Notes

Things I repeat to almost every client. Nothing here replaces seeing someone in person. It's just what usually helps.

Your shoulders aren't the problem

The spot everyone points to (the top of the shoulder, where the neck meets it) is almost never where the trouble starts. It's the muscle that ends up holding the weight of a head that's been pushed forward all day. Fix the desk and the phone habit, and that spot stops screaming within a week or two. Massage helps it let go; it doesn't stop you from putting it back.

Stretching before, moving after

Long static stretching right before you train makes you feel loose and perform worse. Save it for after, when you're warm and going home anyway. Before training, move the joint through its range instead: slow circles, easy swings, a couple of sets at half effort.

Water doesn't flush anything out

You'll hear that a massage releases toxins and you must drink a litre after. It doesn't and you don't. Drink water because you're a person who needs water. What actually helps the day after a deep session is walking, a warm shower and sleep, in that order.

Soreness that lasts more than three days

Normal soreness peaks around the second day and fades. Pain that's sharp, that wakes you at night, or that comes with numbness down an arm or leg isn't a massage problem. That's a doctor. I'll say so and send you, and no, it isn't me being dramatic.

The cheapest recovery there is

Sleep. Every study on the subject is boring for the same reason: it keeps winning. Eight hours does more for a tired back than anything I can do with my hands in an hour, and it costs nothing.