Maintenance and Injury Prevention Massage Therapy
Maintenance and injury prevention are often used interchangeably since they largely cover the same goal: to keep you progressing towards your fitness goal.
Many of our New Years Resolutions involve a new fitness routine. Whether you are starting out in the gym, training for your first marathon, or are a professional athlete, proper maintenance and injury prevention is vital to achieve any fitness goal.
People often underestimate their risk of injury when starting out a new activity, and overestimate how much stress their body can take. Acute injuries (think a sprain or muscle tear) and overuse of injuries (pain that gets worse and worse with an activity over time) are both more common with beginners than experienced individuals.
The reason for this is adaptation.
Our ability to adapt
Human bodies have incredible adaptation abilities, allowing us to perform a vast variety of physical activities. This is also the reason why we all have very different bodies that have adapted specifically to the stresses we have put on them over the years.
People often expect their bodies to adapt in weeks, when it has taken years to get where they are.
Stresses, or lack-thereof, from sitting for 8+ hours a day and not dynamically challenging tissues leads to compositional changes over time. These changes take time and proper levels of stress to adapt.
Massage Therapy techniques can challenge and attempt to correct tissues that need to adapt to achieve your current goals. Using mobilization techniques (fascial and joint) and stretches, our therapists can challenge tissue and create movement in areas that may not move efficiently. We are often able to counteract years of built-up immobility in just a few sessions! Nervous system changes are also created from mobilization techniques, conditioning the body to move efficiently and pain-free.
Techniques likely to be used:
Active/Passive Assisted Stretching
Regardless of your current fitness level and goals you may have, our RMT’s can help you achieve your goals by helping to prevent acute and overuse injuries. Book a treatment today and find out how we can help you.
After all, pain doesn’t wait…
…Why should you?
This article was written and submitted by Arnold Warkentin, RMT
Feel free to voice any comments, questions or concerns by commenting on our article,
OR contact us at contact@painproclinics.com
