Is a massage for one hour worth it?
Yes is the quick answer! The longer answer is, “Well, it depends”. Below is the longer more useful answer.
I would always recommend having one hour on your initial appointment. This is to have time to find out about your health, discuss a treatment plan and find out what your expectations are. We can then within the massage focus on specific muscle groups or do a full or part body massage.
Depending on your health conditions or what your symptoms are - chronic or acute pain, muscular tension, stiffness, soreness, reduced flexibility, loss of movement or range, muscular spasm, headaches, migraines, fatigue, depression, anxiety, lymphatic swelling or an injury. Also it will depend on what amount of time is needed on which areas of the body.
A focused one hour massage like deep tissue or sports allows for the skin, muscles, ligaments and tendons to be warmed, manipulated, moved and released. Certain soft tissue conditions can take longer to release than others using active release massage. It works by breaking up adhesions, which are dense collections of scar tissue that form when muscles and connective tissues are injured. When the scar tissue binds between your muscles, it limits flexibility, causing pain and stiffness in muscles and joints. Myofascial release helps with improving pain caused by muscle tightness but time is needed to feel your myofascial tissue for areas that are particularly stiff and tight. These are the places that cause you to feel pain, even if it's radiating to other areas. Myofascial stretches are held continuously for at least 90-120 seconds. This is how long it takes for the fascia to begin to let go. Shorter stretches do not affect the collagenous aspect of the fascia (connective tissue) and therefore lead to only temporary, partial results. A holding stretch helps your myofascial tissue to eliminate knots. The technique or procedure of body massage depends on the type of the massage and the purpose for which it is given.
Generally a full body massage within a one hour treatment is for relaxation purposes, reducing tension in the muscular fibres, reducing stress, encouraging blood flow, lowering heart rate and improving immune function. A one hour massage will enable you to acquire a good level of health benefits for you to improve your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. The time on each area of the body is limited so general massage strokes and techniques are normally used, whether it is a holistic massage or a stone therapy massage.
A shorter amount of treatment time like a thirty or forty-five minute massage only allows for a very specific focus, such as the shoulders, lower back and hips or your legs. If you have minimal time, money or do have a very specific focus area then a short treatment may fit your needs.
A ninety minute massage treatment allows for multiple focused areas using deep tissue or sport techniques, or a full body massage including abdominals if the client wishes or part body relaxation massage like aromatherapy.
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