Pain during or after massage, why does it happen?
Ever felt like you got a particularly sore massage one day? Or maybe you woke up the next day feeling like you’re a big steak that had just been absolutely hammered the day before? Just feel like a steak in general? No?
It’s quite normal to feel ‘tender’ during your massage & afterwards. It’s like a different kind of pain than what you initally go in with, a good pain, if you will.
So why does it happen & why are there good pains & bad pains!?
Well let’s look at pain that happens during a massage first.
During a Remedial Massage, Deep Tissue session or Sports Massage & beyond you initially have a level of tension that gives you aches n’ pains that don’t seem to resolve no matter what you do!
When you get these achey areas worked on you can actually feel pains in there worse than your initial ache. The tissue has become somewhat restricted and the whole section of muscle, fascia & connective tissue is basically glued to eachother & then a nearby joint or bone etc.
Since everything is just so STUCK, it hurts a little to get it all moving again! This is what varies from session to session. Some days you are slightly more stuck than others & this is why I always recommend keeping ontop of your body with regular appointments because the more you have, the less stuck things can get in there! The reasoning behind why things are tightening up can vary wildly but there is a tone that the more restricted you are, the more it will feel uncomfortable to have it released until you tip over into relaxation.
Now, after your massage the good stuff starts happening.
Once you get that hip & back pain sorted out and you feel a bit achey but more mobile than when you went in, it’s time to let the healing happen.
The sensation isn’t like a bruise but perhaps a soft level of inflammation in your cells. They’ve all just been STIMULATED. Physically. Someone knocked on their door and woke em’ up & said hey guys, get moving. This is what can take a day or so to resolve as your body adjusts to its new position & posture.
This feeling of tenderness can last anywhere from “I don’t feel anything at all” to around 48 Hours Max typically. Listen to your body and just check in with it.
I always suggest to clients to help with lingering tension they want to take a hot shower, hot bath or use a heatpack to fully soften everything even more.
Once everything clears up, you feel much better than you did when you booked your massage & that’s what it’s about!
So in short, there’s good pain, sometimes you feel tender after a massage, your body is doing it’s thing. Don’t stress.
Want to be tenderized?
