Marathon Message: Chair Recovery

7 October 2017
 Categories: , Blog


Every knows that a marathon is one of the toughest tests of human endurance. What most first-time marathoners don't know, however, is that the training required to complete a marathon is often tougher than the race itself.

Fortunately, chair massages are an effective way to recover from all your hard training. Here are some ways to make the most out of your chair massage in order to prepare you for your big marathon:

Big Breath

Running a marathon is principally a cardiovascular activity. This means that your heart, lungs, and circulatory systems will do far more work than your any part of your body. When you schedule a chair massage, ask your masseuse to help you take deeper breaths by focusing on the following areas:

  • Shoulder Blades: when you get tired when you're running, you have a tendency to lean forward. This forward lean causes your shoulder blades to expand, which pinches your chest and restricts your chest. When your chest pinches down, your lungs constrict. Have your chair masseuse focusing their healing fingers on the shoulder blades (both around and below). Working your shoulder blades will reduce tension, which can improve your posture when you get tired during your training runs.

  • Deltoids: your deltoids are often impacted by your shoulder blades. Having your masseuse give your deltoids some attention will make their treatment of your shoulder blades more efficacious.

Aligned Spine

Cranking out miles of marathon training puts a strain on every part of your body. One place, in particular, that is likely to wear down during your training is your spine. When your spine withstands too much wear and tear it can often become out of alignment. This off-kilter positioning impacts your hips, which controls your legs, feet, etc. Ask your masseuse to work on the following areas around your spine:

  • Lower back: your lower back area is the corridor between your backs and hips. When this area of your back is out of alignment, you are likely to feel a painful ache radiating from your lower back through your glutes, hips, and back. Having your massage therapist work on the bottom portion of your lower back can align your back, which can improve the efficiency of your stride and reduce any lingering back pain.

  • Sciatica: one of the most common back alignments is sciatica pain. These nerves that extend from your lower back to your glutes can cause both dull and sharp pain that makes running virtually impossible. Having your massage therapist target these the one to two inches adjacent to your the base of your spine can drastically reduce sciatica pain.


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