Massage Keeps Hikers on the Trail
By Jennifer Warren
Just hearing the name - Schunnemunk Mountain - was enough to inspire awe. Although I was a well-conditioned runner and cyclist when a friend invited me to join her for a hike in Schunnemunk Mountain State Park, in, of all places, Mountainville, New York, I was a bit nervous. The mountain, which rose nearly 1,700 feet and extended more than eight miles, was a far cry from the sure-footed terrain of my favorite running and biking routes. But, always up for an adventure, I agreed.

At first everything was fine, and I cheerfully walked along enjoying the scenery. But my tranquility was disrupted as the elevation began to make itself known. I felt my hamstrings and calves being called into action; I was pumping my arms; my neck stiffened. With each step my heart beat faster and my muscles worked harder.

Finally, after about a mile's vertical effort, I reached the top of the mountain. I felt invigorated and invincible - until the next day, when my right quadriceps, low back and entire neck region ached. Although originating in different zones from the discomfort I had felt from a long run or cycling workout, my post-hike condition possessed one glaring similarity: a genuine need for massage.

Danger zones
My hiking partner on this day was Gina Dianis, 31, from Cornwall, New York. An avid hiker for the past 15 years, Dianis hits the trail once or twice a week. She is quick to cite her quadriceps, hamstrings, neck and shoulders as the most injury-prone regions. Another hiker friend, Frank Guarnuccio, 41, from Chester, New York, has been hiking and backpacking since the age of 5, and has traversed the Catskill and Adirondack Mountains in New York, White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and Indian Parks Wilderness Area Roosevelt National Forest (Rocky Mountains) in Colorado, among other mountain ranges. With the added weight of the backpack, Guarnuccio believes potential injuries to be even more far-reaching. He adds the gluteals, the muscles around the knees, and the ankles, which are particularly vulnerable to sprain, to the injury-zone list.

"I know I've worked hard after a backpacking trip if my quads are burning,” he says. “On a mountaineering trip to Washington's Mount Rainier, the trek down the mountain was harder than the trek up it. My quadriceps were literally screaming on the four-hour trip down the mountain; all the stress was on my quads, helping to support the weight of my body as well as the backpack. The soreness took a week to go away."

While muscle aches are the most common complaints from her hiking clientele, Pam Nelson, a massage therapist in New York City, has also seen strained forearms and broken bones caused when clients try to break falls on the trail, as well as sore coccyx or sacrum from falling backward.

Tracy Albrecht, a massage therapist who splits her time between Los Angeles and Aspen, observes that, "in hiking, the obvious working muscles are not the most commonly injured or strained ones."

In addition to focusing on the calves, hips and sacrum, Albrecht gives special care to what she deems the hiker's nemesis: the feet. "Comfortable feet that can bear weight in a balanced and buoyant fashion are the key to injury-free hiking," she says.

Benefits of Massage
It's evident that hikers and backpackers are inclined toward some level of discomfort as a result of their hobby. But what would inspire those athletes to seek help from massage therapists? For those who have experienced the effects of touch, the answers are clear.

"Massage helps relieve stress, especially breaking up the knots in my shoulder region," says Dianis, who receives deep-tissue massage once a month. "It relaxes my muscles, helping to recharge and re-energize myself, as well as improving my circulation and blood flow."

Guarnuccio, who has hiked for up to 18 hours a day while carrying a 50-pound backpack, recalls feeling immediate results from receiving massage following a particularly strenuous hiking trip. "It seemed as though every muscle in my body ached, including my back and shoulders, from lugging a backpack up almost 8,500 vertical feet," he says. "After receiving massage, my back and shoulders felt great, and I felt 100 percent better than when I walked in."

Hands-on techniques
On the 60 percent of her clientele who hike at least once a week, Albrecht uses deep-tissue massage, along with a lot of stretching and joint manipulation. She’ll typically begin a session by rocking the client to see where movement is restricted, then work from the top of their body to their feet. Starting from the neck, she applies long, deep strokes to smooth the impact of hundreds of steps out of the cervical vertebrae and the trapezius muscles.

From there, Albrecht uses cross-fiber friction circles up and down the spine. Once she has achieved what feels like a new degree of smoothness along the paraspinals, she uses her forearms to spread the tissue from the spine laterally. Again using her forearms, she works from the ankles up the legs and into the gluteal and deep rotator muscles, and applies deep but gentle petrissage to the calves.

Kate Quinn, a massage therapist in Arlington, Virginia, also counts many hikers among her athletic clientele. She says that the majority of hikers tend to overdo it, presenting with injury and discomfort in the legs, lower back and knee areas due to twisting and turning on uneven terrain.

"If they come in after they have overworked, I will use petrissage, as the compressions are important for pumping out the metabolic wastes," she says"

Nelson relies on the messages she receives from her clients’ bodies to relieve pain. Using a light touch to monitor the rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluid, Nelson is able to detect potential restrictions and imbalances in her athletic clients and provide necessary relief.

Things to know
As sports massage becomes increasingly specialized, the need increases for therapists to understand the specific problems associated with hiking.

"I think the therapist needs to be aware of the amount of pressure applied behind the knees and back of legs," Dianis says. "The feet should also be an area of concern, which can be addressed by foot massage, because everything stems from there; the stretch is only truly complete when the therapist pulls through the client's toes."

Guarnuccio advises an even more hands-on approach.

"I would recommend that the massage therapist go for a hike or research the activity," he says. "The more the therapist knows about the type of stress the individual is putting on his or her body, the more the client will benefit from the work in the long run."

Jennifer Warren is an English teacher and a free-lance writer who specializes in health and fitness. She runs, hikes, cycles and swims regularly - and receives sports massage monthly.