How Often Should I Get a Massage?

As a massage therapist I am often asked how often should someone receive a massage. As with most things in life the answer is it depends.

Let me start by saying that everyone should be getting a massage once every four to six weeks as part of a general wellness plan and a healthy lifestyle. This is preventative maintenance for your body!

But there are factors to consider when it comes to chronic and acute pain management.

Many people only think about getting a massage when they have acute pain. An example of an acute situation is like when you wake up with a stiff neck, or maybe you have sudden low back pain from lifting something.

In acute situations the best course is to get massage about every three days for up to two weeks. This sounds like a lot I know, however, the sessions are usually thirty minutes and the treatment is focused only on the area of concern. Once the condition has cleared, then you should shift to getting a massage once a month.

Chronic situations are treated a bit differently. Chronic issues arise over a long period of time and as such will require a longer range plan. There is no magic massage technique to erase years of build up. Typically with a chronic case you should receive longer massage sessions once per week. The effect of massage are cumulative so each concurrent massage builds on the beneficial effects of the previous massage. Generally it takes about four weeks to turn the clock back on a chronic problem. Think of this like starting and exercise program or diet. It takes about thirty days to fell the results.

Many people find the cost of a massage to be a barrier. I once had a chair massage client who paid $15 each week for her massage. Having her car washed cost the same amount. After a couple of weeks she felt so energized that she started washing her car herself. So her massage started to save her money.

Many health insurance plans are now covering massage. You may be able to get your monthly massage for only a small co-pay.

Regular massage is a great part of a healthy lifestyle. And it feels good too!