Many people turn to massage when feeling muscle pain, tension and soreness to seek relief, correct the issue or for pain management. However, you may be wondering why it sometimes hurts after massage — when you thought this was supposed to make you feel better? Post massage muscle soreness is common to experience after receiving a deep tissue massage. Some clients begin to feel achy straight away, while most people tend to experience soreness the following day.
The muscle ache can last hours or days depending on the treatment, your body reaction and how well the ache is managed. Post massage muscle ache is mostly associated with remedial and sports massage where the intention of the treatment was to challenge muscular restrictions.
These treatments are designed to reset the default muscle state to restore movement, ease and relaxation. Muscle groups and tissue can get caught in a twist often requiring firm pressure to be applied during a massage treatment to coax them back into a relaxed, untwisted state. Usually the more chronic or stubborn the condition is the more depth needed to challenge it to get it moving.
Everyone has a unique body type and responds differently to a massage treatment. It is highly unlikely that you will be sore after a light, relaxing treatment such as Swedish massage. Many regular recipients of Deep Tissue, Sports and Remedial massage experience very little or no negative effects afterwards, whilst an irregular receiver using massage to remedy muscle pain, injury or chronic issue may experience a lot of discomfort.
Some massage therapists are better readers of the therapeutic edge and can use optimum speed, depth and direction of pressure. The common belief that you have to experience pain to receive a positive massage outcome is untrue. Breathing is the key. If you only want to have one treatment to achieve pain relief, you must inform your massage therapist so that they can use lighter pressure to ease the symptom rather than to challenge change in the muscles. Remedial massage works as a course of treatments.
