My physical therapist told me this past week that I should start getting twice a month massages to help in the treatment of my pes anserine bursitis. My first thought..."Yay! I can't wait to tell my husband that for medical reasons I "need" to get that massage and he has to watch the kids!" My second thought...."Ouch!" 
A sports massage is meant to help alleviate the stress and tension which builds up in the body's soft tissues. Where minor injuries and lesions occur, due to overexertion and/or overuse, massage can break them down quickly and effectively. Sports massage can help prevent those niggling injuries that so often get in the way of performance and achievement, whether a person is an athlete or a once a week jogger. While you'll get the benefits of stress relief, when working on areas that have been injured, a bit of pain can be involved.
Many athletes use weekly massage to reduce heart rate and blood pressure, increase blood circulation and lymph flow, reduce muscle tension, improve flexibility, and relieve pain. Each sport and athletic event uses muscle groups in a different way. Sports Massage can include pre-event, post-event and maintenance techniques that promote greater athletic endurance and performance, lessen chances of injury and reduce recovery time.
I was hoping my massage would do just that, improve my flexibility, reduce tension and improve my area of injury. I must say, my massage felt great! I was certainly more relaxed after and felt as though my muscles were more pliable than when we started. Today, I'm a bit sore. How much that is from the massage vs. the workout I completed yesterday, is hard to tell. I'm trying to reserve judgement after a few more massages to see how my body reacts.
I'm hopeful that between the ongoing physical therapy and massages, that I'll be back to running by December 1st!
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