Stretching and maintaining our flexibility is a critical part of our overall health. We know it’s important, but many don’t take the time to stretch daily or to include stretching in their exercise program. In addition to regular stretching, therapeutic massage is extremely beneficial to maintain and even increase your flexibility.
Flexibility becomes reduced for many reasons. It can be when we don’t stretch or use our muscles or when muscles are over-used, tight or inflamed. After exercise, lactic acid can build up and decrease your range of motion. When flexibility is reduced, we notice restriction of movement and increased pain.
Therapeutic massage will help both your muscles as well as your joints. Massage keeps your joints more fluid and makes them less injury prone. There is an extra benefit of helping to break up knots in muscles and tissues that restrict movement.
Some of the most common types of massage to help increase flexibility include:
- Deep Tissue
- Sports Massage
- Therapeutic Massage
While there are many similarities, each type of massage brings on a slightly different result. Deep tissue massage varies in pressure depending on your personal preference. It focuses on the soft tissues around your body and is great for relieving muscle tightness and inflammation.
Reducing restriction and increasing elasticity are some of the main benefits and focus of sports massage. Your massage therapist will typically focus more effort on the muscles, connective tissues, tendons, ligaments and joints associated with the particular sport you are involved in. It can be more vigorous or intense than a deep tissue massage and it increases the muscle’s temperature.
Therapeutic massage will manipulate muscles and aims to relax and loosen them increasing flexibility and relieving stiffness and pain.
Working regularly with a professional massage therapist, with the goal of increasing your flexibility, is a great way to avoid pain and injury and maintain optimal health and wellness.
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