Should I hurt after a Massage?
I’ve been practicing massage for more than 9 years and have been asked this question many times: Should I hurt after I get a massage? My answer is that sometimes soreness does occur. There can be several reasons for this. One, you may feel sore if you don’t receive massage on a consistent basis. Another reason could be overuse of muscles that have built up lactic acid and the effects of massage will cause soreness from that being released from the muscle. If you have taken any pain relievers prior to your massage, your tolerance for pain is much higher at that time. You may ask for deeper pressure because it feels good at the time, but once the effects of that wear off, you are likely to feel sore. I’ve also had clients tell me they received a massage years ago and they “couldn’t move” or “hurt really bad” for days after that. That experience left them afraid to receive another massage for a very long time. I encourage everyone receiving a massage that if you feel pain that is not tolerable during your session, speak up and tell your therapist. Many people are afraid to and I can’t say enough that you really need to do this during your session. The massage is for you, not your therapist. Communication is very important. Massage has so many benefits that when I hear people are afraid to try it again because of a bad experience, I am disappointed. I feel if you have the right massage therapist, you should be comfortable with them and they will be experienced enough to ask about pressure and discuss any concerns or fears you might have.
If soreness does occur this is usually from a deep tissue massage. If you have fears of hurting after a massage, be very clear to your therapist that you would like a swedish massage. If you receive the swedish style of massage and don’t feel results, work your way up with pressure. Be the boss of your massage. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to come across bold and demanding, but do be honest with your thoughts and feelings in a courteous way.
Massage should be part of everyone’s health and wellness program. Depending on your stress level, your activity level and any chronic pain issues you have, massage can be helpful once a week, once every few weeks or once a month.
Turn 2 Massage provides mobile massage and chair massage in Atlanta. Please check out our website.
People always ask “does it really make a difference if I drink water after a massage”? And the answer is yes, I would encourage everyone to drink plenty of water after a massage. This helps to flush out built up toxins in the body.
