Self Service Recovery-the Calf Muscle Pump-Post Event Recovery using Light Manual MuscleRelaxation1Copyright Michael Gillan Long Distance Recovery Specialisthttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.html

Self Service Recovery in Post Event

Ok you have just finished in a competition or event and are totally exhausted andsore-you know if you just stand around you are going to be cold and stiff as well

No matter how much training they do (and you can overtrain) there is nothing like actually being anevent to bring out the best in a runner or walker, the other competitors and the adrenaline rush canhelp to push the boundaries to the limits (and beyond)

You need some Post Event assistance but not sure what to have or do

It is unfortunately that not too many people know much about post event recovery because the oneswho do are usually the sports institutes and universities with all their research facilities and it takesa long time for their information to filter down to the self supporting sports enthusiastMuch of this information were it available may be too scientific and complicated to apply because itmay need some specialized technique or equipment to use and these may be too inaccessible orcostly for the average competitorDirectly after the event has finished is when most people are distressed and need assistance torecover-but wouldn’t you know it-just when you are at your lowest, and need help there is noneavailable and everyone has different ideas on how to approach it

Tough Luck

You will just have to go home and recover the best way you can

Preparing

Training

Competing

Self Service Recovery-the Calf Muscle Pump-Post Event Recovery using Light Manual MuscleRelaxation2Copyright Michael Gillan Long Distance Recovery Specialisthttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.html

It wouldn’t have been if you had the ‘knowledge’ to look after yourself better

Instead of the graph on page 1, the graph should include some extra steps

This is thePost Eventstage

Overuse

andabuseof muscles

These people have been running for 3 days-their muscles have been

overused

and are extremely

sore

to touch-the fibers have

micro-tears

in them which are being healed by the body-one of thefirst stages in their repair is

inflammation

which produces heat

The body is in the first stages of repair at the micro-cellular level

No amount of working

the muscles at this stage is going to help them-and interfering withuncontrolled finger force into the muscle tissues can make them worse and lengthen recovery timebecause it breaks into the inflammatory repair and increases the heat through friction

The Post Event Phase of Recovery

If the approach to the muscles is

appropriate

, this stage can be taken advantage of to

speed upthe recovery

this is done by working

with

them to

facilitate

their repair and recovery

They need care not more abuse

TrainPostEvent

FullRecovery

Compete

Prepare

Self Service Recovery-the Calf Muscle Pump-Post Event Recovery using Light Manual MuscleRelaxation3Copyright Michael Gillan Long Distance Recovery Specialisthttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.html

Post Event Recovery

Post event is done whenever time is available and it is convenient but is better when the muscles arestill warm and are still pliable from their hard useBy the time post event recovery is started, the soreness is intensified by stiffness-every movement isan effort mixed with pain-time on the recovery table is spent trying to loosen the muscles so that theathlete can simply stand up again

A Grim Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a fun run, marathon, ultra marathon that was inhabited by 1000s of runners/walkers, they had all trained and prepared and really looked forward to completing thedistance in their personal best time and succeeded (or not)Having totally run themselves into the ground, and needing assistance, the intrepid athlete makestheir way to the recovery area, only to find lines of people already there waiting their turn to getonto the recovery tableEveryone is standing there having just finished, most in just running singlet and shorts-gettingcolder, muscles stiffening-see the ‘lucky’ people getting their muscles worked on-they are onlycovered by a towel-listen to the screams as some of them go into cramp-that lactic acid causes a lotof problems for runners and walkers (note-lactic acid has a bad name that is undeserved)http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/exercisephysiology/a/aa053101a.htm See as when the recovery session finishes they crawl off the table and stagger away barely able tomove-did it really do them any good or did the recovery person go in too hard on the muscles andinjure them?

Who would know?

Not the runner/walker because their perception of pain was changed-cold can act as an anaestheticand reduce the pain experience-reduced pain perception can also reduce the sensation of someonebeing a little too ‘enthusiastic’ with their hands on the muscles and causing in unintended injury thatwill affect the rate of recovery and speed at which training for the next event can be startedIf someone is considering manual recovery work, they should be aware of what is happening; usingthe example from Sandra Brown to stress how important the correct approach to muscles is.“The second tear (at least I have matching legs with old tears on both sides) was caused, to my greatannoyance at the time, by an overenthusiastic physio who was supposed to be helping me to warmup gently before a 24 hour race and got carried away. I am now more wary of having physio at anytime, and make sure that I stay in control, by saying at the outset what I want and don’t want to bedone to me. Having never had a persistent injury (my varied training pattern means that any niggleshave the chance to heal quickly, rather than get hammered and go critical,) I have never had regularphysio or a steady relationship of trust with any physiotherapist who knew me and my needs. Theclosest I have come to this was receiving massage from Michael Gillan during the Nanango(Queensland) 1000-mile race in 1996. I had no hesitation in having a massage from Michael againat the end of the Melbourne 100 miles walk in 1999. Michael’s approach is very gentle at all times,and always works with the athlete and puts the athlete in control, thus minimizing the risk of harmand maximizing the benefit.’(Source:http://www.surreywalkingclub.org.uk/Training?Advice/Articles/training_for_ultras_by_sandra_br.htm#Training/forUltras_SB)