The Ideal Frequency for Massage Therapy

Whether you feel like you could never have enough or are wondering if you have had one massage too many, people commonly ask how frequently to get massaged and what is a safe rate of treatments.

Several factors influence how often you should receive a massage, most of all the type of treatment. 

Is A Daily Deep Tissue Massage Safe? 

Each different style of massage treatment has a distinctive effect on your body. It is important to be aware of the general effects and to schedule your massages accordingly. 

Popular deep tissue techniques, such as elbow pushes and powerful petrissage, manipulate muscles with a deeper force. These methods help release tightness, stimulate the movement of toxins and flush lactate away from tissues. Your muscles are effectively provoked into action – just like going to the gym. It is similarly important to allow an adequate period of rest after a deep tissue massage. During this period your muscles receive and absorb new nutrients, build new myofibrils strands and generally repair and recover.

Massage treatments for conditions such as back pain or frozen shoulder should also be scheduled at a rate that allows the injured part to rest and recover between sessions. 

It is recommended to wait at least 48 hours between each deep tissue massage session. You should get no more than a maximum of three deep tissue treatments per week. Other strong massage styles, such as sports massage, should be treated similarly. 

What About Relaxation Massages? 

There are many types of massage therapy, such as classic Swedish and Indian head massage, which use gentle techniques. Soft flowing effleurage strokes and the light touch of fingertip tapotement help calm and soothe the body and mind, rather than penetrate and aggravate muscles tissues and fibres. These relaxation style massages are safe to receive on a daily basis.

Relaxing massage therapy is often used several times a week, in conjunction with other therapies, for the treatment for anxiety, stress or depression.

How Long Should A Massage Last? 

Because of the intensity of deep tissue massages they are most usually recommended for durations of 90 minutes or less.

On the other hand, it is quite usual for softer relaxation therapies such as a relaxing full body massage to be booked for 90 minutes or longer. Many people claim that they feel happier and healthier by booking regular two-hour relaxation massages every week whilst they are working and increasing this to a treatment every day when on holiday.

A Massage A Day To Keep The Doctor Away 

So can massages replace apples to improve your health? Of course the two are complementary forms of health improvement and just like the well-known English proverb, common sense should prevail.

Getting a massage everyday or even every two days can work wonders as long as the style of treatment is safe and effective for that frequency. Adequate periods of rest should be taken in between any type of massage. Those periods should be longer after more intensive treatment styles.

Whether it is massage, exercise or eating apples - listen to your body and don’t over do it. If it feels like you need a massage, you will probably benefit from getting one. If however you have recently had a massage and are experiencing aches that feel like your muscles are still recovering, then your body will probably appreciate being left alone for a short while.