High Altitude Sports Massage

I have been developing a body of work over the past ten year here in Flagstaff designed for people living, training & visiting at high altitude.

This type of massage and bodywork includes techniques I have studied with Jon Hart from the East West College of Healing Arts in Portland, OR, as well as Leon Chaitow from the UK, and modified techniques from Erik Dalton's Myoskeletal Alignment.

The work often looks very similar to deep tissue massage, the difference is the intent has shifted. We may do the same work to bring back the head over the shoulders, to defeat some of the painful effects of gravity, at the same time releasing the upper chest breathing pattern, allowing for more abdominal breathing.

Specific techniques are then recommended for the client to take home. Breathing pattern re-education, get into some breathing classes, get some tapes, etc. Just pay attention to how breathing makes you feel?

Athletes training at altitude often call on the low back muscle to expel the breath in labored breathing. If there happens to be an overload on this muscle due to a contralateral (opposite side) inhibition of glute medius/minimus, this will add extra strain in to said low back. Catch my drift, so we look at the system of breathing, where I live, as a potential pain generator as well.

Until next time...Stay Tuned.