Flexibility can be defined as the range of movement that is attainable in a momentous effort in a joint or a group of joints. It can also be defined as the range of limb movement around joints. Massage progressively improves overall flexibility, and more specifically, the flexibility of legs, back, and hip muscles.
Flexibility: Who Benefits from Massage
When you are active, knots and tightness present themselves on your muscles, making it difficult to keep flexibility. Getting regular massages can aide in this flexibility issue, and will help keep you relaxed at the same time. Flexibility is important in athletes for several reasons including injury prevention, like pulled muscles and twisted joints. For athletes, specific parts of the body can be concentrated on to help the areas used most when doing activities. Because massage increases circulation, this helps push blood through the veins effectively so healing and repair happens more quickly. Massage can also help athletes keep a positive attitude through stress reduction.
Nearly everyone can benefit from improved flexibility. Flexibility can help reduce the long-term risk of accidental injury and help one become less fatigued from physical activity, as movements will require less energy. Increased flexibility can also reduce the risk of back pain and chronic orthopedic problems. People with bad posture and muscular imbalance may find relief with massage as well. It can help elderly people maintain the flexibility that would normally decline with age, and people that have had reduced physical activity for a long period of time due to an injury can also benefit from massage therapy.
Flexibility Benefits Related to Massage
The major flexibility benefits of massage for the muscles include greater relaxation, a decrease in knots, a decrease in tension, and an increase in blood supply to help flush out toxins. All of these benefits perfectly prime the muscle to achieve an increase in muscle length during a stretch.
Massage relieves muscle tension as well as reduces muscle fatigue. The massage movements also help increase joint mobility by stimulating the body’s natural production of joint lubricants and by keeping the cartilage free of contaminating toxins.