I hear how massage is so important or helpful, especially for serious athletes. I think that all of my years of working out and never stretching perhaps caused me to get tighter, and perhaps this is the cause of a lot of my pain.
I’m trying to save up my money for other things, but I keep thinking of how badly I just want to be pain free again, and actually be able to work out!
Basically, I worked out without stretching much from 2002-2006, so I suspect that maybe my fascia all over could really be loosened up and freed.
That’s why I’m posting this thread though, because ART is so expensive, and I really want to know if having it done is worth it?
Depends on who you have available to you, but yes, it is definitely worth it if you have access to a quality therapist. Massage is helpful as well. In your position, any type of therapy will probably help…
Call him/her and see who they have worked with and what modalities they are familiar with. The ones on the provider locator are generally very good. I mean, the first guy I called off of it has worked with Charlie and many Olympians, so I suppose I was lucky.
Also, explain your situation and you financial situation. The guy I went to did the job and whatever I had to give was what I had–very reasonable guy.
Depends on what they are doing. I didn’t think most of it was all that painful. There were a couple psoas and adductor issues I had (mostly tightness) that hurt when it was getting worked out.
Start with massage and get into the habit of regular stretching. It will take time for your tissues to adapt (just like any other kind of training). After two months, if you’re still having problems then I would look into more specific methods like ART. In other words try to normalize the tissue first and see which areas are not responding. Those are the ones you’re going to have to address more aggressively.
Addressing soft tissue problems with specific, aggressive techniques like ART without first establishing a base with massage and stretching is a little like using thermogenic supplements to lose bodyfat while still eating a fast food diet. Address the basics first, then get fancy.
great advice from all of you but get what you can, when you can and do not forget the things you can do on your own.
Several times in my short lived, frustrating athletic career I complained about vairous issues regarding tightness ( oversimplification that tightness was the cause of many issues but it can certainly be true) and CHarlie would go thru a trouble shooting list that I usually was not tending to.
Drink tons of water
take your supplements
HOt and colds work and too bad if you don’t like them ( they are free!)
stretching when you are warm and getting into the habit is also as Flash says essential
ART is amazing but you are not going to get the most out of it unless you are doing the above.