It is unnecessary, and potentially counterproductive, to experience pain during massages or soft tissue release to achieve benefits for flexibility and recovery.

noli's read

Squat University highlights a persistent wellness myth: the belief that massage or the use of a foam roller must be painful to be beneficial. A meta-analysis by Wiewelhove et al. (2019) confirms that soft tissue work improves flexibility and reduces muscle fatigue without the need for intense pain. Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) indicate that excessive pressure triggers an involuntary protective reflex, causing the muscle to tense up in defense rather than relax. Furthermore, the explanation that manual force serves to 'break up' physical knots in deep tissue is largely nuanced by science. A biomechanical modeling study by Chaudhry et al. (2008) shows that human manual forces are insufficient to directly deform the structure of dense fascia. The effectiveness of these techniques relies instead on the stimulation of cutaneous and muscular sensory receptors that send relaxation signals to the nervous system. Aiming for a moderate and tolerable level of discomfort while maintaining calm breathing therefore remains the key to optimizing recovery.

the sources

No named source held this one up — that absence is part of the verdict.