Yikes - I paid $$ for that!!

[Wahine]

The first time I did Ironman I had a massage once a week. It was part of my training program. It was not one of these namby pamby relaxation massages, it was a deep tissue massage and usually hurt like the dickens. Well, since I've moved I haven't had a regular massage for oh... 2 years. Now I have all these nasty little aches and pains from doing a lot of mileage running, not to mention jumping into a 40 mile ride on the weekend when the only other ride I've done since Jan that was longer than 30 min was an easy 25 miler with some friends about 4 weeks ago.

So I booked a massage. She came to my office and did it there (I work in PT so it wasn't really all that weird). It was 1.5 hours of torture. She dug and dug and dug some more. I was in agony and then she says "I really feel like we're only skimming the surface here." :eek::eek:

Either I've forgotten what it's like to get a real deep tissue massage or I've turned into a pansy. But OMG!!

Thanks for listening, I'm limping off to the tub now to try to process all the aches and pains that have cropped up since my therapeutic massage.:eek:

[tulip]

sounds awesome!

[smilingcat]

But it feels so good afterwards. :P not sure if its because the torture is over or if it's because the massuse worked out the knots?

Well I have an appointment for Rolfing. The gal who works on me must have had a full time job in London Towers (previous life). She knows every pressure points. :eek:

Question??? Do you find yourself to be weaker or slower on the bike after a good hard deep tissue massage? I seem to lose lot of my strength and find it hard to ride. :confused:

I can't wait for Thursday :p :p
smilingcat

[Wahine]

Smilingcat - Have fun. Rolfing is a whole new level of agony.

I do feel a little wibbly wobbly for about 12 hours so I always try to book the massage around my tougher workouts. I try to set it up at the end of a hard day or immediately after a few days of hard workouts when I'm heading into the lower intensity/recovery part of my week.

[NoNo]

I did the same thing in January and had the same results. Actually, I started getting massive migraines in the days after the massage and had to go to my chiro to unlock the muscles in my head and neck. Don't think I'll be doing a deep tissue massage again anytime soon...

[OakLeaf]

Mmmmmmm.

I always tell the LMTs to just wale on me. It's the only thing my muscles will listen to. I might be sore for days, but it's a good sore :D

[smilingcat]

Yup. I plan on riding in excess of 40 hard miles today with about 3000 feet of climb. So I'll be beat to a pulp before I show up for Rolfing tomorrow. Rest Thursday and Friday. Ride like a banshee on Saturday and Sunday.. :D :D :D

I'm gettin' old, I need two days to recover instead of one. :( Recovery slows down when you get old.

smilingcat

[firenze11]

My first deep tissue massage was similar. The RMT found some huge knots/points and really worked to get them out. It was intensely painful (even a couple of days after) but it almost felt good because my problems were finally getting addressed. I think he felt a little disappointed when he couldn't get the knots to release at all and told me I should do massages more regularly.

Wahine - I hope you're feeling better post-massage. Hopefully it's just something you're not used to anymore! I doubt you're a pansy - especially after those intensives.

Smilingcat - I'm so intrigued by rolfing, I hope your appointment is really beneficial.

[Wahine]

I actually find deep tissue massage very beneficial. I think I'm just not used to it anymore and things are so tight right now that I'm more sensitive.

Nono - Sometimes (not always) if you have a little too much movement in an area, especially the neck, deep tissue massage will aggravate your pain because it's made some muscles relax that were tight in order to help control the motion of the area. Lack of control of movement, means wibbly wobbly joints that can then get jammed and stuck.... So if you know that's the case for you, deep tissue massage in the neck area is not a good idea, but you might still benefit from having your legs or hips done.

I was pretty sore this morning but things are feeling better as the day goes on. :D

[Harley]

My massage therapist just introduced me to the "Hot Rock" treatment. It takes all the pain out of deep tissue massage! The heat in the rocks seeps into the muscle tissue and releases the tense areas. They look like river rocks, smooth, round, different sizes. She also uses a hot rock while massaging... it is fantastic and I have been having massages for 20 years!

I go once a month to keep the 'ole body moving... works for me and much better to be a relaxed noodle afterwards, then the pain of Rolfing.

Works for me...;)

[sgtiger]

It's a good idea to schedule a deep tissue massage when you'll have time to soak in a bath w/salts within an hour of the massage, but even a nice soak at the end of that day is fine if you can't manage to do that. Remember to drink extra water before and after the massage to help flush away the toxins that are released during a deep tissue.