If you're an endurance athlete, you know how important it is to recover from your workouts and races. Holistic physical therapy treatments can optimize your recovery by focusing on your mind, body, and spirit.

Here are some common holistic physical therapy treatments designed to help endurance athletes recover faster.

Mind

Endurance workouts can tax the mind as much or more than the body. Holistic physical therapy treatments should soothe the mind to optimize recovery.

Tuned to Soothe: holistic physical therapy providers go out the way to make the physical therapy experience feel less like a series of sterile medical procedures and more like a healing and nurturing retreat. This paradigm shift begins with creating a new space to help create a different atmosphere. For instance, your holistic physical therapy provider is likely to create a space that looks like a massage studio. From warm paint colors to aromatherapy and relaxing ambient music, a holistic physical therapy provider should find ways to relax your mind before every treatment session.

Body

Holistic physical therapy treatment providers offer blended approaches to rehabilitation and recovery.

Layers of Care: endurance athletes often suffer chronic overuse injuries like tendonitis and bursitis. Although these issues can seem isolated, the root cause of most overuse injuries can be traced back to more systemic issues. For instance, if you're suffering chronic runner's knee symptoms, your holistic physical therapy treatment provider might begin by administering acupuncture to the muscles and tendons straining your neuromuscular system.  Once the rest of your body releases, your holistic physical therapist might massage and stretch your glutes, hamstrings, and calf muscles. Once these large muscles are unlocked, your holistic physical therapist might treat your painful knee. In addition to traditional treatments like electronic stimulation and anti-inflammatory balms, your holistic physical therapist can show you exercises and stretches to complete between your appointments.

Spirit

Maintaining your spirit during tough endurance workouts and races can mean the difference between success and failure.

Meditative methods: holistic physical therapy providers will also nurture your spirit. In many cases, they might begin or end a session with a brief meditative phase. From deep breathing to mindfulness exercises, spending a few moments to speak to the spirit that drives you to compete can prepare you to tackle your next challenge. As you become more comfortable with adding meditation to your physical therapy routine, you may begin to take a more holistic approach to your endurance racing and training.    

To learn more, contact a holistic physical therapy treatment provider.