Massage for Runners … its all about optimising recovery

We are introducing a new service: Runners Massage a special service to assist runners to optimise their recovery the massage will

  • flush out all the waste products in the tired muscles
  • address micro tears in the muscles

which rejuvenates the tired heavy muscles making them feel light.

The goal for runners is to first and foremost prevent the kind of wear and tear that comes with putting physical demands on your body. Yes; running is fantastic and ultimately good for your overall health, but if you are going to push your body to its limits you must prepare it and maintain it to avoid potential injury.

With strenuous running, your muscles can lose their ability to relax and they become shorter and tighter.   Chronically tight muscles will lose their flexibility and that is really asking for trouble, as it makes you so much more susceptible to injury.  If your muscles lose flexibility, they can easily pull or tear, and tight muscles become very sore. Blood flow is poor through tightened muscles (ischemia) and that also cause pain.  Massage stretches the muscles in a much more specific way than stretching after a run, to regain lost flexibility.

Click here to book your runners massage

 

Related Posts

  • Can Sports Massage help prevent sports injuries?

    Athletes who are looking to improve performance and increase their competitive edge do so by adopting a training schedule to enhance their skill, strength, stamina, suppleness and speed. The degree to which they develop and utilise these qualities will depend on other factors such as the level of competition, the sport played, and possibly their position in a team. However, no matter which sport, the aim is nearly always to increase the level of training and thereby subject the body to gradual and controlled overuse. This overuse can often create problems and imbalances in the muscles. If these are ignored and allowed to become chronic, they will not only hinder the athlete's rate of improvement, but also in many cases their performance may well suffer and ultimately the athlete may be susceptible to developing more conditions that are serious. Certainly if they are unable to perform at their best, they may be more at risk from other more traumatic forms of injury.   So it is essential to treat muscular imbalances early. Whether it is to carry out our normal daily activities or to participate in the majority of sporting activities, it is necessary to have normal range of movement at any given joint(s). It has been suggested that a lack of flexibility can increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries as reduced muscle flexibility may restrict joint range of movement creating abnormal movement patterns. For example shortened calf muscles may restrict ankle dorsiflexion, causing an altered gait pattern while running or walking. This may produce a compensatory pattern of walking, with a laterally turned out foot, eventually leading to pain in the hip or knee. A sports masseur can determine if the muscular imbalance caused by training has impacted the range of movement of the client by assessing the range of movement.   By detecting these muscular imbalances early,  before they become more serious and cause pain or impact an athlete’s performance a sports massage can prevent injury.  The prevention of injury is the biggest benefit of sports massage.

  • Back Stretches

    These stretches can either be done as a complete series or individually.  The aim of stretching is to relax the muscles so it should never be painful. Each stretch should be held for 15 seconds and repeated twice.  Ideally you should stretch daily. Back

    • Clasp elbows in front of your body at shoulder height, making big circles in front of you - push out and look down.  This will stretch your upper back.
    • Lie on your back and raise your legs with your knees bent and hands palms down at right angles to your body.  Move your legs over to one side of your body keeping your knees together and bent.  Repeat for the other side of your body.
    • Lie on your back with your arms at right angles to your body.  Raise a leg with your knee bent and let it drop over to the other side of your body.  Now repeat on the other side.
    • Kneel on all fours, then sit back with your buttocks on your heels and your head on the floor and your hands outstretched in front of you (child pose for those who know yoga).  This will stretch your entire spine.
    • Kneel on all fours, look down whilst arching your back upwards (like a cat) hold for 15 seconds, then slowly drop your back down and stretch your head up and hold for 15 seconds.
    • Lie on your back with your right knee up keeping your foot on the ground.  Place your left ankle on your right knee, letting your left knee drop outwards.  Clasp your hands below your right knee and pull towards your body, this will stretch out your gluteals.   Now repeat on the other side.
    • Lie on your stomach with your arms by your side and gently raise your head slightly.  If these feels comfortable then you can also raise your feet of the ground and raise your arms above your head in from of you.  This is very strengthening and especially good for people with straight backs.
         

  • Trends in Healthcare

    Today I attended the Employee Benefits Connect event to find out about the latest trends in employee benefits.  Quite a few speakers identified the growth of onsite well-being services like the Vitality Breaks services I provide, as the number one healthcare issue in companies right now and for the next few years. The key conditions that are driving the growth of well-being services are:

    1. Diabetes
    2. Heart Disease
    3. High Blood Pressure
    4. Back Pain
    We all know that back pains is common, episodic, often recurrent and generally self limiting.  Long term absence form work is greatest amongst the minority of employees whose conditions is chronic (if the pains lasts for more than 12 weeks) or is recurrent (if there are several episodes of pain in one year lasting less than 6 months).  Most people who are effected by back pain either remain in work or return to work promptly.  About 85% of people with back pain take less than seven days off work. In a survey reported by the London Work Foundation it identified that 9.6 million workers are regularly affected by back pain.  In addition the London Work Foundation has identified that musculoskeletal conditions comprise about 55 %of all work-related illness throughout the UK compared to stress being responsible for 30 per cent of work-related illness, that figure drops to 31% when you focus only non-manual workers.    This makes musculoskeletal conditions the top reason for long term absence from work in the UK for non-manual workers. So why am I quoting all these statistics, because despite speakers talking about trends in healthcare being driven by amongst other things back pain and clear evidence that musculoskeletal conditions are the number one reason for absence there was no mention of solutions.  Go figure!!!!