Be aware of what your body is telling you and listen to it!
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| How many massages should I get? |
There is no such thing as too many massages to be had but, considering that most of us don't have an endless supply of time or money, figuring out a massage plan is important. First of all focus in on what your desired result is. Are you recovering from a surgery or an injury? Have you been having chronic pain from a possible pinched nerve or have you been just completely stressed out and need to relax? Maybe none of the above applies and you are simply wanting to know often you should get a massage to help prevent any of these problems from happening in the first place. Read on to explore various reasons for getting massages and how often it is reasonable that you should find yourself on a massage table to obtain your desired results.
- Injury/Surgery: Injury rehab is one of our specialties! What happens when you are injured or have surgery is that scar tissue will develop in that area. More scar tissue develops than is necessary for the injured area. This impedes movement and can also irritate surrounding nerves. As we all know, irritated nerves are not any fun! Massage therapy can break up and loosen excess scar tissue. The combination of stretching and massage will also bring the area back into a normal range of motion, which can prevent further problems that often develop over time if the situation is ignored. Usually clients see results when they receive a professional massage to the area at least once a week and continue their own self massage with myofascial release tools such a tennis ball or foam roller daily, as well as stretching themselves often. Each person is unique as to how long an injured area takes to completely recover. The more attention is given to recovery, the speedier it will be!
- Pinched Nerve/Nerve Impingement: A common place for this to happen is in the upper body area, especially around the neck and shoulder area and also the wrist. There is a lot of mobility and a few tight spaces that these nerves have to run through. That combination can cause inflammation, tightening and impinge the nerves running through them. If you have ever had a pinched nerve, you know how painful it can be. Eventually the pain spreads as the tendons and muscles around the irritation also become inflamed, or what I like to call "grumpy". What started out as a neck pain, often turns into a shoulder pain or even a pain running all the way down your arm. In this case, icing the area can help, as well as getting a massage to calm and relax the grumpy areas. Putting pressure directly on a pinched nerve is not helpful, but light stretching and massaging the areas around the impingement can relax the muscles that are contributing to the discomfort. I have had clients receive one massage and immediately feel better (which is super fun!), but often that night or next day, the pain comes back. So, what I tell clients it to pay attention to how long the relief lasted and as soon as the pain starts resurfacing, come back in for another massage. Usually what happens is that the pain relief last longer and longer and eventually disappears. Again, each person is unique in how long it takes to experience relief.
- Relaxation: This is the most underestimated reason for getting a massage! Only a few truly understand the importance to our health of regularly being in a state of relaxation. It is so important for the heart rate to go down, blood pressure to reduce and happy inducing endorphins to flow through your body. So many of us are constantly stressed out and that stress takes it's toll on our health. Get as many massages as possible for the simple reason of relaxation. Do not consider it a luxury. It is a great addition to a preventative wellness routine.
- Maintenance: This is another area that is unique to each person. After your massage pay attention to how you feel. Notice areas of your body that feel looser, more relaxed and have an overall feeling of wellness. Now each day, pay close attention to how your body is feeling. Is it starting to feel tight again? Are you not feeling as relaxed as the day before? Some people get a massage and feel great all week long and then the tension creeps back in. For some it's two weeks and others it's a month before they notice feeling cruddy again. This careful attention to how you're feeling is the key to how often you should get a maintenance massage.
Rather you are seeking a massage for injury rehab, surgery recovery, pain relief, stress reduction or just to maintain overall wellness, the important thing to remember is to be aware of what your body is telling you and listen to it. Consistency in your wellness plan is the key to success! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you on your journey to wellness.
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