A question that I am asked a lot is how often should a person have a sports or deep tissue massage?
The answer to that varies for each individual.
Firstly, it depends why a person has come to see me. If it is for a recent injury then I would need to wait for inflammation to reduce before I can massage.
Once the tissue has begun to heal then massage can help support tissue repair by bringing more oxygen and nutrients to the tissue and removing waste products from the injured area, thus also reducing scar tissue build up. A reduction of excess scar tissue means better movement of the injured muscle once repaired.
In this case, massage may be beneficial to be delivered once a week, or at least once a fortnight, depending on a person’s budget and availability.
If I am treating someone for general maintenance and muscular tension, the greatest benefits come from a treatment at least once a month to six weeks (at the most).
We want to be able to work out the tension in the muscles. If you have a chronic condition then having a regular massage can help ‘retrain’ the muscles into behaving correctly and relieve tension. Back pain, for example, may be coming from tension or over development in the glutes (the buttock muscles) or the big thigh muscles (those hamstrings or quadriceps).
As well as massage working out tension in the muscles, and myself identifying areas of imbalance in my clients, it is important that people also follow a self-care routine. I like to advise stretches and exercises that people can do in between their massages and help to correct any imbalances.
How long will it take to feel an improvement after having a massage?
Most people will feel a sense of relaxation and the muscles feeling ‘easier’ after one treatment. (There may be some soreness if muscles have been particularly tense). However, from my experience and feedback from clients, it normally takes at least 3 treatments before people really start to notice a difference.
After 3 treatments, if people are feeling better, we can start to space out the treatments more to keep on top of things.
Massage has so many benefits and, while in my personal experience I have seen how effective the treatments can be, it has to be pointed out that it should be used as a complimentary treatment and not replace medical care.
For more about Wellness Lincs sports and deep tissue massage therapy click here.
Zoe