated should also be varied if massage is frequent. No deep massage should be given just before competition as the relaxation induced in the muscle can interfere with reaching optimum performance. If no regular massage is taken a deep massage may be helpful one week before an event. This allows time for the benefits to be gained without affecting performance and may help lessen effects from minor problems.