Woke up with a tight knot in your neck? Suddenly feel a sore spot in your hamstring after a run? It might be a trigger point that’s setting off the pain you’re experiencing. And if your first thought is, I need a massage, you’re hardly alone. The relaxing, ahh-inducing effects of a massage are certainly alluring to treat targeted aches and pains. But keep this in mind: There actually isn’t much scientific proof that massage is the best way to work out these kinks.

In fact, massages are typically a short-term, feel-better remedy, not a long-term, get-better strategy. In other words, the relief you may feel usually doesn’t get to the bottom of what’s causing that tight knot in the first place. Movement, stretching, and exercise, plus staying hydrated and getting enough sleep should play a bigger role in your recovery because these daily activities improve your chances of more sustained relief.

But that doesn’t mean you have to pass up on a massage entirely. Massage can still be incorporated into your recovery plan so long as it’s not the main or only solution you’re using to ease the pain.

Here, we’ll cover what you should know about trigger point massage, a noninvasive therapy used by massage therapists, physical therapists, and chiropractors to spot-treat sore areas.