Why am I sore after a massage?

So you have just had a relaxing deep tissue massage, eliminating toxins, relieving depression and anxiety, getting your blood flowing and fully relaxing you. But the next day you wake up feeling some fatigue, maybe some muscle soreness and in general just not feeling like yourself. Massage is most likely the cause and this is perfectly normal.

Having muscles worked that may not be worked very often is much like working out. If those muscles aren’t used to being worked, they react to it by soreness. The soreness should not last more than one or two days and if it lasts longer, the massage may have been too intense and your therapist should be informed so they can adjust their technique for your next session. Even providing a different type of massage to relieve the soreness.

Unlike an ordinary backrub, a professional massage therapist can find every kink that has built up from day to day stress or too much or too little exercise. The entire point of therapeutic massage is to release all of the body’s tension, work out kinks and help your body relax, bringing it to the point of functioning at it’s optimal level. All of the work that goes into therapeutic massage stretches muscles pushes blood flow back into them and gets them working properly again.

So, what steps can you take to minimize the occasional painful after effects? Communicate with your therapist regarding what you expect from your massage as well as the current state of your body’s health. Your massage therapist can then customize the massage to your personal desires and needs and make adjustments in the intensity and technique throughout the session. In some cases, a shorter, soothing session may be more appropriate than a deep intense massage. A lot of this can be judged on how you are feeling and responding while the massage is taking place.

Using heat to relax the muscles on the days following the massage may help to relieve the temporary soreness, and if after a day or two it doesn’t disappear be sure to contact your therapist for further instructions.