Running is a great physical activity to shed some extra pounds, improve cardiovascular function, and boost both mental and cognitive health. However, running can also trigger short-term stress on the body, such as muscle aches, ankle inflammation, and weak knees. To ensure a quick recovery time, there are a variety of wellness services we recommend for runners, including the following. Mobility Stretching Stretching isn’t just a warm-up activity. It also plays a crucial role for athletes after and between runs. And there’s a professional wellness service for this very purpose: mobility stretching. Mobility stretching differs from the regular stretching you do on your own. Rather than emphasizing flexibility, mobility stretching focuses on improving the range of motion of the joints for more efficient movement. When opting for mobility stretching service, runners can improve their joint health, prevent future injuries, and boost their athletic performance. This wellness service can also improve a runner’s overall mobility, even outside of working out. Red Light Therapy Achy muscles and joints after a run can lead to a few days of downtime, not just on an athletic level but in one’s daily life. Fortunately, red light therapy helps alleviate inflammation and soreness, which often appear after a long run. Red light therapy also supports the healing of muscles, tendons, and joints. By boosting oxygen-rich blood circulation and collagen production, this wellness service can enhance the recovery of microtears in the muscles, plantar fasciitis, and Achilles tendonitis triggered or worsened by running. Percussion Therapy Tight, sore muscles can be relieved with percussion therapy, which provides direct vibrations to the affected area with a massage gun. For runners, percussion therapy is often used on the calves, hamstrings, or hip flexors. Percussion therapy is great for targeting stiff, sore, and overworked muscles by clearing out the buildup of waste products like lactic acid in the affected muscles. It can also improve blood flow, release tightness, which can later lead to injuries, and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to reduce stress-induced muscle tension. Cryotherapy The cold temperatures of cryotherapy can be applied to just the legs or the entire body to help runners achieve a variety of benefits. Cryotherapy can help with swelling accumulated in the knees and ankles, reduce muscle soreness, and improve blood circulation after running. Runners dealing with new or chronic conditions like plantar fasciitis, runner’s knee, or shin splints also often opt for cryotherapy for pain relief and improved healing time. Cupping Cupping is a wellness service which has been around for thousands of years. Despite its ancient roots, cupping therapy still manages to be a popular service for athletes, including runners, and has been proven to be effective in helping the body heal itself. In the case of runners, cupping glasses can be applied directly to the legs to improve blood circulation to the affected muscles, encourage waste removal, break up tightness and knots in the muscle tissue, and reduce post-workout inflammation. Are you interested in giving one of these wellness services a try? Contact Recovery Lab today to get your first appointment on our schedule.