When Massage Therapy Can Make Back Pain Worse

Fitness, health and wellness tips sent to you weekly Cleveland Clinic is a not-for-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not promote products or services other than Cleveland Clinic. Policy: Swelling and discomfort usually last from a few hours to about a day and a half.

The same things you do to treat sore muscles after exercise can ease pain after a massage.

Massage

doesn't have to hurt to be effective. Many massage therapists are trained in multiple techniques that vary in pressure and time. If a technique doesn't seem therapeutic to you, but simply feels like pain, please speak up.

We may be able to detect a problem area, but we can't feel the intensity of its pain response. Also, tell your massage therapist about your medical history, changes in medications, allergies, and recent illnesses. Each of these factors can influence the massage techniques used and the body's response to them. Communicating with your therapist will give you the most benefit from your massage.

Our main goal is to help you feel better. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Policy Have you ever felt sore after a massage? Find out why and how to feel better with a massage therapist. Sometimes, the inflammation that causes lower back pain can occur after a deep tissue massage.

This is not a normal and expected result of massage therapy. The reasons for this vary depending on the treatment area and the reason you used the massage treatment. It is usually the result of an injury aggravated by a poorly performed massage in which too much pressure is applied. It's a good idea to talk to a doctor about your injury before getting a massage.

A popular treatment option that can help reduce back pain is massage therapy. However, in some cases, massage therapy may worsen back pain if your condition requires other treatment. In these situations, massage therapy will not be effective in reducing back pain and may even worsen it. People with increased muscle pain reported less mental energy and feelings related to depressed moods.

Before starting any type of treatment, talk to your orthopedic doctor about your back pain so you can get a diagnosis and a recommendation on the best treatments available for your particular condition. A post-workout massage can be nice, but there are a few things you should know before you hop on the massage table. Massage therapy may involve pressing, rubbing, and applying pressure to soft tissues throughout the body with fingers, hands, elbows, and tools. That may seem like a pain in the ass to anyone who can't get an appointment for a day or two after a big race, but it doesn't necessarily mean your massage doesn't make sense.

That means getting checked by a doctor or physical therapist before getting a massage, Walsh says, or if you have a permanent appointment with someone you know and trust, talk to your massage therapist about what you're experiencing. Although a little pain is a common side effect of deep tissue massage, it shouldn't last longer than a day or two. It's a relaxing day at the spa, where you're planning to get a full body massage for an hour or two. Applying a muscle massage or CBD lotion is also a great way to administer self-massage several times a day.

To ease the pain after the massage more quickly, you should drink plenty of water, get enough sleep and have a snack as soon as the massage is over. Many people turn to massage as a method to treat normal aches and pains, as well as chronic pain. The most important thing is that you should look for a certified and licensed massage therapist who knows how to do their job. You may return home with fractured bones, torn muscles, or you may even fall off the massage table and suffer further physical injuries.

Let's see what massage therapy is, what type of back pain is effective in reducing, and what types of back pain it can't treat. There's nothing to be frantic about because, after a day and a half, the swelling and discomfort would go away if the massage were gentle and tolerable.

Mark Szymonik
Mark Szymonik

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