We have been thinking a lot about all the runners out there, especially those training for the upcoming Boston Marathon. As race day approaches, one of the most important factors in the next few months is injury prevention.  A well-rounded training program is key and massage can help keep your muscles loose thereby allowing joints their full range-of-motion for the race.

The foot and ankle are common pain and injury locations for runners and the shock-absorbing action of the calf muscles helps to combat those injuries.  There are 2 muscles in the calf - the larger, outer muscle is called the gastrocnemius and the inner muscle that lies under the gastrocnemius is called the soleus.  The achilles tendon, which connects your heel to your calf muscles, is also affected by the tightness of these two muscles and prone to injury in runners. To help prevent injury, we found a great stretch for each of these structures in Runner's World magazine - follow this link to check them out: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-287--8969-0,00.html. We also love the use of the foam roller described in this link: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-285--11638-0,00.html.  Be sure to check out our Sports Massage packages, created specifically for athletes, which include pre- and post-event treatments: http://www.sollievo.org/services/sports-massage.

Be well!
Sollievo