You had a massage yesterday, and today you have aches or pains that are causing you discomfort.
What could go wrong with a massage?
What are the risks and side effects of massage therapy?
Most people think of massage therapy to be safe and risk-free, and of course, it almost always is. There is often slight discomfort after a therapeutic massage. However, things can be a little different, or at least a little uncomfortable, especially with the deep tissue massage.
While severe injuries in massage therapy are infrequent, cases diagnosed and reported in medical journals are more numerous. Therefore, it is appropriate for you to choose a massage therapist aware of the side effects.
Minor side effects of massage therapy are widespread
A survey of 100 massage patients found that 10% said they experienced mild discomfort the day after treatment. It was mainly a mild pain that is common after a massage. It is possible that the patients received a relaxing massage, therefore quite gentle.
This survey is incomplete because the number of people is too small to measure the rare or severe side effects of massage therapy, which do exist. You can probably do several studies on 100 patients without encountering a single unpleasant situation.
However, what happens if you survey by interviewing 1,000 or 10,000 patients? The other side effects will almost certainly show up.
Nevertheless, severe and unwanted side effects are probably scarce situations. And yet, looking again at the many studies since 2013, a few people have had severe reactions to massage, especially in the neck area.
The side effects and dangers of deep tissue massage
So what can go wrong with deep tissue massage?
- Worsens existing injuries and chronic pain problems;
- Empties patient wallets, thus another type of “pain”;
- Causes new injuries, mainly bruises and mainly minor nerve damage;
- Diverts patients from more appropriate health care;
- Slightly stresses the nervous system;
- Probably causes too much protein to be released into the bloodstream from crushed muscle;
- It probably slightly impairs athletic performance by doing less well in an appropriate warm-up.
Many patients recklessly prioritize massage over medical care, and far too many massage therapists have accepted it and missed the medical signs of severe symptoms, too confidently attributing them to something like toxins, muscle knots. Or spiritual energies.
Massage therapists are prone to pseudo-scientific beliefs, and the appalling ignorance of the diagnosis is probably the most dangerous thing about massage therapy, as with all alternative medicine.
The neck is a vulnerable region.
The neck is not a particularly fragile structure. Still, it is in some people, and there is always a danger with any manipulation of the neck that can disastrously disrupt a critical vulnerability that lurks within. Spine.
This can lead to two main types of rare but hazardous side effects with massage therapy:
- A spinal cord injury associated with instability of the upper cervical spine;
- A tear in the vertebral arteries causes a stroke.
An exciting example of beauty salon syndrome is brainstem injury or mini-stroke caused by careless massage of a vulnerable neck from prolonged neck extension while washing the hair. Similar positioning of the channel is not unusual in massage therapy.
There is always a danger, with any neck manipulation, of playing disastrously with a critical vulnerability lurking in the spine, even though these kinds of issues are not expected.
There are poorly trained or incompetent massage therapists who could get carelessly exuberant in massage while trying to deal with your neck pain, chest pain, arm pain, and upper back pain.
Does a painful massage cause any sensory injuries?
If you are a pain-tolerant person, you can have minor and significant effects in response to excruciating massage. The experience of pain is affected by many factors, including emotional and psychological.
If you have chronic pain, you can have a breakdown in the relationship between feeling bad and what is wrong. Threatening sensations can seriously aggravate this situation.
A massage therapist’s unconsciousness can cause problems if you don’t have a high pain tolerance. You need to instruct her to be gentle, and if she ignores you, you may wince in pain and even sweat profusely.
A painful and alarming sensory experience can increase your pain sensitivity, even in the long term. In addition, vulnerability to this horrible phenomenon is much more common and significant among desperate people who already suffer from chronic pain.
Even though massage therapists are exceptionally well trained and experienced, they may not know that intense massage can change your sensitivity to pain itself.
Poisoned by the arrogance of some massage therapists
People often feel sore and a bit sleepy after an intense massage. Some massage therapists routinely dismiss and rationalize this as a necessary evil, healing crisis, or detox effect.
It’s all bullshit and plain arrogance.
At best, it could just be a mild form of disorientation, feeling weird after an unusual and intense sensory experience. But it’s probably more organic and the opposite of detoxifying which brings you mild poisoning.
Excessive pressure can likely cause the injured muscle to release protein, known as a muscle crush injury.
Experience is good; skill is better.
Healthy people are unlikely to be injured by massage.
Most dangers relate to undetected vulnerabilities and underscore the importance of training massage therapists to spot scary things. The measure of a massage therapist’s competence is not what she does with relatively healthy patients but whether she has the proper training and attitude to recognize more precarious clinical situations.
Massage therapists should know that the essential part of their job is to intelligently handle high-risk situations that they may only see once a year in their careers. It’s like being a security guard: 99.9% of the time, nothing wrong happens, but how do you deal with a problem when it does happen!
Massage therapists should also be aware that chronic pain is a relatively common dangerous condition that could quickly worsen.
You should know that massage is not entirely safe, that a “no pain, no improvement” attitude is the source of most dangers, especially if you have chronic pain. It would help if you shied away from arrogant massage therapists who denigrate general healthcare because they are the most likely to ignore, downplay, or rationalize side effects while missing or misinterpreting severe symptoms.
Always choose a massage therapist who massages you based on your acceptable level of pain and not on the massage therapist’s past experiences. A massage is always a new experience for each person.
At Spa Mobile, your situation and your well-being are more important than our experiences!
Choose massage therapists who are attentive to your situation.
If you want a unique massage to relax or free yourself from your pain, discomfort, or suffering, isn’t it wise and sensible to turn to massage therapists who know what you are doing? Live?
