The Secret to Relieving Muscle Pain

Good day,

Pam Kats is a personal training client of mine and also a massage Therapist (MT) . She is not just an MT she is the President of the Massage Therapist’s Association of Alberta so I am pretty sure she knows her stuff. 

Have you ever wondered if massage is for you well keep reading...

Massage Therapy can help you train harder, lift heavier, run faster, recover more quickly and stick to your training program.  Many athletes, both professional and recreational use Massage Therapy to improve the benefits of their training programs.  Massage assists in preventing injury and boosts mental and physical well –being.  The addition of Massage Therapy to a training program can improve any athlete’s ability to complete quality workouts and to recover faster.  And the best part about it is that massage feels great! 

Massage Therapy is the systematic approach to assessment and treatment of the body’s soft tissue for a positive and therapeutic effect.  When applied judiciously, Massage Therapy can have many positive effects on the body and mind.  Massage decreases heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels and increases circulation.  The mechanical pressure of massage helps the body’s tissues receive nutrients readily and flushes waste products from the tissue more effectively.  This results in a decrease in pain and an improvement in flexibility and range of motion.  Massage can have a therapeutic effect psychologically as well.  Massage patients have a reduced rate of anxiety and feel a sense of well-being and relaxation after a treatment.  Massage improves self-esteem and body awareness and this increases the likely hood of nailing your workouts and sticking to a healthy lifestyle.  These types of benefits mean professional athletes to beginners, just at the start of their fitness journey, will benefit from adding Massage Therapy to their training programs!

Fascia is the connective tissue that wraps our bones, organs, muscles and connects and shapes our bodies.   Adhesions can form in and between the layers of fascia and in muscles as a result of exercise, injury, poor posture habits and muscle imbalances.  These adhesions can be painful as well as cause a decrease in range of motion and flexibility and increases the potential for injury.  Massage and stretching are beneficial in manually breaking up adhesions and regular massage treatments will decrease adhesion formation therefore preventing injury and decreasing recovery time.

Finding a Massage Therapist who understands your needs as an athlete is essential.  Ideally, a Massage Therapist will be familiar and have experience treating athletes and will consider your health, previous injuries or conditions and use assessment to help tailor the massage treatment to your specific requirements and training goals.  In some provinces in Canada (British Columbia, Ontario, Newfoundland/ Labrador), Massage Therapy is regulated by government legislation.  This means the public is protected when they seek Massage Therapy from a Registered Massage Therapist (R.M.T).  However, this is not the case in Alberta.  Alberta Massage Therapists are not currently regulated by government legislation although there are provincial associations that help Massage Therapists self-regulate.  Look for Massage Therapists that adhere to entry-to-practice standards, scope of practice, standards of practice  and a Code of Ethics, and interview your potential Massage Therapist.  Any Massage Therapist you visit should be comfortable telling you about their education and experience background, should carry Professional Malpractice and General Liability insurance, should operate in a clean and accessible location and most of all be comfortable and familiar with your sport or injury so that you are receiving the best massage for you!

Stretching and using a foam roller between Massage Therapy visits is a perfect way to decrease pain, improve function and flexibility and will help you get the full benefit of your training program.  Using a foam roller can improve local circulation, lengthen and stretch tissue and decrease the formation of adhesions.  Foam rollers are inexpensive and with a bit of experimentation you can target just about any muscle group.

Some tips before beginning:

·         Warm up.  This can be light exercise, a warm shower or bath or a locally applied heat like a heating pad.
·         Keep your first few foam roller sessions short.  15 minutes is a good start.
·         Rest a day between sessions.
·         Drink plenty of water after a session, just as you would after massage.

·         After a few weeks you can increase your session time and frequency if you choose.

·         If you have a painful area, for example your IT band on the right is bothering you – start on the other limb first.  (Starting on the unaffected side increases circulation and decreases pain to the affected side.)

·         Start on the largest muscles and move out towards the smaller ones.

·         After using the foam roller spend a few minutes stretching the areas you have rolled.

·         Avoid rolling on bony areas.

·         Do not use a foam roller without your physician's approval if you have any heart or vascular illness or a chronic pain condition.

Try these rolling the following areas on the foam roller.  Start by warming up then place your body on the roller and slowly roll up and down (for about 10-15 seconds) along the muscle group you are targeting. If you find a particularly tight area, pause on that spot. Putting pressure on a tight area can help release the tissue.

Low Back – Place the foam roller perpendicular to your body and lie onto the roller so that it is positioned just above your waist.  Bend your knees and roll your low back.  You can shift your body very slightly to the side to target more specific tissue.

Gluts – Place the foam roller perpendicular to your body and sit on the roller.  With your hands on the floor behind the roller and your knees bent, shift slightly to one side, and straighten that knee.  The other knee remains bent.  Shift your body weight so that you are rolling the entire glut.

Piriformis - Place the foam roller perpendicular to your body and sit on the roller.  With your knees bent and your hands on the floor behind the foam roller, cross one ankle over the other bent knee.  Shift your body weight slightly to crossed leg side and roll out the piriformis and other lateral hip rotators.

Hamstrings - Place the foam roller perpendicular to your body and sit on the roller.  Place your hands on the floor behind the roller and bend your knees.  Straighten one knee and roll that hamstring from the top to just above your knee.  You can stack your legs to add more pressure.

Iliotibial Band (ITB, side of your thigh) - Place the foam roller perpendicular to your body and lie on the roller so that your IT band is in contact with the roller.  Keep other knee bent and the foot crossed over the leg you are rolling.  Use your elbow to support your upper body.  Roll from top of your thigh to the top of the knee.  Angle your body slightly back (hamstring) or forward (quadriceps) to target muscles attaching to the IT band.  You can stack your legs for more pressure.  This area can be tender! Try pressure without movement in very sensitive areas.

Quadriceps - Place the foam roller perpendicular to your body and lie face down on the roller so that the front of your thighs are on the roller.  Support your upper body on your elbows and roll from the tops of your knees to the tops of your thighs.  Try shifting your weight to either side to target more specific tissue.

Adductors (Inner thigh) – Lie on your stomach on the floor with the roller parallel beside you.  Bend your knee and hip to place your inner thigh in the foam roller.  Support your upper body on the floor and roll your inner thigh from hip to just above the knee.

Calves – Sit on the floor with the foam roller perpendicular to your body and just under your ankles.  Bend one knee.  Support your upper body weight on your hands and roll the roller from just below your knee to your Achilles tendon.  Stack your legs for more pressure.

Always remember to warm up or use heat first.  You can modify by using a towel over the foam roller to add padding, or use your roller against the wall while standing instead of laying on it.  Static pressure will cause less discomfort than rolling along the length of muscle.  Always stretch the muscles after you have rolled.  Rest is an important part of any training program and by adding Massage Therapy, regular stretching and foam roller sessions to your rest days you will feel great while you train hard and reach goals.

Happy Training!

Pamela Kats is a Massage Therapist with 16 years’ experience and is providing Massage Therapy at Bridlewood Massage and Family Wellness.  She is a former Massage Therapy instructor, current President for Massage Therapist’s Association of Alberta, a mother of two, and a recreational runner for 12 years (5km, 10km and 21km distances).