Learning About The Benefits Of Massage

Post-Marathon Recovery: Massages

21 May 2018 by Adrian Simmmons

Although many runners meticulously plan for a marathon—training, traveling, hydrating, etc.—they often don't plan for the aftermath of the race. Fortunately, massage is among the most relaxing and restorative ways to help you get back to running after your next marathon.

Here are some massage types and styles suited to help runners recover from a marathon:

Types

Massage, like cuisine, comes in a variety of flavors. Many massage practitioners fall into two camps: Swedish or Asian.

• Asian: An Asian massage focuses on the body as a whole. Most Asian massages target trigger points. These massage are light and canvass the entire body to release sore muscles, allowing your tendons and joints to relax. If your marathon training and/or race didn't leave one particular area of your body ailing disproportionately, then an Asian massage might be right for you.
• Swedish: A Swedish massage will often focus on the areas of your body that feel particularly sore are your marathon. It's important to communicate where you feel most sore and when you started feeling the soreness or pain. Because Swedish massages focus on these sore areas, the massages can feel uncomfortable and even painful at times during the massage. If your marathon race or training was tougher on one part of your body than the rest, a Swedish massage might be just what you need.

Styles

Within each type of massage there additional differentiating styles.

• Deep Tissue: deep tissue massages involve manipulating muscle tissue strenuously and vigorously. For instance, if your marathon left your calf muscles particularly sore, a deep tissue massage might consist of forceful rubbing and palpating of the muscles to break up scar tissue and stimulate blood flow. These massages, although sometimes painful or uncomfortable, can dramatically reduce inflammation and help your body recover from the marathon.
• Cupping: one the latest massage innovations is a style known as "cupping." Cupping consists of using powerful suction cups to striate your layers of skin and muscle to reduce inflammation. Like deep tissue massage, cupping is more suited for targeting specific areas. Additionally, cupping will leave you with some alarming bruises.
• ART: active release therapy (ART) a hybridization of massage and stretching. ART massages are perfect for marathoners experiencing general soreness and can often help you feel ready to run again. If you schedule an ART session it's important to communicate with your therapist throughout the process. Over-stretching can do more harm than good.

To learn more, contact a massage spa like Massage TJ Spa. 

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