Sports massage involves repetitive deep pressure using a range of manipulative techniques into muscular areas. It aims to reduce muscle tension, stimulate repair and recovery while also helping you drift into a state of blissful relaxation! Although this sounds dreamy, the above benefits don’t always come without a small cost. That being post-massage soreness…which is completely normal! In this article, we cover how long it takes to recover from a sports massage and why it takes time to recover.

So, how long does it take to recover from a sports massage? You will experience soreness for one to three days – depending on how new you are to sports massage, how regularly you have it and your general lifestyle, for example, hydration, stress and activity levels. The more consistent you are with sports massage, the less sore you’ll feel afterwards. 

Read on to find out more about why you might feel sore after a massage and how long it takes to recover from one.

Why Am I Sore After a Massage?

This soreness after a massage is all part of the healing process, as the deep tissue massage enhances your body’s ability to carry blood and nutrients to the muscles. However, this stimulation to muscles which are tight or carrying tension, and especially for muscles that you don’t usually use, can cause delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This feels similar to the muscle soreness you might experience after a new or intense exercise routine!

Key Factors of Muscle Soreness

Here are some of the key factors for why you might feel sore after a sports massage:

1. Dehydration
2. Increased muscle tension & tightness
3. Prolonged poor postural positions
4. High stress levels
5. 1st time massage / first massage for a few months

All these factors increase the likelihood of soreness after sports massage because they disrupt the important healthy equilibrium in our muscles which keep them mobile, flexible and healthy. But sports massage, complemented with the aftercare advice our therapists provide, will begin to stabilise this important equilibrium in your body so you begin to feel, move and live better!

If you want to find out about the optimal frequency of which you should get a sports massage, read our recent blog post – ‘How Often Should I Get A Massage?’.

How Long Does It Take To Recover From a Sports Massage?

The length of time that you remain sore after a massage really does depend from person to person. Generally speaking, you can experience soreness for one to three days – depending on how new you are to sports massage, how regularly you have it and your general lifestyle, for example hydration, stress and activity levels. It is important to note that the more consistent you are with sports massage, the less sore you’ll feel afterwards.

Back to the exercise analogy, it feels like you’ve been hit by a train after your first 5K run, but after a few weeks of regular 5K runs, your body starts to adapt and tolerates the activity much more efficiently. It’s exactly the same with a sports massage!

To help get your body back to normal, it is important that you rest for an adequate amount of time after getting a massage. In one of our recent articles – ‘How Long Should You Rest After a Sports Massage?’ We discuss the benefits of resting after a massage, and how long you should be doing it for. We’d recommend giving the article a read if you are thinking about getting a massage.

Sports Massage at Katie Bell Physio

We’ve created the perfect sports massage package for people who need a regular, consistent sports massage to transform their overall health to feel supple, mobile and pain free! If you’d like to find out more about our sports massage services and our regular appointment packages, visit our Sports Massage page.

Alternatively, if you have any questions about our services, or you need advice on the best physiotherapy service to go for, please get in touch with our friendly team.

THE DOUBLE DIAMOND SPORTS MASSAGE OFFER

This sports massage package consists of a one-hour sports massage each and every month with one of our experienced sports massage therapists. What’s more, if you sign up today you get two free sports massages to kickstart your journey to better health! Get in touch with our team to book now!