Massage & Percussion Therapy for Athletes: Recovery Tips for Staying in the Game
We’ve got all types of athletes at Western—pickleball lovers, tennis die-hards, weight room regulars, rec league softball heroes, competitive bodybuilders, and even a few pros all training under one roof. And if you consider yourself an athlete in any capacity, you already know recovery is one of the most important parts of caring for your body after a workout, practice, or competition.
Sore muscles and stiff joints don’t care how dedicated you are or how badly you want that win. They show up anyway. That’s why having reliable recovery tools in your corner makes all the difference in keeping you moving, performing, and feeling your best.
At Western Racquet & Fitness Club here in Green Bay, we’re committed to helping athletes recover smarter, not harder. So let’s dig into two of the most effective tools you can add to your routine: massage therapy and percussion therapy.
Massage Therapy: The Ancient Art of Recovery
Even if you aren’t a regular on the massage table, most of us know what a massage is all about. You walk into a calm room, someone very kind tells you to relax, you melt into a table for an hour, and boom, life feels good again.
But massage therapy is much more than a luxury treat-yourself moment. In fact, the earliest written records of massage date back to between 1,500 and 500 B.C.E. Humans have literally been kneading each other’s sore muscles for over 3,000 years!
And there’s a reason it has stuck around so long. Massage therapy doesn’t just feel great—it can:
Reduce muscle tension and pain
Stimulate endorphins (your body’s built-in painkillers and mood lifters)
Improve circulation, lymphatic flow, and immune response
Reduce headache frequency
Improve sleep quality
Increase serotonin, the “happy chemical”
Sure, everyone can benefit from massage, but what specific perks does massage therapy have for athletes?
Why Athletes Should Make Massage Therapy Part of Their Routine
Athletic training is tough on the body. While pushing your limits can be rewarding, it also demands strategic recovery. Massage therapy helps athletes in a variety of ways.
Stimulates natural painkillers, easing soreness
Improves flexibility
Helps tissues recover faster
Reduces the likelihood of future injuries
Improves athletic performance
Prevents recurring injuries or imbalances
Promotes relaxation and better sleep
When Should You Get a Sports Massage?
Timing matters! You wouldn’t try a new spicy burrito right before sprinting a 5K, right? The same idea applies to massage therapy. Avoid getting a sports massage within two days before a big race or game. You might feel a little sore afterward, which isn’t ideal when you need to be at peak performance.
Do get a massage right after an event to support fast, natural recovery.
As for frequency? Totally depends on you. Some people get massage therapy three times a week, others every six weeks. Your training intensity, sport, and lifestyle all play a role, so it’s about finding what keeps your body happiest.
Percussion Therapy: Massage’s High Tech Cousin
If traditional massage is the wise elder, percussion therapy is its energetic younger cousin. You might have already seen these tools around. These handheld massage guns (that, not gonna lie, look a little like futuristic power drills) deliver rapid-fire pulses straight into tight muscles with surprising accuracy. Percussion therapy uses these rapid pulses combined with vibration to target soft tissue. The massage head moves quickly and forcefully while vibrations engage the outer layers of muscle.
Even though it’s much newer than traditional massage, percussion therapy packs a serious punch. It can:
Improve mobility
Reduce soreness after training
Increase circulation
Help release lactic acid
Support recovery from injuries
Fill the gap between full massage sessions
Is it a replacement for a real massage? Nope. But does it help you maintain harmony in your body between appointments? Absolutely.
Keep Your Body in the Game at Western Racquet & Fitness Club
At Western Racquet & Fitness Club, our massage therapy team offers a variety of styles, including ashiatsu, Thai, Swedish, and fully customized treatments tailored to your specific goals. Whether you’re prepping for your next match or recovering from yesterday’s workout, we’ve got your back (literally).
We also provide percussion therapy as well as several other Hyperice recovery tools, and best of all? Members get these services included in their monthly membership, including access to massage guns, rollers, spheres, and Normatec compression (plus other powerful recovery tools like cryotherapy and red light therapy).
Click to learn more about massage therapy for athletes, percussion therapy, and all the built-in recovery tools available here in Green Bay and included in a Western Racquet membership.
Your body works hard—give it the recovery it deserves!
