How Often Should I Get a Massage?

 

In the often hectic & stressful environment that is NYC, having a self-care plan or routine in place is key. A good self care plan can greatly aid in reducing the physical and mental effects of this stress. Deciding to integrate massage therapy into your self-care routine often begs the question: “how often should I come in for a massage?” There is no one-size fits all answer, but here are some general guidelines depending on your lifestyle and health. Hopefully, these will help you determine an effective frequency to keep you pain free!

General Recommendations: How Often Should I Get a Massage?

First rule: Don’t wait for a crisis! Start adding massage therapy to your routine before you get injured. You’ll need to come far less often and also vastly improve your ability to prevent future injury.

For any actual pain symptoms, we recommend a series of massage therapy sessions with no more than 2 weeks between sessions. Depending on the severity of your pain and the causes the series will be anywhere from 3-8 sessions.

Once you are no longer experiencing pain, you can switch to a maintenance cycle of massage sessions. This is important to keep the pain from coming back. For people who work highly stressful jobs or work out hard regularly, we recommend a maintenance massage every 2-4 weeks. For the rest of you, a maintenance massage every 6-12 weeks usually does the trick of keeping you pain free!

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How has sports massage in NYC benefited our clients?

Competitive athlete? Weekend warrior? Recreational fitness enthusiast? At Bodyworks DW, we work with a wide variety of active individuals. Our therapists provide custom-designed sports massage sessions focused on helping you maximize your activity enjoyment. This can include sessions for injury recovery, injury prevention, tune-ups and maintenance. Sports massage in NYC for active people and athletes is hardly a luxury – it’s an investment!

Sports massage provides targeted, therapeutic treatment tailored to the biomechanical and physical needs of the athlete. In other words, it’s not going to be like your typical fluff n’ buff spa massage  You’re going to be moving around a bit for analysis. You and your therapist will be working together on increasing range of motion and unwinding injuries. And you’re going to get some homework!

Curious how a sports massage in NYC might work for you? We’ve taken some of our most common client-athlete cases and given you a run-down of how a sports massage could benefit each one. Keep reading more to dive in!

All-Around Athletes: CrossFitter (CrossFit, Boot Camp)

The CrossFit community is known for its high-intensity, highly variable workouts. These incorporate anything from gymnastics to Olympic weightlifting to aerobic conditioning. In particular, CrossFit places a high demand on the shoulders. There are a lot of overhead movements. And also plenty of movements that require quite a bit of shoulder stability AND mobility. We get a lot of clients coming in with CrossFit shoulder injuries from pushing a bit too much too soon. 

Shoulder stability and mobility is a complex interaction between the scapular-thoracic interface and the glenohumeral (GH) joint. The scapulae (shoulder blades) sit near the upper half and outside portions of the back of the rib cage. The GH joint (or shoulder joint) is at the side of your upper arm. It’s where your arm attaches to your shoulder. Both have to work together to keep your entire upper body properly positioned when doing any overhead movement. 

More Information: Sports Massage in NYC

What to look for in a sports massage therapist

New York City can be an intense and high-energy place. It attracts similar sorts of people.

Everyday you see thousands of runners and cyclists making their way up and down the West Side highway training for races. There are thousands of professional dancers performing in the various musical theatre venues in the city each day as well. Physically active types are a big part of the NYC population. Even the folks you see putting in long hours at their desks during working hours often leave to go workout right after work. They swing kettlebells at their Crossfit gym or do handstands at their yoga studio. With all the athletes in the city, it’s no surprise that working with a top notch sports massage therapist is what many of our clients are searching for.

But what should you look for in a sports massage therapist?

What is sports massage and how can it benefit you?

Before looking for specific qualities in a sports massage therapist, it’s helpful to understand what to expect from a session. Sports massage can comprise any of the manual techniques that a licensed massage therapist is trained in. These techniques are performed with the intention of addressing your specific concerns around your active and/or physically demanding lifestyle.

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The Benefits of Sports Massage: NYC Client Experiences

Germain Phanord, LMT at Bodyworks DW, writes about the immense benefits of getting a medical sports massage at Bodyworks DW. Read below!

Benefits of Sports Massage: NYC Client Stories

New Yorkers are a special breed. We pound it out at the office, then pound it out at the gym. Or yoga studio, pool, court, field, etc. Sports massage in New York helps reduce your pain by improving circulation of blood and lymph throughout the body. And especially to sites of current or former injuries that have restricted blood flow (ischemia). This assists your body in removing metabolites and other toxins.

Your heavily exercised muscles lose their capacity to relax over time. Which requires more of your effort and energy when moving. The lack ability for muscles relax is linked to soreness, and predisposes you to injuries. Especially muscle pulls and tears!

 

A regular routine of sports massage therapy is very effective in combating these effects.

Sports massage frees your muscles to move your joints more openly and efficiently. It also introduces new sensory information into your system. A system that is normally locked into its own patterns.

There are many benefits of sports massage. It can help you recover from injury and prevent new injuries. It helps make your complex human machine perform optimally with less pain in any activities. Running faster, jumping higher, and hitting balls harder all with greater endurance are just some of the benefits of sports massage.

 

There is such a thing as “too deep”

At the studio we see lots of common injuries like stiff necks, rotator cuff injuries, runner’s knees, and Achilles tendinitis. During your massage, you may find some of the work uncomfortable. It may even have painful moments, depending on your threshold and how tight your muscles are. Keep in mind this discomfort should always be bearable.

If you have to tense up just to handle it, that’s not actually going to give you a better result. The best work is done at a level that is slightly uncomfortable and you can breathe through it and keep your muscles relaxed. It is not uncommon to find that your muscles ache for a day or two after a sports massage. Keeping well hydrated and mobile will help this pass quickly. You’ll feel more freedom of movement after and see better performance than before!

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How Sports Massage Can Help Reduce Pain, Recover from Injuries and Improve Performance

Sports massage is a popular treatment option among athletes because it provides a way to stay injury-free as well as complete activity at optimal performance. The term sports massage is used to describe a range of techniques of massage therapy targeted at enhancing athletic performance as well as fitness training. A Sports massage therapist in NYC can provide techniques that will help with joint range of motion, provide passive stretching, compression, and other rehabilitative therapies. If you play sports or take part in a regular fitness activity, learning more about sports massage midtown can help your performance.

Categories of Sports Massage

There are three categories involved in sports massage midtown therapies: pre-event, post-event and maintenance. With pre-event, a massage will be provided the night before or on the day of the event. Treatment can be set up on location if needed. The goal is to provide an increase in circulation for the muscles as well as to stimulate the nervous system. This helps to increase the mobility of your joints and provide relaxation. Depending on the sport you take part in, range of motion as well as targeting active and passive stretching may be provided.

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Is Sports Massage Right For You?

Do you enjoy sports and athletic activities? Do you push yourself too hard when at the gym? If you are heavily involved in sports activities, then your body can benefit from a sports massage. Physical activity helps to generate health benefits for your body. However, there are also negative effects that can occur. If you push yourself too hard, the body will feel it. By booking a sports massage midtown, your body will be able to recover and you can continue to be a beast in the gym or when enjoying your favorite sports activities.

The Positive Effects of Massage

With sports massage New York services, your body has the ability to recover. Professional and college athletes, as well as Olympic athletes, know the power of sports massage therapy. Such athletes use the treatment option as a way to recover from a sports injury. Research shows that massage has a positive effect on the body of athletes and can benefit their performance.

If you participate in regular exercise, you can also benefit from a sports massage. Whether you play golf, basketball, baseball or take part in other sports activities, a sports massage will help to relieve any pain or physical issue you may be facing.

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How to Find the Massage Therapist for You

Massage Therapy is gaining in popularity and recognition as a legitimate and powerful tool. It heal injuries, relieves stress, and improves overall health. However, to the uninitiated looking for high-quality care, the search can be confusing. There's a dizzying array of different treatment styles all under the umbrella of massage. Here is our guide to finding a great massage therapist in New York and everywhere else!

1. Find a State Licensed Massage Therapist.

If you’re not sure, ask if they’re licensed and registered with your state.

To us in the industry, this is obvious. But there are many people out there offering massage who are not state licensed, and not state registered. Licensing is important because it means there's a baseline of safety protocols that the therapist follows. These include proper privacy draping, extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology, and required knowledge of scope of practice.

Massage Therapy licensure in New York State requires a minimum of 1000 hours of schooling and clinical practice. There's also a comprehensive written exam that must be passed.

Many unlicensed establishments offering massage are fronts for unseemly practices. Therefore, if you want a legitimate, professional massage therapist, make sure you’re booking appointments with state licensed practitioners. An LMT has specific training in communicating effectively with you about your needs. They'll make your safety and comfort while receiving massage therapy a priority.

This includes proper draping practices to make sure private areas on your body are always covered. Also, the ability to talk you through the therapeutic reasons for working close to these areas. And the professionalism of always allowing you, the client, to make your own choices on what work you are willing to receive.

For New York State, you can verify a therapist’s license, at the NYS Office of Professions verification service.

2. Do research about which modalities of massage are right for you.

Not everyone will need the same approach. Not all therapists use the same techniques.

There are seemingly a million and one types of massage therapy and bodywork out there. Such as, swedish, shiatsu, sports massage, deep-tissue, Rolfing, Feldenkrais, tui-na, thai massage, craniosacral, orthobionomy, reiki, zero balancing, ashiatsu, polarity therapy. As a result, if you’re not sure what something is, do some research beforehand! Clarity is important.

Make sure you’re getting information from reputable sources, such as the American Massage Therapy Association website.

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BENEFITS OF MASSAGE – BODYWORKS DW

Massage therapy is a treatment option that continues to grow in demand as well as popularity. By scheduling an appointment with a massage therapist New York office, you will have access to a mainstream approach to pain management as well as dealing with certain issues such as circulation, tension, reducing stress and relieving anxiety. There are many benefits to massage and learning more about how you can feel better can show you that massage is an avenue worth exploring.

Relaxation

For most people, the word massage is associated with relaxation. As the body becomes tense and under a great deal of stress, cortical is created. cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause one to gain weight, have trouble sleeping, encounter digestive problems and headaches. With the help of a massage therapist Midtown office, these issues can be relieved.

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Post Race Recovery Sports Massage for New York City Athletes

Every racing athlete needs a routine for post race recovery: Are you are missing a vital component to your race goals?

My experience with injuries has had its ups and downs. When I do not stay committed to post race recovery, I began to experience pain. Running becomes more difficult and much more uncomfortable. I can feel myself losing range of motion in my stride, due to untreated tightness and overuse.

When we neglect to practice regular post race recovery our bodies pay a price. I have learned this lesson the hard way from experience. It’s a big reason why I became a massage therapist in addition to a personal trainer!

When I began running and increasing my mileage, the repetitive stress built up. Due to asymmetries in my running form, I started to feel pain in my right achilles tendon. This made running for me painful and very difficult.

In massage school I discovered that my hip flexors and glute muscles were overly tight. Also my glutes were not working efficiently due to a facially stuck Sartorius muscle. (Sartorius is a long balancing muscle on the front of your thigh that stabilizes the knee.) These muscle imbalances restricted my stride, creating a feedback loop where each run got tighter and tighter, producing more and more pain.

Troubled With Arthritis? Check This

You might be troubled with Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, or Gout. Though symptoms and reasons for each of these situations are different, the solution is one that is known as massage therapy. Medical science has got operative as well as medicinal options, but there is also massage therapy that can help one get away from the pain in a short time. For an effective massage one can hire an expert massage therapist, who is certified as professionals. The massage therapist can evaluate the situation and offer the best option of massage that can gradually lead to a healthy life without suffering from the disease anymore.