Massage helps break down the tightening tissue, allowing not only for appropriate tissue length, but also tissue nutrition.  An aspect of sports massage therapy is aiding the body's natural ability to recover.  Therapy assists the recovery process increasing blood flow to muscles that have been damaged during physical activity.  It is actually through the recovery process that athletes gain their strength as the protein in the blood helps rebuild the muscles.  Massage therapy can also help with pinched nerves, ensuring there are no restrictions on blood circulation.  Instances in which a tight muscle affects the nerves can be debilitating.

Young athletes are a unique group.  Their bodies are constantly growing and changing.  Bones grow and muscles are forced to adapt to this growth.  Muscle and fascia is forced to elongate to accommodate the longer bones. As we learned above, muscles go into a protective mode. The fascia tightens to protect the muscle. When a youngster in this phase of growth is involved in sports, they are constantly contracting and relaxing these muscles. If the muscle can’t shorten and lengthen effectively, there is an increased amount of tension put on the area where the muscle attaches to the bone, called the tendon. This causes swelling and pain at that attachment. This is most common with youngsters at areas like the knees and heels. Pain can decrease with ice and ibuprofen, but properly addressing tissue quality, proper movement patterns, and stretching can help prevent and lessen these symptoms.