Can You Work Out After a Massage?

Rolling out your muscles with hand-held massage sticks and full-sized foam rollers can work wonders following exercise, but have you ever wondered, "Is it OK to work out after a massage?"

Massages can help to soothe your body and relax your mind: They can lower blood pressure, improve circulation, alleviate soreness and mitigate anxiety.

And if you participate in sports and/or are into tough workouts at the gym, a deep tissue massage may be just the thing for you. They're often enjoyed after a tough exercise session to get rid of the kinks, loosen the knots and stretch out overworked muscles. But those same muscles will need time to recover from your relaxing rubdown.

Studies involving the merits (or downfalls) of massages around work outs are often very small. That said, the research that does exist on the subject of pre- and post-exercise massage is eye-opening, to say the least.

For most massages, the general advice is to have one after working out. If you choose to do one prior, it's a good idea to wait before hitting the gym. Massages involve applied pressure to the muscles, so it's almost like a mild form of working out.

According to MassageTherapy.com, a generally accepted practice is to wait at least 24 hours. For more intense massages like a deep tissue massage, 48 hours might be best. In the case of deep tissue massage, you may already feel a little sore afterward, which may increase your risk of injury. This advice also applies to hot yoga after a massage.

A widely referenced December 2008 study in the ‌Journal of Sports Science & Medicine‌ found that pre-workout massage in healthy males led to diminished performance in vertical jump and sprint tests, reducing both speed and reaction time. It was this small study involving 24 participants that first busted the massage-before-exercise myth.

A decade later, an August 2018 systemic review in the ‌International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy‌ supported this claim, uncovering that long pre-exercise massages aren't recommended, as they hinder performance. This systemic review examined nine studies, involving 510 participants across all of them.

While full-body massages may not be the best option leading up to a workout, brief rub-downs are said to, at the very least, improve your mindset during the workout.

According to a January 2008 study in the ‌Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences‌, women who received quick, light, 10-minute massages experienced a more positive mindset, effectively reducing the feeling of effort and self-diagnosed physical symptoms while running (like cramps or shin splints).

As a result of these findings, Gretchen Reynolds went on to publish her 2012 book ‌The First 20 Minutes‌, which, in addition to many other lessons, details how a pre-event mini massage can be majorly motivational.

Well, what about after a workout? In a small February 2014 study in the ‌International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy‌, 22 male participants who received 10 minutes of roller massage following a workout exhibited less soreness in the minutes and hours following treatment, making it a solid choice for recovery.

But the time between your workout and massage matters. In a June 2014 study in the ‌Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise‌, researchers found that massage within 15 minutes of the end of a workout helped prevent delayed onset muscle soreness at a greater rate than waiting to get a massage 48 hours later.

Although the study was conducted on rabbits rather than humans, its findings are worth mentioning, as it suggests that massage can be beneficial for post-workout recovery, especially if it's done immediately following the sweat session.

There are limitations to what an after-sports massage can do, though. For example, many athletes are under the assumption that massage and foam rolling will rid the muscles of lactic acid. While massages can help reduce muscle tension, increase range of motion and decrease stiffness, the same can't be said for lactic acid reduction.

In an often-cited June 2010 study in the ‌Journal of Medicine and Exercise in Sports and Science‌, 10 minutes of massage following a strenuous forearm workout actually decreased blood flow, a surprising revelation considering the popularly held belief that massage increases circulation. As a result, researchers concluded that massage doesn't help rid the body of lactic acid build-up. Again, the study was small, with 12 participants total. More research is needed to support the researchers' conclusions.

‌Additional reporting from Rebecca Norris‌