Don’t forget to massage your muscles

It’s that time of year again. Running season. With a drop in morning temperatures and the beginning of road racing season, you’re sure to see an increase of people lacing up their shoes and taking to the roads.

Running is a great way to stay fit and have fun either alone or as part of a group. Some people will challenge themselves with their first 5K, while others will raise the bar and tackle the marathon. Whatever your distance, if you work hard, your muscles will too.

When you consider the distances covered and energy expended in a race, it is easy to understand that the training a runner must put in can cause a variety of ailments This can include muscle tightness and strain, wear and tear on tendons and ligaments and an overload of the connective tissue that supports the musculoskeletal system. Regardless of the complaint, they all have one common characteristic– pain!

Massage therapy can be a very useful adjunct to a runner’s regime no matter what level of running or racing they do. Regular massage treatments during the training phase can be a great way to maintain optimal soft tissue (muscle/tendon/ligament) health. In fact, one of the greatest benefits of massage for runners, and indeed athletes as a whole, is pain relief. Pain free athletes can train sooner after a race and it is a fact that one of the main indicators for successfully reaching performance goals is the ability to remain injury (pain) free.

Pre-event, pre-workout

It is important to understand that massage should never replace an adequate warm-up, but can be a part of it. Ideally, a pre-event massage could be administered close to the event to be most effective – think of the Olympic swimmers in Rio coming to the start blocks with ring marking on their shoulders and backs from pre-event myofascial cupping techniques. Somewhere between 60 to 30 minutes out from the start is a good marker. Used properly, a runner can enjoy the benefits of conserving energy while muscles and fascia are being activated, focusing their attention on and visualize their upcoming race; and quieting their prerace nerves.

To maximize recovery following an event, refrain from anything other than a good stretch directly after a race. Studies have shown that the best time to have a massage is not directly after the race as previously believed. If the body is fatigued from a long and arduous race it is best to let the initial muscle recovery take place and schedule the massage for 48 to 72 hours after competition, especially if you are partial to a deeper tissue massage.

Which muscles should you focus on?

It is easy to understand that a massage of the lower body, especially the leg muscles, is a must for runners. However, to maximize the effectiveness of your massage treatment, address the entire body since the core/torso (erector spinae and QL particularly) is directly involved in pelvic stability, and the muscles that are responsible for hip movement (glutes, piriformis and the deep rotators) are highly active as well. Since the upper body also plays a key role in stride rating, attention to the chest, upper back, shoulders and arms is well warranted too.