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What you should do to prepare for your massage:

  1. Gather and bring with you any medical information, eg. list of medications, x-ray/mri/other image results, or recommendations and impressions from your doctor, a list of previous injuries, and surgeries and therapies tried.
  2. Take a hot shower to help prepare your muscles, connective tissue, and your skin for massage. If that’s not possible, using a heating pad to areas of focus or even using the heated seat in your car on the way over can be helpful! Note: If you are prone to acne/breakouts, showering before your massage will help prevent dirt and bacteria that cause breakouts from getting deeper into your pores when we apply massage cream to your tissues.
  3. Hydrate! It’s important to hydrate before and after your treatment (and always)! According to the National Institutes of Health, 75% of all Americans are chronically dehydrated. Your therapist is bringing fluid into your tissues to help circulate and soften your muscles. Being dehydrated makes that more difficult and leads to more muscle soreness before and after your session.
  4. Try to make sure you schedule your massage for a day where you don’t have a lot going on. If you have strenuous things to do, get them done before your session. If you’re coming for sports massage be sure to discuss with your practitioner the best time for you to receive massage and the type of techniques that are best for you based on your training or performance schedule.
  5. Leave plenty of time to arrive for your session so that you're ready and already somewhat relaxed when you walk in the door. This will help your session go farther. When your body is relaxed, your parasympathetic nervous system is activated, which is when your body is resting and repairing your tissues. As massage therapists, we are facilitating that healing and working with your body to accomplish your goals. Being in the right frame of mind to receive massage goes a long way in getting the best results from your session.

What should you do after your massage:

  1. Seriously. Drink a lot of water. Try to avoid dehydrating beverages like alcohol or caffeine. An electrolyte beverage like coconut water or gatorade/powerade can be used in addition to water to help with fluid absorption. This will help keep your muscles loose and well hydrated. As a general rule for good muscular health and overall wellness, you should be drinking about ½ to ⅔ of your body weight (pounds) in ounces of water per day. That means that a 150 lb person should be drinking about 75-100 oz. per day of water or other hydrating fluids. The average male should be drinking approximately 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) and the average female should be drinking 11.5 cups (2.7 liters). Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should increase their intake.
  2. Use heat on any sore areas or parts of you that may still need some extra attention. A nice hot shower, epsom salt bath, or heating pad is a great follow up for any sore or stiff areas. Heat will help keep you loose and mobile.
  3. Take advantage of your increased flexibility and mobility and stretch yourself out. Full body stretching or yoga after massage is great for your whole body, or at least stretch out the areas of complaint. If you need recommendations, your therapist, doctor, or yoga instructor can help. Feel free to email or text us directly and we can send you something specific to your needs, if we haven’t already.
  4. Don’t ruin it! Try to take it easy and not do any heavy lifting, hard core workouts, hard manual labor, or engage in stressful situations for the day. Allow your body to fully rest and relax. It will help to prolong the effects of the massage significantly.
  5. Follow the recommendations of your therapists and your doctors. Continue your plan of care with additional massage sessions, or sessions with other practitioners. Your therapists or doctor may refer you to other physicians or therapists, eg. chiropractor, orthopedist, rheumatologist, physical therapist. Or, they may suggest specific movements, stretches, or therapies for you to do at home. We want you to feel your best and we can help you get there, but the power is in your hands. Take control of your health and well being and commit to your self care routine. We will be there with you to support you however we can; that is our pledge to you at FCM.
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