04 April 2016 – I’m sure that by now you all know the amazing benefits of getting a sports massage, and have experienced these benefits first hand if you’ve been in for a massage with me, but sports massage is not always the most comfortable of experiences whilst it’s happening.
You will probably feel some discomfort and maybe even pain, depending on your own pain threshold and how tight your muscles are, during the treatment and also afterwards. Why can sports massage sometimes be painful? Sports massage is a form of deep tissue massage, so a great deal of pressure is put on the muscles in order to treat them.
This pressure can be uncomfortable. The more tense your muscles are, the more uncomfortable it is going to be because they cannot be stretched or manipulated as easily under the pressure of your sports massage therapist’s hands (or elbows!). The more relaxed you are going into a massage, the less discomfort you will feel, so regular massage, stretching and foam rolling will help you to loosen up your muscles and have a more comfortable experience.
You may also find that your muscles ache for a day or two after a sports massage. The muscles that were worked on during the massage may feel tender the next day in a similar way to how they ache after a tough gym session. There may also be some mild inflammation around the area but you should not have any bruising, even if you might feel like you are bruised.
A good sports massage is basically like a workout for the body as your muscles are being manipulated in ways that they might not be used to, and the increased rush of blood to the muscles and the toxins being flushed out can be causes of the pain you feel the next day.
- Good pain vs.
- Bad pain The discomfort you feel during and after a massage is completely normal and, on the whole, it means it is working.
- But a sports massage should never cause you so much pain that you feel the need to tense up in order to bear it.
- If your muscles are tense then they won’t be getting much of a benefit from the massage.
If you feel like the pain is too much, then talk to your massage therapist and ask them to apply a bit less pressure. The amount of pressure required will be different for each individual. If the aching in your muscles persists for more than a couple of days after the massage or if you develop any bruising afterwards, then it is advisable to see your doctor about this.
Will I hurt after a sports massage?
How Long Should You Rest After a Sports Massage? – At a minimum, you should rest for at least 24 hours after your massage to ensure your muscles have plenty of time to repair themselves. Post-massage soreness is completely normal after a sports massage, and your muscles may still feel tight after 48 hours, which is a sign they are still recovering.
How do you feel after sports massage?
What should I expect from a Sports Massage? 
What to expect at a sports massage One question I am often asked is “what should I expect from a Sports Massage”? It’s a great question, as talking to one of my clients on our second or third massage I actually found out that she didn’t know what to expect, that she was actually quite nervous and had in fact put it off for quite a while.
So to put your mind at rest, this is what will normally happen Your first Massage appointment. When you arrive at the clinic we will discuss the reason you have come in for treatment. So that we can get a better understanding of what the problem may be and what any contributing factors are I will ask you questions about any health issues you may have, medications you are taking, your lifestyle and previous injuries.
We will also talk about what you are hoping to achieve from your visit. The Massage. Once a case history has been completed you will be requested to remove appropriate items of outer clothing, I advise that you wear suitable underwear and can bring loose fitting shorts.
- You are always welcome to bring a chaperone with you to appointments.
- Most first appointments will include a postural assessment, ranges of movement and a visual / manual assessment of the area of pain.
- Massage is a manual therapy and I use cream or oil when treating.
- I use towels and cushions to make the treatment as comfortable as possible.
There are varying techniques used such deep tissue massage, muscle energy techniques and active/ passive stretching. The pressure can often be quite deep and may cause some discomfort but should never be too painful. I will also guide you through the treatment however, if at any point there is too much pressure just let me know and it will be adapted.
Some suitable remedial exercises and stretches may be shown at the end of the massage for you to complete in your own time. Who should go for a Sports Massage? Absolutely anyone! Massage can help with everyday aches and pains, postural imbalances, aid the recovery processes between training sessions, improve blood circulation and tissue pliability, prevent injury and enhance sporting performance.
You do not need to be an athlete or sports person to benefit from a sports massage. Deep Massage during pregnancy I am able to support mothers throughout their pregnancy journey with massage. Pregnancy can put a strain on the body, and massage can help to relieve aches and pains experienced, as well as supporting the body during changes.
Massage during pregnancy doesn’t always have to be about this, it can also provide a wonderful space to just switch off and have some ‘me’ time. I will be guided by you and your needs at each session and understand these can change during different stages of pregnancy. Does a Sports Massage hurt? Well, yes and no.
I will not have you trying to crawl off the couch to get away from me because when too much pressure is applied your natural response is to tense up, this means I am now treating your voluntary muscle tension (even if involuntary on your part) and not the problem area.
- But sometimes it helps if we can go in deep to get to the end result, and that may be a little sensitive, but it should not be unbearable.
- It is important that you talk to me and let me know what pressure is ok and when is enough.
- We will work together to get the best result as comfortably as possible for you.
Of course my massages can be pleasurable and relaxing too and at the clinic we do gets lots of positive feedback. Is there anything I should do after a Sports Massage? Rest and drink plenty of water!! Your muscles may be a little sore afterwards, especially the first time as they may not be used to being massaged.
Sports Massage can release toxins stored in your muscles into your bloodstream, and it is not uncommon for clients who do not drink plenty of water to feel a slight headache or very thirsty later that day, I normally advise that a patient should refrain from any vigorous exercise for 24 hours as your body will need to integrate the changes that have taken place as a result of the massage.
Listen to your body, if it feels like it needs a day off, give it one. Sports Massage is also sometimes called Deep Tissue Massage, Remedial Massage, Therapeutic Massage and Soft tissue Massage. So what are you waiting for? Give us a call on 01279 755994 – your muscles will thank you.
Do massages hurt the first time?
If you’ve ever had a massage before, then you would know that at times it can be a little painful. Some of us have a very low pain tolerance and others have a very high pain tolerance so that could be a good reason why some of us experience more pain during massages while others do not.
How long should a sports massage last?
Massage Therapy – How Long Does A Sports Massage Take? All these movements, like deep cross fiber resistance, are varies by muscle fiber, scar tissue break down and muscle tension relieving jostling is eliminated. A good sports massage therapist blends methods for the desired result.
Massages typically last 30 to 60 minutes for sports massages. Massage before a game is done just before a sportsman competes. This mainly consists of rapid inspection to relax and heat the muscles and tongue so that the muscles fluidly shift and muscle pressures are through. Effleurage is normally a soothing movement, but it is calming when done quickly.
The treatment progresses with the use of percussive stroking and cuping by the massage therapist to encourage muscles to contract and bend. The part of the body that is massaged differs from sport to sport, but muscle of the leg and back are typical targets of massage of this sort.
After the competition is over, massage usually takes 1–2 hours to give dilated blood vessels an opportunity to return to their normal condition. The treatment is soft and soothing after the activity so that the muscles that are already strained are not impaired. The objective is to accelerate the elimination and reduction of the swelling of toxic waste products.
Really soft scrub decreases inflammation, while medium scrumptiousness helps remove contaminants and relieves stressed, steep muscles. Many parts of the body, such as arms, may carry out a massage after a case. The preventive treatment is carried out at least once a week during practice for the athlete.
- It is often given to both the back and legs.
- Tone knotting are used to relax and tone muscles.
- To engage in a sports massage, no special arrangements are required.
- Athletes will wait 1–2 hours before a massage after the event.
- Massage may be a good way to treat some sports injuries, in particular muscle injuries.
Nevertheless, before you have an accident, you can contact a professional sports doctor or a sports medicine specialist for advice before doing any treatment. Massage can exacerbate certain ligament and joint injuries that require real estate and expert attention.
Persons with the following conditions and illnesses or disabilities should meet with the doctor before a sports massage, such as: acute infectious disease; aneurysm; severe bruising; cancer; hernia; high blood pressure; tissue injury inflammation; osteoporosis; phlebitis; varicose veins; and certain conditions in their skin.
Those who are drunk are not good sports massage prospects. It definitely takes 90 minutes to do a complete body massage. We take pride in your working with the organ and not only pace through a procedure due to a time constraint, but allows time for interaction, assessment, examination, relaxing (yes, honestly!).
Is it normal to cry during a massage?
Crying During a Massage: It’s Therapeutic – During a massage, the muscles and tissues experience an emotional release just as they experience a release of physical tension. This emotional release can manifest in several ways: a sigh, laughter, muscle twitching, or even tears.
- These emotional responses are common during massage therapy.
- Crying during a massage can be caused by high levels of stress, which are released during your massage; or even touch to a part of the body where you’ve stored the memory of emotional or physical trauma.
- This is often a natural and beneficial part of the massage process, as your body is able to let go of something it’s been holding onto in the form of pain or tension.
Welcome the release and you’ll realize the positive effects it has on your body. Tell us in the comments if you’ve ever cried during a massage, whether in a therapy room or in your massage chair, and if you felt improved afterward! Resources: Vanderbilt, S. About the Author David S. Lawhorn, PT, DPT Clinic Manager at the Center for Physical Therapy & Exercise David Lawhorn, Clinic Manager at the Center for Physical Therapy and Exercise, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, licensed by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).
What is the least painful massage?
– Shiatsu massage is best for people who want to feel relaxed and relieve stress, pain, and tension. It’s a Japanese type of massage that:
promotes emotional and physical calm and relaxationhelps relieve painmay relieve headachereduces muscle tensionimproves sleep and fatiguemay improve mood
A 2019 study found that shiatsu therapy combined with standard care for lower back pain improved symptoms and quality of life immediately after treatment. A 2018 study found that self-shiatsu significantly improved sleep quality and daytime fatigue in a group of young athletes with sports-related concussions.
Should you fall asleep during a massage?
– First things first, it’s ok to fall asleep during your massage! It’s your body’s way of getting into a deep relaxation, and a sign that you were due for some extra self-care time. Often times as we are going about our daily lives we feel we must remain alert and vigilant, especially living in a big city.
- Falling asleep during you massage means you felt comfortable enough to let your guard down and trust in the skilled hands of your massage therapist.
- Initially, it may feel difficult to quiet your thoughts and unwind, but when you do, it is an indication of a very successful session.
- If you are mid-massage and you realize you have fallen asleep, that’s great! No need to wake yourself up.
Eastside Massage founder Robin Ehrlich says, “This is a very restorative and rejuvenating type of sleep. It’s a restorative nap for your nervous system, and very healing.” Plus, you are still receiving all of the benefits of massage while dozing off. “This is a very restorative and rejuvenating type of sleep.
- It’s a restorative nap for your nervous system, and very healing.” Lastly, don’t stress about offending your massage therapist.
- They take pride in their ability to relax their clients.
- In fact, a sleeping client is a sign that they are doing a great job at helping you unwind! Your massage therapist will take your snoozing as a compliment.
Now that you know all about getting those zzz’s during a massage, enjoy Festival of Sleep Day and schedule your next massage to fall asleep to! If you have any massage related questions you would like to tackle send us an email at [email protected] and you may be featured in our next blog post! : Falling Asleep During Your Massage
Why does pressing on muscle knots feel good?
How to treat and prevent muscle knots – Johnson shares these tips for treating and preventing muscle knots: Use heat and/or ice to treat a sore muscle, You can alternate between heat and ice packs or focus on whichever one seems to bring you more relief.
- Get a massage,
- There are many types of massage: Swedish, myofascial release, deep tissue and more.
- Johnson specializes in myofascial release and believes it can be especially helpful for muscle knots.
- In the myofascial release theory, we look at connective tissue as being one system around and through each muscle,” he explains.
“Our bodies can develop tightness or restrictions in the connective tissue system, and that can affect the muscles in that area or away from that area.” A trained massage therapist can identify not only any obvious muscle knots, but also latent trigger points that may be causing pain.
- Latent trigger points are not actively tender when you’re doing things, but when you palpate them, you can feel them,” he says.
- Deep-tissue massage can also be helpful, while a Swedish massage may or may not relieve a tough muscle knot.
- Apply pressure to trigger points,
- This can be part of therapeutic treatment from a trained professional, or you can also try it yourself at home.
“Just put pressure on the trigger point or knot for 5 to 10 seconds, and then release it. When a muscle is tight like that, it can limit blood flow in that area. The theory is when you put pressure on it you’re limiting blood flow to the knot, and when you release the pressure, more blood flows in,” he explains.
The increased blood flow can help the muscle relax. Use self-massage tools, Sometimes your hand just isn’t sufficient for working out a muscle knot, especially if it’s in a hard-to-reach spot. Johnson suggests using a tennis ball or a J-shaped tool called a Thera Cane to apply deeper pressure to trigger points.
A foam roller can also be used to ease muscle tension. Don’t forget to stretch, It’s a good idea to stretch after you work on a knot and as part of your regular routine to prevent future muscle knots from developing. “Whether you’re an athlete or an office worker or a painter, anything you can do to counterbalance that repetitive motion can make the body work better and reduce pain,” Johnson says.
- However, the most common form of stretching — reaching to end range for 10 to 15 seconds — is not always effective, he notes.
- Instead, stretching only part way and then holding it for 3 to 5 minutes “causes a whole different response in the body,” he says.
- If you’re not sure about the best stretches for your body, ask fitness center staff, a physical therapist or a massage therapist for suggestions.
To alleviate tension from hunching over a desk all day, Johnson suggests using a foam roller to open up the front of the body, which is often where back pain originates. Lay on a foam roller, with your knees bent and the roller positioned vertically along your spine from your tailbone to your head, and stretch your arms out to the side.
“Start with your arms by your side, then slowly move your arms away from your body, pausing when you feel slight resistance,” he says. “Really pay attention to the feel of the pull into your trunk. And if you feel any pull, that’s where you wait until it softens. The more you do that, the more it will open up the chest/front of the body.” Stick a needle in it,
Or rather, have a professional do it. Dry needling, which is offered by UW Health’s Sports Medicine and UW Health Spine Physical Therapy, is a technique done by some physical therapists that uses small, thin needles to trigger muscle relaxation. Doctors can sometimes also offer injections of medicine at a trigger point (otherwise known as “wet” needling).
Give it time, A single massage or home session with a tennis ball might not be enough to work out a persistent knot. “Sometimes one to two treatments are all that’s needed. Muscle knots that are shorter lasting and acute tend to require shorter treatment; others that are more chronic typically take longer to treat,” he says.
“For someone who has repetitive stress, if their body has really changed into that pattern, it’s going to take a little longer for their body to get out of the pattern.”
Should I shave before a massage?
Is Shaving Required Before Getting a Massage? – If you have ever wondered, “should I shave before a massage”, you wouldn’t be the first person to ask! Week after week, we have clients apologizing for not shaving before their appointment. We have good news for those clients! It’s not necessary to shave prior to getting a massage.
Is it bad to leave muscle knots?
– Untreated muscle knots can cause chronic pain and lead to other health issues. See your health care provider if you’ve taken measures to relieve your muscle pain, but it persists. You should also call your doctor if pain becomes severe and is interfering with your daily life and well-being.
It’s possible that what seems like a muscle knot could be something else, such as a swollen lymph node, Usually there will be other symptoms that accompany a swollen lymph node, such as a cold, cough, or infection. Check with a doctor, physical therapist, or osteopath if you want to make sure it’s a muscle knot and not something else.
They can determine possible causes for the pain.
How long after a sports massage do you feel better?
What to Expect From Your First Sports Massage? – What to expect from your first sports massage- let us be honest here, a well-executed sports massage is far from the dimly lit pamper session that you would experience at a spa. It will probably be uncomfortable, quite possibly painful but most importantly, it will work.
Designed in its entirety for the physically active, a sports massage incorporates techniques from other massage styles to become an entity that works to provide a deep and rehabilitating process that manipulates the soft tissue to prevent injury, elevate muscle or tendon pain or rid the soft tissue of any stress they are holding on to.
Extremely beneficial to athletes, gym goers or even those that are desk bound between 9-5, a sports massage experience will vary from person to person depending on what their injuries or aggravations are. Sports Massages can be split into 4 categories; Pre-Event – Designed to stimulate, this massage will focus on the areas of the body that will be exerted during the activity.
Typically given 15-45 minutes before the event. Post Event – Received within 2 hours of undertaking the activity, it aids the tissues to normalise. Restorative – Often received regularly whilst training for an event or for those looking to improve their personal bests and train harder. Restorative sports massage works to enable further training by preventing injury.
Rehabilitative – Serves to alleviate pain from an injury and return the affected tissue to normal. Just like the experience will vary, the reasons that people decide on a sports massage will vary. It may be that they have ongoing conditions such as tight calves from running, or tense shoulders from sitting at a desk or have sustained a recent injury from a sprain or an accident, even those that have recently undergone recent surgery opt for treatment; sports massages are also often by those that suffer from migraines and tension headaches.
Unlike a full body massage, it is likely that the therapist will focus on specific areas of the body once an assessment has been carried out prior to the treatment. A client assessment will include a range of exercises that will allow your therapist to observe your posture & symmetry, flexibility and mobility of the muscles and joints along with your range of movements through passive, resistive and active movements.
Be aware that when the massage starts – that’s when things will get interesting! The therapist is trained to find your pain threshold, and work just below it whilst advising on your breathing techniques to manage any discomfort. Sports Massage predominantly uses myofascial release techniques to stretch the fascia; a hollow fibrous network of connective tissue made of elastin and collagen that surrounds the organs, bones, muscles and tendons within the body.
Poor posture and physical trauma can cause the fascia to become hard and lose elasticity, resulting in a decrease in flexibility; manipulating and stretching it during a sports massage will relax the fascia and tissue it surrounds to regain the flexibility and motion. Other advanced techniques that will be used include – Trigger Point Work – trigger points are a natural part of the muscle and can directly cause pain without explanation.
By using cycles of isolated pressure and release it is possibilities to get rid of the trigger points. Muscle Energy – This technique often uses an active contraction of the muscle against a resistive source and is mainly used to stretch, strengthen and relax tight postural muscles.
- Soft Tissue release – Designed to stretch localised areas of tendons, fascia and muscles that are tight.
- The tissue and direction of its fibres will be identified, then the either active, passive or weight bearing technique will be applied.
- But this list is not exhaustive and techniques that work in synergy with the nervous system may also be used.
Your body will undergo trauma during a sports massage, and while it’s likely you will feel a bit sore for a few days, you may also feel cold, thirsty and a faint as your body works to metabolize the waste products removed from the soft tissue. Drinking plenty of water and taking a warm bath will aid this process.
Those suffering from any viral infection are advised not to receive a sports massage whilst ill. A sports massage will stimulate the circulation and lymphatic system and can cause the virus to spread in the body. It usually takes 24-48 hours to feel the full effect of a sports massage after which you should feel comfortable, rejuvenated and refreshed.
Further information can be found on our page or by contacting us, : What to Expect From Your First Sports Massage? –