If your muscles were particularly tense or knotted before the massage, the manipulation could lead to soreness as those knots are worked out. Individual sensitivity. Everyone's body reacts differently to massage. Some people might be more sensitive and experience soreness even with a gentle massage.
Deep tissue massage
The amount of pressure used can help break and eliminate muscle knots. This type of massage can help release muscle tension and targets deeper layers of the muscles. Deep tissue massage helps reduce tension and inflammation around the knots promoting better blood flow to these areas.
Massage therapy techniques can help to relieve, reduce or even prevent muscle knots. Deep tissue massage or sports massage techniques work on the muscles that are tight or have the knots. Trigger point massage can be firm and specific pressure to the areas of restriction or “knots” and cause release of that knot.
When a muscle is tight like that, it can limit blood flow in that area. The theory is when you put pressure on it you're limiting blood flow to the knot, and when you release the pressure, more blood flows in,” he explains. The increased blood flow can help the muscle relax.
If you're experiencing muscle soreness after a massage it is because the soft tissues have been manipulated to break down adhesions, knots and holding patterns to restore muscle condition to a functional state.
Some require deep tissue work and trigger point therapy which requires a sustained held position and slow movement to release. This can last anywhere from 5-10 minutes per knot depending on the body's holding patterns. Others require sports massage or even a gentler relaxation approach which may seem counter intuitive.
Soreness after a massage typically lasts between 24 to 48 hours and is a normal part of the body's response to the treatment. This type of discomfort is often a sign that the massage was effective in addressing muscle tension and promoting circulation.
Spoiler alert: knots aren't actual tangles in your muscles (as much as it might feel that way). They're called myofascial trigger points, which are small, tight areas in your muscle fibers that get stuck in a contracted state. This can cause soreness, stiffness, and even pain that radiates to other areas.
A weekly or bi-weekly session could prevent these knots from escalating. Conversely, severe knots, causing considerable pain and restricted movement, may require more frequent attention, possibly two to three sessions per week initially. Knowing the severity is key in how often you should get a massage for knots.
Sports massage and deep tissue massage often leaves the muscles feeling sore, a feeling akin to DOMS, and when muscles are sore, the immune system naturally activates T-Cells to try to repair the muscles. It is this response that is thought to make clients feel sick after massage.
In terms of effectiveness, muscle massage guns have been shown to be highly effective in treating muscle knots. One study published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine found that using a massage gun for just one minute on each trigger point led to significant reductions in pain and discomfort.
Lack of blood supply to the muscle causes lactic acid to build up, over time this can solidify with calcium deposits and is often the reason we hear a crunching sound when trying to realise the knots.
What are muscle knots? Knots are comprised of tense muscle fibers. "Muscle knots are actually hyperirritable spots in muscle or fascial tissue [bands or sheets of connective tissue] known as myofascial trigger points," Charleston says.
Yes, massage therapists are trained to identify muscle tension through touch and experience. They use their knowledge of anatomy to pinpoint problem areas effectively. The frequency depends on your activity level and tension severity.
Softly working the affected areas with your hands can be incredibly beneficial for reducing muscle knots. A specific kind of massage therapy called myofascial release therapy relies on constant, deep, gentle pressure to help release the tension and break up some of those constricted tissues in localized areas.
This myofascial release has a comparable sensation to being rocked by your mother when you were a baby. It causes a pleasant wave sensation to travel throughout the body. It is, in fact, a relaxing experience. That wave infiltrates the restricted areas to allow for softening.
Muscle knots, or trigger points, respond particularly well to massage therapy. A skilled therapist can apply targeted pressure to these tight areas, improving blood flow and easing tension. However, if the knots are caused by spinal misalignment or poor posture, chiropractic care can help address the underlying issue.
Experiencing soreness or tight muscles is normal after a massage, especially if it's been a while since your last massage or you've never had one. Bodner points out that this discomfort usually lasts a few hours to about a day and a half.
Cross fiber friction, trigger point release and myofacial release techniques are great for breaking down those knots. Another modality that is great for these "knots" is cupping. Cupping is a technique of creating a suction in a cup that is applied to the tissue.
Reduced Stress and Tension
Muscle tension may also contribute to stress and tension. Trigger point therapy may help alleviate tension and stress by releasing knots in the muscles. This can result in an overall sense of relaxation.
These are areas of the body where deep, sustained pressure should be avoided because of the structures that lie beneath. Those areas are the anterior and posterior triangles of the neck, suprasternal notch, sternum, axilla, spinal column, umbilical area, inguinal triangle, popliteal fossa, and the antecubital fossa.
Some folks are just more sensitive to the detox process and it may make you feel crummy. Now when I say this, the crumminess last less than 24 hours. You could experience flue-like symptoms like nausea, headaches, achiness, swollen lymph nodes and fever.
Experiencing sharp pain or excessive discomfort during or after the session is a clear indication that the massage wasn't beneficial. While some discomfort can be normal, especially with deep tissue massage, it should never cross the line into sharp pain.