NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Close to 47,000 runners have spent the past several months training for the ING New York City Marathon. Once they have completed the race and achieved their goals, there are measures they can take to facilitate recovery, decrease post-race discomfort, and return to running without injury.

Eating immediately after the marathon, icing sore muscles, and having a gentle massage are only a few of the tips that Michael Silverman, PT, MSPT, physical therapist from the Rehabilitation Department at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, offers runners who cross the finish line.

"Marathoners have to pay close attention to their bodies so they don't injure themselves," says Silverman. "Training should have provided runners with a good idea of how their body works. Runners should take everything they've learned in that time and apply it to taking proper care of their body after the marathon--they will feel better, faster."

The following are marathon recovery tips from Silverman on ways to bounce back from a marathon:

"Feeling sore after a marathon is normal; but pain and swelling are the body's ways of indicating that something is wrong," says Brian Halpern, M.D., a primary care sports medicine physician at Hospital for Special Surgery and author of Men's Health Best Sports Medicine Handbook. "The best way to handle almost every sports injury is the RICE method, which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation."

On Monday, November 5, experts from Hospital for Special Surgery will also lead the ING New York City Marathon Monday Recovery event at the Marathon Pavilion. They will discuss different post-race recovery approaches, stretching and provide consultations. For more information on this event, log on to http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/shop/Marathon_Monday.htm.

Hospital for Special Surgery is the Official Hospital of New York Road Runners for the ING New York City Marathon.

About Hospital for Special Surgery Founded in 1863, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is a world leader in orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation. HSS is nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics, No. 3 in rheumatology, and No. 10 in neurology, by U.S.News & World Report (2012-13), and has received Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and has one of the lowest infection rates in the country. From 2007 to 2011, HSS has been a recipient of the HealthGrades Joint Replacement Excellence Award. A member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and an affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS provides orthopedic and rheumatologic patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. All Hospital for Special Surgery medical staff are on the faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College. The hospital's research division is internationally recognized as a leader in the investigation of musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. Hospital for Special Surgery is located in New York City and online at http://www.hss.edu.

About NYRR New York Road Runners was founded in 1958 when a small group of passionate runners vowed to bring running to the people. Over the past 54 years, NYRR has grown from a local running club to the world's premier community running organization. NYRR's mission is to empower everyone, of all ages and abilities--beginners and competitive athletes, the young and the elderly, adult professionals and underserved schoolchildren--to improve their health and well-being through the power of running and fitness.

NYRR's races, community events, instruction and training resources, and youth programs give hundreds of thousands of people each year the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to start running and keep running for life. NYRR's premier event, the famed ING New York City Marathon, attracts the world's top pro runners and committed amateurs alike while also raising millions of dollars annually for charity and driving economic impact for the City. But NYRR is equally committed to the runners of tomorrow, passionately providing youth fitness programs that educate and inspire more than 100,000 kids in underserved communities in New York City, all 50 states, and around the world.

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Sports Medicine Experts Offer Tips To Help Post-Marathon Recovery