April 2nd, 2014 • Posted by Enlightened Earth Healing • Permalink
How frequently should you get a massage? It's a great question and the answer all depends on what you're getting a massage for. Message therapy has many applications. From pain management to stress relief, the reasons for a massage vary just as the frequency does. It's best to work out a treatment plan, but here are a few general rules of thumb to learn from.
Relaxation: 1-2 times a month
A deep tissue massage can wipe away the stress of long workdays, daily chores and hectic schedules. If you can swing in to receive a massage one to two times a month for a relaxing massage, you'll be in good shape. You should request an hour-long session. If you're having a particularly stressful month an additional session won't hurt.
Acute Injury: 2 times a week to start
A lot of athlete's battle acute injuries like a pulled or strained muscle. For this kind of injury you'll want to come in for a session twice a week, at least for the first week. That first week is all about reducing pain, but after that it's about healing. After one week it's likely the muscle is still injured so you should follow up with deep tissue massages once a week after the pain subsides. The deep tissue massage helps in the healing process and should be continued for two to three weeks.
Chronic Pain Management: 2 times a week to start
Massage therapy is a great way to deal with chronic pain, like headaches and back pain. When it comes to chronic pain, frequency varies from person to person. It really depends on the level of pain you're in. You can start out with twice a week sessions for a few weeks and then decrease your visits and see if your pain stays away in between appointments. If it does, you can space massages out more but if the pain persists, stick with twice a week for a bit longer.
Remember, chronic pain management is all about consistency. Each visit builds on the next and so on, so if you skip an appointment or only show up when you're in immense pain, you won't benefit from massage therapy.
We may want to try various kinds of massage to see which kind works best, so expect a period of adjustment if you're treating chronic pain with massage therapy. Once we have found the right technique and frequency the benefits can be substantial.
Other Treatments
Massage therapy is also used for workout recovery, depression and anxiety treatment and prenatal health. For the best advice on these uses or for more information about the benefits of massage, don't hesitate to ask.
