Many people think that massage is just a means of relaxation during a day at the spa. What many don’t realise is that massage is an ancient tradition that has been used to treat a variety of conditions, particularly musculoskeletal. Whether you’re dealing with chronic muscle soreness and tight muscles or you are seeking faster muscle recovery after training, remedial massage can play an important role in your treatment and recovery plan. Understanding the many nuances and applications of remedial massage can help find the right massage therapist for you to help you get back on your feet and back to the things you love to do.
What is muscle recovery?
Whether you’re a trained athlete, a weekend warrior or just trying to get back into shape, you’ve probably encountered the physiological phenomenon of muscle soreness. Muscle soreness arises when your training exceeds your body’s current ability to produce energy, leading to muscle fibre breakdown and the production of lactic acid. Given that this muscle soreness occurs after training, usually setting in 24 hours after you’ve completed training, it is referred to as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). The good thing is that this muscle soreness is a completely normal part of the training process and simply a sign that your muscles are beginning the recovery process to produce more, longer and stronger fibres.
The immediate reaction of many who are new to exercise or intense physical exertion is to sit and wait for the muscle pain to go away. The RICE method (rest, ice, compression, elevation) is often used for treating conditions involving inflammation, typically focusing on joint pain but also applied to muscle recovery. The counterintuitive, and more effective approach, is to use movement to help to flush out the lactic acid causing pain in your muscles. CAM, or compression, activity, and massage, are now advocated as methods to speed up and increase muscle recovery. CAM, compared to RICE, is an active approach to muscle recovery that stimulates blood flow throughout the affected regions, speeding up the muscle rebuilding process while diminishing pain.
Although pain is a normal part of the muscle recovery process, you should be aware that there are differences in pain that can indicate what type of treatment is appropriate. While pain associated with DOMS occurs roughly 24 hours after exercise, acute muscle pain can start while you are exercising or a few hours after. This pain is usually an indication of a muscle, tendon or ligament tear and is a more serious condition that requires a different type of treatment; if you experience this pain while exercising, you should stop training immediately and seek appropriate treatment. Similarly, overtraining muscles can lead to gradual muscle pain due to a lack of recovery. In such instances, increasing non-training periods or engaging in cross-training will help to reduce the stress put on one’s muscles.
When treating muscle recovery, there is a multitude of other components involved. Sleep, diet, hydration and overall stress are important factors that influence how quickly and effectively one recovers. Similarly, other treatment options, including cryotherapy, hydrotherapy and foam rollers can be used during the muscle recovery process. However, for focused, intense and expedited recovery, remedial massage has a proven track record for achieving superb muscle recovery.
What massage is best for muscle recovery?
Remedial massage is a highly touted method for improving muscle performance and healing damaged tissue. In short, remedial massage is used to treat muscle and soft tissue injuries or discomfort that occur from chronic movement disruptions or because of an acute injury. Remedial massage is similar to other massage methods in its use of creams and oils as a massage medium while also incorporating some stretching depending on the condition being treated. Remedial massage is different from other types of massage, such as Swedish massage, in that it is specifically designed to help treat and cure conditions along with other treatment options.
One of the other distinctions of remedial massage is that it is a more intense massage method given that it is targeting injured or recovering tissue that is sore or immobile and restricts movement patterns. Remedial massage does incorporate more traditional massage techniques, such as friction and petrissage, but it also incorporates elements from other recovery-oriented massage techniques, such as deep tissue massage, myofascial release and trigger point therapy. These treatment options are designed to target restricted or damaged tissue to help restore blood flow and speed recovery. Remedial massage will not just target a muscle but will also identify muscle groups and connections to tendons, ligaments as well as fascia that are creating discomfort.
Remedial massage is similar to other massage options, such as deep tissue, but incorporates a more comprehensive approach to treating a specific condition. Rather than localising massage treatment to the specific painful area and underlying muscle groups as deep tissue massage does, remedial massage will expand treatment to incorporate referred pain into other joints and muscles while restoring proper movement patterns and tissue elasticity. The more comprehensive approach requires greater training by massage therapists and allows the remedial massage to be used not just for muscle recovery but also for conditions such as headaches, anxiety, and even to manage side effects of diabetes. Remedial massage is a great tool to improve muscle performance as well as overall health.
When and how often should remedial massage be used?
Remedial massage can have an incredible influence on your ability to restore muscle mobility and relieve muscle soreness, but it’s important to know how frequently you should get a massage and when to get the massage to maximise recovery. With regard to when to get a remedial massage after the onset of muscle soreness, the general window is to get a massage within a few days of training. This type of massage, known as a post-event massage, helps to relieve any muscle soreness and potential cramping to help speed the muscle recovery process so you can get back to training faster; a post-event massage is usually shorter in duration, lasting from a few minutes to 20 minutes to help eliminate lactic acid build-up. For those who train less regularly or who are looking for a massage to target long-term mobility or recovery issues, getting a more intense massage for an hour or so can be done on a weekly basis to promote recovery.
The general rule is that the frequency of the massage will depend on the intensity of the condition and how urgently one needs to return to full mobility. For acute injuries or to relieve muscle soreness before a competition, getting a massage on a weekly basis can achieve faster results. For more chronic conditions or to perform long-term maintenance on frequently overused muscle groups, a monthly massage can suffice.
Are there any conditions where remedial massage is not helpful
Although remedial massage can be a powerful tool in your muscle recovery arsenal, it is a treatment practice that is not always advised for everyone or in every situation. Some instances where remedial massage are contraindicated are if the patient is experiencing any fever or immune conditions, there is any damage to the skin from a rash, cut or scrape or if there are any other skin or soft-tissue related conditions such as bruising, edema or psoriasis. In these situations, massage can worsen the condition and it’s always best to consult a medical provider prior to pursuing a massage to determine if a massage can be incorporated into the training protocol and, if so, how.
Likewise, chronic conditions may also impact the type of remedial massage treatment you receive and patients should inform massage therapists prior to treatment. Musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia, lymph conditions such as hypothyroidism and respiratory conditions such as asthma, among many others, will impact what parts of the body are accessible for massage treatment and the intensity of the massage. That being said, massage can accommodate a variety of conditions, so you don’t have to deal with muscle pain if you have a pre-existing condition. Ultimately, for those experiencing muscle tightness, soreness or who seek any type of muscle recovery, receiving a remedial massage can drastically improve recovery while helping to improve overall health and performance.
Where should I get a remedial massage?
There is some overlap between physiotherapists and massage therapists with regard to treatment options. Both positions can use postural training, stretching and balance exercises for treatment, but the general distinction is that physiotherapists will use mechanical methods including traction, manipulations and mobilisations to restore mobility, while massage therapists rely solely on hands-on manipulation techniques to improve muscle function. In general, physiotherapists and massage therapists can literally work hand-in-hand to help restore proper mobility and function, including during muscle recovery.
If you are looking to improve muscle function and overall health while relieving muscle soreness and tightness, then a remedial massage is a great choice. If you’re looking for committed and dedicated massage therapists trained to provide comprehensive muscle recovery treatment, we’d love to be able to help you achieve your treatment and performance goals. There’s no need to sit idle on the sidelines or muscle through the pain, so contact us so you can get moving again!