Working Out and Working it Out

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Working Out and Working it Out

By Peter Rothblatt, Bodyworker and Massage Therapist

What’s the role of massage and bodywork for those who work out? There are two main areas that come to mind. First, the realm of acute injury, e.g. the twisted ankle. For the acute injury, I often suggest that someone wait 24-36 hours before coming in for treatment for an acute injury. In the meanwhile, ice and other anti-inflammatory treatments are best for calming the trauma a bit. Then bodywork is used to deal with any scar tissue/adhesions that develop from the injury, as well as any compensations that develop. For example, that twisted ankle probably means favoring the opposite side, which means “locking” the injured side up the leg and into the hips. So I work on the ankle and also work to open up the compensating tightness areas.

The other area of relevance comes in the realm of maintenance. This is probably the more important area, since we don’t get injured all the time. But our bodies do collect little nagging things that don’t bother us too much, but do limit range of motion over time. I work with a lot of clients in the maintenance area, folks who cycle, golf, get regular gym exercise. A common comment is, “I didn’t even know I was tight there” and that’s a good thing because we don’t always want to feel each and every area of tightness, right? But it is good to get in there and loosen the muscles, break down the scar tissue that invariably develops from exercise and from pushing our bodies, and get the body to be working its best. Doing “maintenance” massage also makes us less susceptible to acute injuries because our muscles are more supple and responsive when we exert ourselves. The bulk of my clients in the maintenance area come in every two to four weeks to keep themselves in top form.

So bodywork and massage therapy is an excellent compliment to any exercise regime, from the workouts in the park to training for a century to weekend golfing. And when you get injured, bodywork can really shorten the time of the injury so that you can return to doing what you love doing. We demand a lot of our bodies and our bodies can meet those demands when we take good care of ourselves.

Peter Rothblatt has been practicing Bodywork and Massage since 1999. In addition to diverse training in Esalen-based and deep-tissue corrective techniques, he brings 25 years of dance experience to understanding how bodies move and how they move best; he currently teaches for Rhythm and Motion at the ODC Dance Commons. Beyond that, he’s been an athlete of various sports – basketball, dance workout, tennis, swimming, cycling – his entire life. Check out his website at www.peterrothblatt.com for more information or to set up an appointment.