When one hears the term “massage therapy,” you probably picture the epitome of relaxation in the form of a serene, candle-lit spa room.

However, as recent studies have shown, massages aren’t just for those looking to get pampered.

In fact, massage therapy is actually an effective technique used by coaches to help improve the health of their athletes, whether it’s to reduce pain inflicted by injury or to decrease the amount of time they’ll spend in recovery.

With the La Valette Marathon just less than over two months away, Corsa spoke with sports massage therapist Chris Maggi on the benefits of massage therapy in the build-up to this year’s race.

Why should we massage?

As the saying goes, prevention is the best cure and that is what mainly massage is about.

Massage is the systematic manipulation of the soft tissues of the body that focuses on muscles relevant to the sport. There are many techniques used in sports massage that include Effleurage, Petrissage (kneading), Compression, Trigger point, Cupping, Percussion, Vibration, Friction and Stretching among others.

These techniques are used so to achieve maximum performance and physical conditioning with a decreased chance of injury or pain and a quicker recovery.

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