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How does Thai massage relieve muscle tension and soreness?
Muscle injuries are more common now than they were 50 years ago. That’s not because we’re exercising harder. It’s because we’re more sedentary. As we age, our joints tend to become tighter, restricting our range of motion and flexibility.
Traditional Thai massage helps loosen your body and improve the range of motion in all your joints. By working on muscles, connective tissues, tendons, ligaments, and joints, regular Thai massage keeps your joints more fluid and reduces their susceptibility to injury. Thai massages will also help increase your energy levels. Thai massage is based on the belief that tightened muscles diminish energy flow throughout the body. When energy can’t flow freely, you become inflexible, suffer pain and feel stiff. Over time, this leads to shortened muscles and connective tissue, which affects your posture, immunity, and organ function, ultimately speeding up the aging process and increasing the risk of disability.
Incorporating Thai massage and stretching into a fitness routine will also help reduce soreness after a workout. Stretching beforehand will allow for greater freedom of movement and more extended workout periods, as it helps prevent the buildup of lactic acid in your blood. Regular post-workout Thai massages can then aid in the recovery and relaxation process.
Research
A 2015 study published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science examined the effects of Thai massage on physical fitness in soccer players. The study randomly divided thirty-four competitive soccer players into two groups. The first group received three 30-minute Thai massage sessions for a ten-day study period, while the second group merely rested between their regular training sessions. The study found that Thai massage positively affected physical fitness in soccer players, particularly in terms of VO2 max, and facilitated improvements in muscle strength, agility, and speed.
Another study, published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research in 2014, investigated the potential benefits of Thai massage for volleyball players. The researchers focused specifically on vertical jump performance and knee and ankle flexibility. They observed statistically significant improvements in vertical jump height, knee flexion, ankle plantarflexion, and ankle dorsiflexion.
It is essential to acknowledge that both were small-scale studies, so they don’t provide definitive evidence that getting a Thai massage will boost your performance. However, they do suggest that a physical fitness boost is possible.
Thai Massage Vs Yoga
As an athlete, you’ve probably heard a lot about the benefits of yoga, but adding it to your already-packed training schedule can be challenging. Not only is it hard to find the time to attend a yoga class, but it can also be hard to get the hang of it, and you may find yourself leaving a yoga class wondering if you got any physical fitness benefits.
With Thai massage, this is no longer a concern. As you leave the Thai massage therapist’s office, you know you’ve made the most of the last 90 minutes of training. You have the massage practitioner manipulating your body into the correct positions, and they can also offer guidance on your breathing as you move through each pose.
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