Do Deep Tissue Sports Massages Affect Athletic Performance?

Success in sports is based heavily on endurance; you need to work hard, get your reps in and keep practising to improve your body and your skills.

To do that, though, your body needs to be at its peak, and that can be affected by joint stiffness, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and strains that can occur during exercises, particularly if you do not warm up enough beforehand.

One solution that some athletes swear by is a deep tissue sports massage, which breaks up tension knots and scar tissue, as well as helping to increase blood flow whilst minimising inflammation.

Whilst its positive effects on physical and mental health are well-established, how much does it affect athletic performance?

The direct effects on sporting performance are still inclusive, but a range of studies suggest that it may have an indirect effect by reducing the pain and stiffness that can cause distractions and harm the performance in certain actions.

A study from the University of Sheffield suggests that there was some evidence that suggests it could help to improve flexibility and reduce the intensity of DOMS, both of which can have a significant effect on training and ultimate performance.

Its biggest effect is that it can help relieve muscle fatigue, allowing people to perform at their best more quickly.

One review of 12 studies suggested that it could help people with their jumping performance, essential not only for the high jump, long jump and triple jump, but also in sports such as basketball where jumping is a vital part of the game.

Another study suggests it could significantly improve performance when sprinting, particularly when undertaken between sprint periods, as would be likely during an athletics competition where multiple rounds take place on the same day.

Its pain relief qualities could also potentially be beneficial for multi-day sporting events where the use of other forms of pain relief medication is prohibited for regulatory reasons.