How Often Should I Get a Massage?
This is a question that we get asked quite often. The truth is, it varies. Depending on what your goals and needs are can change the frequency that is best for you. So, the question is: why am I getting massage and how do I feel? There are three main reasons why people come in for massages: stress management, pain reduction, and athletic performance. So, it’s best to address each individually when considering setting a frequency.
Stress Management
Whether your lifestyle is super high stress or you’re ‘cool as a cucumber’ massage is a great way to keep tension at bay. Tension builds up any time that stressors (physical or mental) enter our body. Having a massage is a great way to help ‘erase the slate’ for a while so that your body and mind can better handle these hurdles when they arise. Just knowing that your massage appointment is coming can help coping with hard times a little easier. In these cases, once or twice a month is ideal for stress management, relaxation, and good health.
Pain Reduction
Working with pain is a bit trickier to pin down a time frequency. This is mainly because of the unknown aspect of how long or how short the recovery from symptoms takes. Chronic pain can take longer to receive relief from depending on how long it has been ongoing. Acute pain from a recent injury should begin to taper off as the injury heals. In the initial phases, one or two times a week may be needed, then every week, then every other week allowing the sessions to taper off as the discomfort is alleviated and the body is healing more effectively. The massage therapist or chiropractor who is overseeing your progress will make recommendations for you to determine what frequency is best for you, but the concept is that this should be a step- down frequency as your pain decreases.
Athletic Performance
This is going to vary greatly as well. Depending on the sport that you participate in, the time of the year (training season or playing season, etc.), and what your goals are. Often it is best to consult a coach or medical trainer in conjunction with your massage therapist to pick a frequency that meets your needs.
At the end of the day, the point is that massage is most effective when repeated regularly just like most healthy things in life like dental checkups, exercising, eating healthy, and even showering. Massage should be part of your regular healthcare routine in order to promote effective wellness. At Body Logic, we are prepared to help you with maintaining a regular massage program with our membership program. Members get discounted rates and courtesy scheduling calls each month to make meeting your wellness goals easier. Ask the front desk at your next visit or call 757-427-0355 for more information.