From my perspective as an Olympic athlete (’96 Sprint Kayak) and manual therapist, one of the most exciting results of Delos Therapy is enhanced athletic performance. My goal as a therapist is to help clients overcome any musculoskeletal obstacles to achieving their peak performance. Pain, which is linked to muscle tightness more often than not, is one obvious obstacle. Another common and related obstacle is chronically contracted muscle tissue — even if under the radar of pain receptors.
Why bother with something that doesn’t hurt? As I sit here writing this, my quadriceps don’t hurt at all. But when I press into them, I encounter hardened tissue. This is how I know that the muscle fibers and fascia of my quadriceps are in a chronically contracted state, all day, every day. As a therapist, this condition alerts me to watch for knee and hip pain. As an athlete, I’m thinking of all the unavailable potential in my quadriceps.
When muscle fibers are not free to undergo their full cycles of contraction and relaxation, this leads to decreased function and weakness. Fatigue will set in faster during endurance work. There is limited strength for explosive demands. While the tissue is tight, it will inhibit any further strengthening. Furthermore, the weakness in one area will place more demand on surrounding muscles, which can cause even more risk of dysfunction and injury.
With Delos treatments, bound up muscle tissue is freed from its hardened, contracted state, making a higher percentage of fibers available for recruitment. Delos therapists have worked with numerous professional athletes who experience frustrating plateaus in their performance and then achieve personal records after treatments without any additional effort or training – a testament to the power of more fully functioning muscle tissue.
- Getting My Mobility Back: Jane - September 9, 2021
- My Summer Bike Trip Without Hip Pain: Terri - August 30, 2020
- Ski Accident Shoulder Injury: Jessica - April 8, 2020