Massage for runners has been highly touted by the experts and running magazines. Professional athletes, running experts and coaches have stated it can help prevent injury by improving the condition of the muscles.
Honestly, the cost of a good massage is about $100.00 and a bit on the pricey side for my little budget, so I took the advice with a grain of salt. Sure, a great luxury for those uber competitive athletes that are making a living off racing marathons. But for us regular folks, a weekly massage at $100 a pop, is kind of a deal breaker. Umm, dinner for the kids or a massage....
After the heart breaking reoccurrence of the calf injury, and 4 long months of PT with zero improvement, I was ready to give alternative therapies a shot. An awesome running coach sent me to Airrosti, a specialized treatment focusing on manual therapy and active rehab. It was painful as all get out, but it worked. After two treatments I was running again, and after 4 treatments I was back to normal. One thing my Airrosti doctor told me about was massage and foam rolling.
I had been foam rolling for quite some time, but not consistently, and honestly I’m still not super consistent, but much better than before. After about a month of running again, I was ready to go on the hunt for a good massage therapist.
I have a good friend, the superstar Adrian, who is a massage therapist, but was feeling kind of weird about going to a friend for a massage. Something about seeing my physical flaws…. I know, kind of lame, but feels like you are standing on the street corner in the freezing cold in a bikini with traffic at a standstill, and all eyes on you….
So I asked some trainers and physical therapists I knew about a good massage therapist in my area, and I tried them out. I soon learned that the articles were right, and that vanity goes out the window when it comes to pain relief and injury prevention.
I saw 3 “Sports Massage” specialists, and they all seemed to simply provide a basic Swedish massage. Nice and relaxing, but not really addressing the problem areas or the specific needs of repetitive motion injury. One of them was better than the other, and at least notes some tightness in the piriformis muscles, but didn’t do anything special to address it. I left feeling more relaxed, but not necessarily looser.
Then I talked to Adrian and made an appointment to go in. What a difference. I found out first hand that a good massage therapist could identify muscle tightness, trigger points and scar tissue. Identifying scar tissue and breaking it up is a major prevention to both new and re-injury.
I have to say that a true deep tissue sports massage is not often relaxing. In fact it is at times down right painful. I mean, at times my legs would involuntarily twitch and it felt like I was being stabbed in the back when she would hit a tender spot. And oh, the suction cups, now those are fun. It feels like all of your body hairs are being tweezed out at once. Yes, I loved that (sarcasm). And the bruises it left on my back and legs were quite attractive. My husband took one look at me and said, “And you paid someone for that?”
However, the aftermath is huge. I left feeling more relaxed than the previous massages and I could feel a greater range of motion. My calves seemed to recover much faster in the days after the massage and my piriformis muscle was no longer getting twinging. She scolded me on stretching and pointed out a few stretches that are "must-do's!"
Although I still cannot afford the $100 massages on a bi-weekly or even weekly basis, I have found that even a monthly massage has been extremely beneficial to my running and fatigue. There is much less fatigue in my legs, even with weight-lifting and the longer weekly runs than there has been in the past. Also, I am sleeping much better, so I wake feeling more relaxed. Another benefit I noticed was that my posture is much better, I am able to hold my shoulders, neck, and head in a neutral position and I feel less fatigue on the long run.
I have to admit, I am hooked on massage. It has now become an essential part of my training regime.
Here are some things that I've learned through research and my personal experiences.
Massage benefits:
- · Maintain the body.
- · Prevent injuries and loss of mobility / flexibility.
- · Cure and restore mobility to injured muscle tissue.
- · Boost performance.
A good therapist should have a thorough understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the human body, in order to provide an effective treatment. So look for massage therapists that have a degree in kinesiology, biomechanics, or exercise / health sciences. Look for a therapist that has undertaken a sports massage qualification, has specialization studies in sports therapy, physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation.
Sports massage can be used in the treatment of specific injuries, such as hamstring strains, as well as to help correct muscle imbalances, overuse and postural issues. These issues need to be corrected in order to prevent future injuries and improve the efficiency of our muscles and so enhance our performance.
Words of caution: I am not an expert and these are statements and comments I’ve found from my own research and experience. These are my opinions and I encourage you to do your own research to form your own opinions. There are contradictions to sports massage. It is best to avoid massage immediately after injury. Inflammation is present and the massage can irritate and or do more damage to the affective tissue.
For more information on Airrosti therapies, check out their website at www.airrosti.com.
Healthy Running!
Tracy
No comments:
Post a Comment