I’m one of the injury prone types. I’ve learned to manage my injuries but I’m always looking for ways to improve the injuries I deal with and reduce the chances of any new injuries.
I’ve been considering Massage Therapy. Many of the elites in the sport swear by it. So here are my questions…
How often do you need to see a massage therapist for it to be beneficial? I was considering once every 2 or 3 weeks.
For those who have been using massage therapy as a form of recovery, can you say it has definitely benefited you? Additionally, if you were injured, has massage therapy helped in the healing process?
I’m one of the injury prone types. I’ve learned to manage my injuries but I’m always looking for ways to improve the injuries I deal with and reduce the chances of any new injuries.
I’ve been considering Massage Therapy. Many of the elites in the sport swear by it. So here are my questions…
How often do you need to see a massage therapist for it to be beneficial? I was considering once every 2 or 3 weeks.
For those who have been using massage therapy as a form of recovery, can you say it has definitely benefited you? Additionally, if you were injured, has massage therapy helped in the healing process?
Thanks!
As with just about anything related to the body (workouts, diet, etc.), you’re probably going to need at least 2x/week to see any real difference IMO. Terenzo Bozzone tweeted right before Kona that he had 30 massages in the past five weeks.
I used to get regular 1x/week massages during the meat of the season and it really only benefitted me from a psychological and relaxation standpoint than from an actual long term physical benefit.
Once a week for 90 minutes. Helps to get out knots in the muscles, stimulate trigger points and attachment points, and stretch out parts of the legs and hips that you normally can’t do yourself.
I notice a difference when I go more than a week without it, but then again, I cheat a lot when I stretch on my own.
Absolutely. I’ve had so many injuries from accidents and I’ve been racing a long time so I am a bit of a junk yard. Massge faciliatates recovery, seems to enhance my mobility and gives me a chance to grab a 50 minute nap.
X2 - I wish I could go more often, but usually make it before and after a race. There are tons of other benefits to massage therapy that most people do not even realize.
I get deep tissue massage on my calves and IT Band every couple of weeks, and have been injury free since I started. Certainly not causation, but I like the correlation enough to keep doing it.
When I came into some money from the sale of a house, my wife and I paid for massage for a six-month or so period. I never really noticed that they helped much. They were nice and all, but just don’t think it mattered in terms of triathlon performance. I was never really injured before or after that so I just stopped going. Five years after the fact, I’m not necessarily injured but just have a lot of little aches and pains and would sure love to try again.
Chad
I have found some benefits from massage (deep tissue), but ran into issues that it had no effect on. I have had great results with Rolfing (similar to deep tissue, but similar in ways to ART). Much more targeted, and I have seen a big difference in resolution of some issues.
Overall, though, I think the practicioner is more important than the type. An extremely skilled hair stylist would be more useful than a crappy masseur.
I had weekly myotherapy treatments in the leadup to IMWA a few years ago and I can definitely say it paid off directly with being more fit for the race and able to recover. I found that myotherapy (as opposed to traditional “relaxation” massage) was able to target all the little niggles and near-injuries I had to keep them from becoming something larger. I even had a bruise of my hamstring the week before the race and with the treatment was able to get the muscle functioning well enough for me to actually even think about racing.
If you are going to spend the money, definitely look into a more medical/deep-tissue/sports/myotherapy type treatment and don’t just go to the spa for an hour. You want someone that works with athletes/injuries/rehab and not just someone that is going to put you to sleep. It doesn’t have to hurt, but it needs to be focused on specific areas and treatment goals. I highly recommend at least weekly if you can swing it because it can make a huge difference in recovery and preparation.
I have found some benefits from massage (deep tissue), but ran into issues that it had no effect on. I have had great results with Rolfing (similar to deep tissue, but similar in ways to ART). Much more targeted, and I have seen a big difference in resolution of some issues.
Overall, though, I think the practicioner is more important than the type. An extremely skilled hair stylist would be more useful than a crappy masseur.
Thanks for the post. I just read about Rolfing. Did you have the 10 treatments done or did you go in for a specific reason? Did you find that Rolfing had a better effect than massage?
I believe in 90 minute massages and not 60. My therapist is really dialed in to my body, so she spends 15-20 minutes with her hands finding out what is going on. Then I get at least an hour hitting those problem areas. With an hour massage you might get thirty minutes hitting your problem area. With a 90 minute massage I feel as though I’m getting one hour of specificity.
The most effective way for me to get rid of knots in my back are to have two massages in one week, both targeting the problem area.
And it really is all about the therapist. Mine is some sort of powerlifter and it shows in her strength. She is WAY more effective than anyone else I’ve ever gone to.
Injury prevention? No idea. I’m there to work out the kinks, and my back seems to grow knots as soon as we pull one out.
Post race it helps (it’s my investment in being able to walk down stairs the next day). Other than I haven’t really seen much of a benefit…except for ART which has definitely helped.
EVERY Monday afternoon, to recover from long run / ride weekends. I wouldn’t pay for something that didn’t work
At least 30 - 6 minutes, with virtually all time spent on legs (where I hurt). Dara Torres, Olympic swimmer extraordinaire, traveled with 2 massage therapists, saying that they kept her loose enough to compete with girls 1/2 her age.
No sleeping on my table; cringing and crying silently maybe sometimes, but NO sleeping
I’m prone to shin spints and also had some hip-flexor and calf issues in the run up to ironman. Regular sports massages weren’t practical due to the cost so I started using a Foam Roller. It’s very inexpensive and very effective - definitely worth looking into!
