The last entry I wrote about pain during a massage; what about after?
When your muscles are tight, the fibers are shorter b/c some of the fibers are stuck in constant contracture. When this happens, the muscles are not able to function at its maximum capacity. That is when other muscles come in to help out and compensate. After you get a massage that loosens thing up, your muscles let go and therefore elongate. At this stage, your body has to what I like to call reorganize. The tight muscles let the other ones know they don’t need help anymore and move towards functioning on their own. At this time, some people experience a little bit of pain or discomfort. It can happen the next day or right when you stand up from the table. This is why I always encourage you to take a moment before getting up, when you do, act very slowly.
Another reason is inflammation. Many times my clients come in with tightness and discomfort due to overworked muscles. Since I am predominately a NMT, my sessions can pretty deep and intense. This can cause some inflammation after the massage as well. If you tell me that you tend to get sore afterwards, I can apply Biofreeze (a topical anti-inflammatory gel) after I am finished with a particular muscle group. Also, taking Advil or the like afterwards helps. It is important to not take pain medicine prior to the massage, as your nociceptors are not acting as they should and will not be able to give me appropriate pressure feedback. And the number 1 thing you can do to help prevent soreness….. Make sure you drink plenty of water before and after your massage!
