How Often Should I Get A Massage

How often should I get a massage, is one of the most common client questions I get. There’s a few different factors that you need to think about as the client. In this blog post I’m going to go over the most common I situations I come across in my office. 

Why are you getting a massage? 

The why is important to know. This is going to help you figure out a good time frame between massage appointments. So let’s go over some of the most common reasons why someone is getting a massage. 

General Wellness

General relaxation. Clients that are looking to just chill out and take a nap on the table don’t need to come in as often. They are just looking to decompress from the general stresses of life. These clients tend to book a Swedish massage. The time between sessions is around 4-6 weeks. These clients are usually looking to 

• Quite the mind
• Improve sleep quality 
• Calm the nervous symptom 
• Relive general muscle tension 

This type of session helps everyone feel refreshed and relaxed.

Current Injury 

Healing from a current injury. This can be a few different situations. Here are a few examples of what I mean. Recent surgery, auto accident, work related injury, etc. For these types of clients I first ask that they get cleared by their doctor first. If you’re in physical therapy (PT) and or occupational therapy (OT) currently. Massage therapy is generally fine to add into your routine. How often you should get a massage is going to depend on your PT/OT schedule if you have one. I find for clients that need to work around other appointments they tend to be able to manage once a week. However, I still like to pay close attention to how the client is feeling after sessions. More is not always better. It’s a delicate balance of breaking up, scaring just enough to get some good blood flow to the damaged tissue. But not too much that you’re in too much pain for multiple days. It’s important that as the client you pay attention to how you are feeling after the session, so that adjustments to the treatment and scheduling can be made. Clients healing from an injury usually schedule one of these types of bodywork.

• Deep tissue massage
• Myofascial release 
• Cupping 

All three of these are detailed focused work, and can bring extra blood flow to the injured area to help speed up the healing process.

Chronic Pain

Clients that have chronic pain tend to make massage therapy as part of their wellness routine. The types of chronic pain I work with in my office a lot are:

• TMJ
• Autoimmune conditions 
• Migraines
• Scoliosis  
• Joint replacements 
• Fibromyalgia

These clients tend to have a team of different professionals they work with such as acupuncturist, chiropractor, physical therapist. Again just like the client who’s working through a current injury. We need to work around other appointments. How often you should get a massage really depends on your current level of chronic pain. How long a massage benefits can last can range from one to six weeks. Usually I find that clients who’ve learned how to manage flare ups can go longer between sessions.  Clients that are in a current flare up may need to come in weekly till their symptoms are under more control. Here are some of the signs you may want to think about getting a massage more often.

• Massage only lasts a few day
• Trouble sleeping due to chronic pain
• Extra tension in your muscles 

Types of sessions

Here are some suggestions on which type of bodywork to pick based on how well you tolerate pressure and level of chronic inflammation in the soft tissue. 

Manual lymphatic drainage is a good option for clients who are dealing with a lot of visible swelling. This service I’m manual pumping the extra fluid to help decrease swelling. The work is very light and gentle. Perfect for someone who can not tolerate too much pressure

Another option for lighter touch work is craniosacral therapy. This helps to give your nervous system a reboot. The touch is super light. About the weight of a nickel. The whole session is done face up fully dressed. Perfect option for someone with mobility issues, who also can not tolerate too much pressure.    

For those that like and can tolerate deeper work. Deep tissue massage is focused on the area(s) that are giving you the most trouble. Oil and cream are used to help glide over the skin. 

Myofascial release is slightly deeper work than the deep tissue massage. Male clients need to wear workout shorts. Female clients need a sports bra and workout shorts. No oil or massage cream is used. This way I can get a deeper grip on the soft tissue. There can also be many position changes on the table. 

Cupping is usually added to the deep tissue massage session. I ask the clients to pick having the back or legs done. I glide the cups around trouble areas. This way I can really get all the layers of tissue to separate. 

Don't stress

How often you should get a massage ultimately depends on your personal finances and time. Don’t stress yourself over feeling like you need a weekly massage to start feeling better! You can still get benefits from a session every six weeks. If money is tight here are a few options to look into. See if your health insurance plan reimburses you. Set up a flex spending or health savings account, many employers have that option. Shorter sessions are helpful too. You don’t need 60+ minutes to start feeling better. Shorter sessions also can be easier to fit into your life schedule.        

 Please don’t over stress about feeling like you are not getting enough massages to help you feel better. The most important thing is you listen to your own personal needs. Getting too overwhelmed about fitting in massages is not going to help on your overall wellness journey. If you are in the West Boylston, MA area and wondering what schedule is right for you. I’m happy to help with a simple quick phone consultation.