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How Often Should You Get a Massage?

How Often Should You Get a Massage?
Every day! Well, maybe that’s not practical, even though it would be nice. This is one of the most common questions clients ask about massage therapy, and it really all depends on WHY you get massages. Do you get massages for health benefits? Or, to help you relax and handle the stress of everyday life? Most likely it’s a combination of the two, so let’s look at some of the most common reasons to get regular massages:
Relaxation & Stress Relief
One of the very best reasons to get a massage is for relaxation. Relaxation massage helps to support your body, including blood circulation and flexibility of joints. Regular massage can help prevent pain, muscle tension, and stress points from building up and causing problems. Why wait until you have a problem to get a massage? Massage is perfect for preventing issues with your tissues. Relaxation massage is usually recommended at least once per month, or as often as you want! There may be times in your life where you experience higher levels of stress and more muscle tension than normal. It is especially important to practice good self-care during these times. When we “don’t have time” for a massage, is usually when we need one the most. Make yourself a priority even during
stressful times, your health is worth it. If you are in a high-stress job or you work in an environment where you stay in a certain position for a long period of time (at a computer for example), you may begin to develop tight or “knotted” muscles. This will frequently occur in your shoulders, arms, and back. All of this increased muscle tension will
make movement harder and can cause a great deal of pain. Regular massage can help to keep you loosened up and will help to prevent pain and stiffness.
Living with high levels of stress for a prolonged amount of time increases the risk of contracting heart disease and other diseases. It has been estimated that 75 – 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems. The good news is, massage can help! Just knowing your massage is coming up in a few days can help to relieve stress, and a massage every 2-4 weeks will help  with stress related tension.
Sports Recovery
Are you a weekend warrior, or do you just like to stay in shape? Either way, massage can help with sports performance and recovery. Many athletes and physically active people receive sports massage because it enhances their performance, prevents injury, and speeds up their muscles’ recovery. Competitive sports can put a lot of stress on a person’s muscles! Research conducted at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging at McMaster University in Ontario shows that massage reduces inflammation and stimulates the growth of new mitochondria, the energy-producing units in the cells, after strenuous
exercise. This means that massage can help relieve pain, build muscles and help with muscle recovery too! For these benefits it is recommended that you get a massage up to three times a week or at least three times a month.
Chronic Health Conditions
People with ongoing health issues often find massage very helpful to alleviate symptoms. Chronic health problems that greatly benefit from massage therapy include back pain, joint pain, and localized inflammation. If you get therapy for specific issues, the frequency of getting massage therapy varies with the type of condition you have and how severe it is. Relief from pain can usually be achieved with 2-4 massage sessions per month. Your massage therapist will work with you to help you get on the best schedule for your body.
Pregnancy
Pregnant women can greatly benefit from massage therapy! Prenatal massage and is popular among expectant mothers, who often experience a lot of aches and pains as their pregnancy progresses. Many women suffer from back pain, hip & sciatic pain, headaches, and tired legs & feet. But you don’t have to, a certified massage therapist can help to relieve those discomforts. Going to your massage therapist once or twice a month can help with the symptoms caused by pregnancy, and it can even help you sleep better. Of course, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor and your massage therapist to ensure that you don’t have any pregnancy related conditions that would contraindicate massage therapy for you. Most women experiencing a healthy pregnancy can and
should enjoy regular massage sessions.

Do you suffer from Tech (Text) Neck?

Generally, the symptoms of tech neck include: shoulder pain, headaches, numbness in your arms, numbness in your fingers, and neck stiffness. Massage therapy can drastically reduce and help limit frequency and intensity of neck and shoulder pain. Aside from the relaxation aspect of massage, the therapy can stretch and elongate contracted neck/shoulder muscles leaving them more supple and resilient giving more range of motion.
Massage therapy does not need to be your last resort and can be used in conjunction with other commonly used remedies.

Suffering from headaches?

Don’t let headaches and chronic pain slow you down this summer. Massage therapy can limit intensity and frequency of both muscle pain and headaches.
What do you have to lose but the pain?

What can you expect from a massage if you are in pain?

“If you’re in pain, what can you expect from massage? Will you get better right away? How often should you get massage for persistent pain?
All good questions! Massage is rarely a matter of “fixing.” If you come in with back pain that’s been getting progressively worse for 3 months, it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to make it better in a single session. Pain is a complex thing, created by your habits, the work that you do, and your past and present injuries. It’s also strongly influenced by things like stress and mindset. Not an easy thing to change in a single afternoon!
It’s more likely that pain relief will come over the course of weeks or months. As massage becomes a part of your life, your body will come to the slow realization that it doesn’t need so much habitual tension, and that it can safely turn down the “volume knob” on your pain. This can even be true for structural problems, like knee and hip osteoarthritis. Many recent studies have shown substantial benefit for arthritis sufferers just from plain old feel-good Swedish massage. Less pain, more range of motion, and greater function, just from making massage a part of your routine.
What can you expect after your first massage? You should feel a little better. You might have a few more degrees of motion in your painful shoulder, or fewer spasms in your low back. You should sleep better that night, and the effects can last for several days. As you continue your daily routine, the pain will likely creep back in.
So why get massage at all? Because with each massage, the effects should build. After your 4th massage, the pain will drop considerably, and it won’t return to the same levels that it started at. After the 8th, you might have difficulty remembering what your old pain felt like. There will be ups and downs, but the overall trend should be “down.”
The effects of regular massage are long-lasting. In studies that used a 12-week protocol of weekly massage, the effects stuck around for at least 6 months after the final massage (though the benefits do start slowly dropping off).
How often should you get massage? Most of the studies that show substantial benefits use a weekly protocol, but I’ve seen good results from twice-monthly massage. If you’re in pain, I’d recommend starting with weekly massage for about four weeks, and then tapering off as you recover. I know that massage is expensive, so start with what you can! Just realize that frequency and regularity are big factors in the success of the treatment regimen.
If you’d like to schedule a massage, you can click on the “Book Now” button above to see my current availability and reserve a spot on my schedule. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon!”