Sometimes if a muscle is sore (after a light workout/ day at work) a massage feels good, but other times (heavy workout or injuries) touching the muscle just hurts more.
What is the physical mechanism behind a good massage?
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The case where a massage is most effective and relieving is when a muscle has been in low strain but for a long time. That often happens in your back and neck due to posture issues where they continuously compensate. This means the muscle is being forced to work, but because it is not moving while doing so, blood has a hard time circulating through it. Blood can only properly flow through a relaxed muscle, as when it is tense, it will resist soaking through much like a towel resists soaking up water when you wring it. Under a more normal load, say running for example, the short time the muscle is relaxed between steps is enough to pump blood through it.
Everything the muscle needs to function is supplied by blood flow. Every waste product the muscle creates is removed by blood flow.
When you remove proper blood flow, and also force the muscle to work, energy gets slowly depleted. More importantly, waste builds up. Most notably lactic acid, which is what’s left after we burn energy and before oxygen has been able to further process it. Lactic acid isn’t great for the muscle tissue long term. It causes inflammation and slowly breaks down the tissue.
The ensuing light inflammation caused by the waste products will make the muscle start to swell slightly, in an attempt to flush out the waste. Unfortunately, this can have the effect of creating even more pressure inside the muscle which can constrict the blood flow even more. What you have now is that sore and tense “lump” that hurts when touched, but it’s still sooo relieving to smash it up a little.
So what happens when you massage the lump is you’re basically doing CPR on it. When you push on it, you force waste and fluids out of the muscle. When you release the pressure, it gets an opportunity to be supplied with fresh blood. Slowly “pumping” the muscle like this, keeps pushing out the bad stuff, and bringing in good stuff.
If it’s gotten to the point of inflammation, it won’t be fixed instantly, but you’ll be on your way there.
Edit: as for when it’s *not* good nor very pleasant, is when there is trauma or damage to the muscle. If it’s already receiving all the circulation it needs, a massage is unlikely to help much, and may cause further damage like any poking around in an injury might, by disrupting the repair process.
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