Of course it comes back, think about it. The knot you have in your shoulder, low back, glutes, (insert muscle here) has had a lifetime of building up. Have you ever heard of muscle memory? Not only does muscle memory help you when learning new hobbies, or sports, it can hurt you when it comes to injuries and chronic pain.
" When a specific task is repeated often, the brain creates a long-lasting muscle memory. This established memory allows your brain to direct the specific movement more efficiently, and you’ll find you can complete it almost unconsciously. " (1a : Myopress)
Your first massage with me is about getting the muscles to release as deeply as we can, but the human body is made up of muscle layers, most of which are stubborn. So even if your muscles release a good amount, chances are within the next few days your muscle memory will kick in and make the muscles tight again, and there will be deeper muscles that are still tight.
" Muscle memory can also be problematic following an injury. Your body naturally avoids pain as much as possible, so when you are injured, you will avoid using the muscles around that injury. You may, for instance, stop moving an arm or leg at a particular angle, or you may compensate for an injury using other muscles. Your brain will remember this behavior even after your injury has healed. This can lead to you leaving some muscles underdeveloped and straining other muscles. " (1a: Myopress)
That is why I recommend that people have their first three appointments ideally a week apart, but no further two weeks apart to allow your muscles to release more fully, and to allow the massages to integrate into your muscle memory. If your massages are too far apart, it makes it to where the muscles are tense again, and we end up having to work the same layer of muscles as we did the last time.
"Treatment with Trigger Point therapy allows the body to peel away the layers of compensating dysfunction like peeling an onion. You break the chain, one link at a time. The traditional treatment model is symptom driven, focusing on the pain that is screaming the loudest at the time of treatment. The last link added is the one that gets treated. The problem is that all too frequently, that is all that gets treated. If the symptom of the day is simply the end result of an underlying compensation, the symptom WILL come back unless and until that underlying compensation is also treated." (1b: healing experiences)
After your first three appointments, depending on the length of time you've had the issue, the time in between your appointments can then be extended out, and you'll notice you don't have the issue returning the next few days after your massage.
It is an investment, but average physical therapy sessions are $80 a session once a week for a month $320, chiropractic sessions are $34 per session 3x per week for the first 3 weeks which is $306, one session at a pain clinic can easily be $100+. These therapies have different targets, and serve different needs, but they all have one thing in common, offering people individualized care to help them beat or reduce chronic pain and injuries.
- Jordan Hughes LMBT, The 360 Approach, Massage and Bodywork Therapy in Asheville N.C.-
http://jordanhugheslmbt.com
Read more about the way muscle memory affects your muscles https://learnmuscles.com/blog/2017/10/25/what-is-muscle-memory-2/
(1a: http://www.myopress.com/muscle-memory-affects-body/ ) (1b:http://healingexperiences.blogspot.com/2010/01/muscle-memory-and-trigger-point-therapy.html)
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