A massage can often benefit a person by reducing muscle cramps. Muscle cramp can occur for a wide range of reasons. Some of the most common causes include muscle dehydration, poor circulation, lack of stretching before intense exercise, exercising in heat and overexerting a muscle during exercise or activity.
What are the most appropriate types of massage to reduce muscle cramp?
A variety of massage types can be used to reduce muscle cramps. The massage types most commonly used include:
The most common massage types used to reduce muscle cramps include remedial massage, deep tissue massage and Swedish massage.
Muscle cramps can be reduced through remedial massage. A remedial massage focuses on the manipulation of muscles in order to relax a person both physically and mentally. Muscular fatigue
is another common factor that causes muscle cramps. A remedial massage relieves muscular fatigue by pulling and stretching muscles, increasing lymphatic flow and allowing muscle relaxation. Increasing lymphatic flow removes waste products from the muscle causing fatigue more efficiently. Removal of waste products through remedial massage helps to reduce muscle cramps.
A deep tissue massage is often used to reduce muscle cramps. Muscle cramps can be caused by the overexertion of muscles causing tension to build-up. A build-up of tension can cause muscles to involuntarily contract. A deep tissue massage can reduce muscle cramps by relieving the build-up of tension. A deep tissue massage gets deep within muscle tissues in order to stretch, loosen and relax the muscle to therefore relieve tension.
A Swedish massage is commonly used to reduce muscle cramps. A Swedish massage encourages an increase in circulation to the treatment area by creating friction between the skin and fingers. It is quite often that muscle cramps occur due to a lack of circulation. Poor circulation results in waste products building up and a lack of available oxygen and nutrients to keep the muscle healthy. A build-up of waste products and lack of oxygen and nutrients can cause fatigue and muscle weakness, resulting in muscle cramp. Increasing circulation of both blood and lymph flow improve the removal of waste products and availability of oxygen and nutrients. Improving the removal of waste products and availability of oxygen and nutrients, prevents muscular fatigue and weakness and reduces muscle cramping.
When can a massage help to reduce muscle spasm?
Reducing muscle spasm through massage can help a person in many ways. The most common situations reduced muscle spasm can help include:
- Acute Pain
- Post Event
Pain can be decreased when muscle cramps are reduced. When a muscle cramps, the involuntary contraction causes a short burst of pain. The pain a person feels can vary depending on the intensity or severity of the cramp. If muscle cramps occur frequently within the same muscle or on different areas, muscles tend to tire and fatigue due to the constant contraction of the muscle using up its energy. Muscle fatigue can increase the “achy” pain many people often feel. Reducing muscle cramps decreases the short bursts of pain and also prevents muscle from fatiguing. Preventing muscles from fatiguing further reduces pain.
Reducing muscle cramps can help post event. Tired and weak muscles are more prone to muscle cramps. Muscle cramps increase pain and can often prevent a person from relaxing. After an event, muscles are usually overworked, full of tension and often dehydrated due to either weather or a lack of liquid intake. Overworked, tense and dehydrated muscles are a few of the most common causes of muscle cramps resulting in the increase in pain and poor relaxation a person can get. Reducing muscle cramps helps to decrease pain and muscular fatigue after the event. Decreasing pain and muscular fatigue allows the person to relax and rest following the event and return to training as soon as possible.