Recovery from a muscle injury isn’t typically an overnight process. Your body needs time to heal. For some, specific therapies can help promote faster recovery and healing, reduce pain, and improve mobility. These include sports massage, deep tissue massage, and osteopathy.
Each approach takes a different perspective on health and healing. In this article, we’ll explore the philosophy and approach of each method, so you can choose the most suitable therapy for your muscle recovery.
Common causes (and healing time) of muscle injuries
Here are common types of muscle injuries you may experience and the typical healing time (without support) to expect:
- Muscle Strain (overstretching or tearing muscle fibres): This often occurs when you forget to properly warm up before physical activity or experience a sudden force injury. These can take 1-2 weeks to heal for mild strains or several months for more severe cases when surgery is needed.
- Muscle Contusion (from a direct blow): Bleeding under the skin causes swelling and tenderness at the site of contact. Mild contusions typically heal within a few days, and deep tissue injuries can take a month or longer to heal.
- Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (micro tears): These muscle injuries occur when you do intense exercise or exercise positions you’re unaccustomed to (such as the low point of squats). These are typically quick-healing injuries that heal on their own within 1-5 days, depending on their severity.
- Muscle Cramps: Muscle cramps often occur due to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, tiredness, or improper stretching. Usually, light stretching heals these right away, but some soreness may persist for one to two days.
- Tendon injuries (repetitive strain to the tendons): These muscle injuries are common in endurance athletes or those who participate in physically repetitive activities. Mild overuse of tendons is known as tendinitis and heals within 2-6 weeks. Chronic cases can take 3-6 months or longer to heal without additional support.
Sports massage vs. deep tissue vs. osteopathy
We’ll start by looking at each method separately to highlight the key techniques and goals of each.
Sports massage
Sports massage was designed to support fast healing and recovery from sports injuries. It’s a common choice for athletes and active individuals who want to return to their activities as quickly as possible. It helps active individuals prevent injury, enhance performance, and promote physical recovery after overexertion or injury.
A sports massage therapist will help you perform safe and effective stretches. Sports massage benefits include helping to increase mobility and range of motion, as well as supporting a phased approach to returning to regular physical activities after an injury.
Deep tissue therapy and massage
When the pain or injury is deeper, deep tissue therapy can help target tension and muscular knots. Deep tissue therapy works explicitly on your muscles, especially the deeper muscles where you can develop tight knots and stiffness that a more gentle, surface-level massage can’t reach. This type of massage is commonly used to treat chronic pain, improve posture, and restore mobility after an injury.
Your massage therapist will use slow, firm pressure to target the deep muscle layers, helping you find relief. It also helps improve blood flow and flush toxins (including lactic acid from your muscles) from your body to help promote healing. Many patients find relief immediately after a session, and full healing is sometimes 2x as fast with this type of massage (compared to leaving it to heal on its own).
Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a whole-body manual practice that takes a holistic approach to health and wellness. It focuses on the musculoskeletal system to restore body alignment, improve your circulation, and put your body in its best condition for self-healing. Osteopaths support whole body wellness and healing, and help to find (and heal) the root cause of your discomfort or pain, not just treating symptoms.
Osteopathy for athletes supports both preventive healthcare (to avoid or lessen the risk or severity of injuries) and promotes faster whole-body healing after a muscle injury or trauma. This is usually done through gentle joint manipulations, stretches, soft tissue work, and other lifestyle modifications.
The best therapy for muscle recovery
To help you choose the best therapy, here is an at-a-glance comparison:
|
Therapy |
Best for | Key Benefits |
Who to see |
| Sports Massage | Athletes and active individuals | Reduce muscle soreness, improve circulation, boost athletic performance | Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) |
| Deep Tissue | Chronic or recurring tension or muscle pain | Improves posture, relieves stiffness, and reduces pain | Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) or Bodyworker |
| Osteopathy | Those with musculoskeletal issues, posture imbalance, and recurring pain | Finds root cause, improves joint function, whole body wellness and alignment | Osteopath |
How do you know which therapy or treatment is right for your injury or pain? In some cases, a combination of the three treatments may provide the relief and healing you need. Otherwise, here are common reasons you may choose one over another:
- Active individuals who train or work out regularly and want faster muscle recovery often choose sports massage with a Registered Massage Therapist.
- Individuals with persistent tension, tightness, or old, unhealed injuries often find relief through deep tissue massage with a skilled massage therapist.
- Those who want a holistic, whole mind/body approach to wellness, pain, and mobility issues often turn to osteopathy for relief.
Enhancing your recovery at home
In addition to your chosen professional practitioner therapies, you can take steps at home to support your recovery and promote a healthy outcome after an injury. These include:
- Staying hydrated (to help flush out toxins)
- Be kind to yourself and rest
- Do gentle stretches and movement (as recommended by your practitioner)
- Communicate honestly about your pain levels and healing progress
- Reassess your body regularly, as your recovery is unique to you
When to see your natural health practitioner
See your chosen practitioner as soon as possible after the injury or as soon as you experience the pain. Quick diagnosis and treatment can often support a faster recovery and help you avoid re-injuring or further aggravating the injury. They can also recommend a frequency for future preventative care visits, based on your injury and activity level.
Always consult a healthcare professional before restarting any physical activity after an injury. A great place to start is by seeing your osteopath.
Thuja Wellness can support your optimal health and healing after a muscle or sports injury. As an osteopath, I will create a personalized recovery plan to help you heal and safely return to your regular activities as soon as possible.
