Timing is everything

It seems like every weekend there is a local competition, meet, or race happening and don't get me wrong, I love to see this. Folks being active, testing the waters and pushing their bodies to do some really cool things. My hat is off to you guys!

Between all the training, working out, fitness events, tapering, peaking, reloads, day of- when is the right time to get a sports massage and what should your "goals" be for the session?

• rehabilitation or medical bodywork 
• maintenance 
• recovery 
• event/ day of

Rehabilitation or medical bodywork is work done for the purpose of enhancing the healing process of injured tissue and aiding the client in return to full activity. The sessions should primarily be focused on the injured or dysfunctional tissue, but also the surrounding structures.  For example, muscle strains should include treatment to synergistic and antagonistic muscles, which may be playing a huge role in compensation to site of injury.  Immobilization during injury (cast/sling/crutches/boot) can also lead to compensatory patterns we should address in session. 

Maintenance bodywork is typically what I see most of in my practice.  This work is typically targeting a certain area due to overtraining, soreness, or fatigue to help mitigate future injuries. The goal of these session is to keep the athlete training at the highest level. 

Recovery massage and Bodywork So, you just ran your first half marathon or competed in a CrossFit competition over the weekend? This type of session is used to help an athlete recover from a strenuous event or competition and return to homeostasis, where our bodies love to be. My two cents: if you know you have an upcoming event, try to go ahead and get a bodywork session on the books. Do not wait until the day after to call your therapist ;)

Event/Day of bodywork is a little more specific and can be broken down around specific time frames of the event.

• Pre-event: prepare you for competition, should be fast-paced and superficial, no deep work! Also emphasize preparation for muscles to be used during the event, and for most of y'all, it means EVERYTHING. 
• Intra-event: short and light and focus on maintaining you for next event or workout. 
• Post-event: all about getting your body back to "neutral". Should focus on reducing soreness and encourage relaxation and circulation back to the tissue. 

If you have any questions about when to schedule a time to come in around an event, please feel free to reach out! If you are planning on scheduling a maintenance session, there is no better time than now. 

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