Are You Visiting Your Massage Therapist Too Often?

My clients often ask me how often they should get a massage. They are often surprised by my answer. I practice therapeutic massage, that means my goal is for clients to get healthy and not come back. Bodywork and massage helps heal those that suffer from chronic pain.   

What Your Muscles Remember 

The first session of bodywork is usually performed with clothes on. The main goal is to find the trigger points that are causing the pain and begin a treatment to ease the pain. I usually recommend new clients return at least once a week for the first three or four sessions. Your muscles remember their bad habits. Even though I work on the trigger points, continued follow up is necessary to teach your muscles healthier habits.   

No Pain No Gain 

The first session will not be pain-free. Clients do feel some relief; however follow-up care is critical to becoming pain-free. During the second session, I perform a second assessment to find out how much time passed before the pain returned. This type of assessment helps me develop a plan of action to get you on the road to enjoying a pain-free life. 

Once You’re Gone 

Most of my clients that suffer from chronic pain are treated with bodywork for approximately 6 weeks. Every person is different and many variables go into how long I have to perform bodywork. Such variables include: 

·                     Length of time the chronic pain exists 

·                     Other ailments such as arthritis or Fibromyalgia 

·                     Work habits, such as walking, driving, or sitting at a desk all day 

Once the bodywork treatments are over, clients are ready for massage. How often a client returns is up to them. It is important to perform regular maintenance on the body, otherwise the muscles will fall back into old habits. The chronic pain may return. Massage is 85% to 90% as effective as bodywork techniques.  

What is most important during the bodywork sessions is the assessments, having an open line of communication regarding a client’s level of pain and how long the relief lasts. I use the assessments to help determine how often someone needs to return once they are ready for massage sessions.