Improper massages can injure muscles

PMSM is just an unavoidable mild side effect of strong massage. And for a few more vulnerable patients, it could actually be a little dangerous. Unfortunately, the evidence is fairly unambiguously negative. Pre-event massage is obviously potentially a problem for athletes because of all the other potential harms mentioned in this article. Even a hint of PMSM is clearly not what an athlete wants right before, say, a soccer match.

But there a particularly likely problem with massage right before trying to be all sporty: massage can be discombobulating. A blast of novel stimuli can be surprisingly disorienting, even if it is also invigorating. And it doesn't take much to throw an athlete off-kilter. Push hard enough in the wrong place, and you can injure a nerve, of course. And I once caused such a nerve injury myself: it was a minor injury, but it did — augh — result in weeks of aggravating discomfort for my client.

This can lead to two main kinds of rare but truly dangerous side effects of massage: spinal cord injury associated with instability of the upper cervical spine, or stroke caused by tearing of the vertebral arteries. A weird case of brain artery damage extracranial internal carotid artery dissection, specifically was reported in by the Southern Medical Journal : a year-old woman gave herself a stroke by using a vibrating massage tool for too long and too hard on her neck. Nevertheless, it demonstrates that the arteries of the neck are a little bit fragile — and I have no doubt that there are poorly trained or incompetent therapists out there would might get carelessly exuberant in this region, while trying to treat the scalenes: see Massage Therapy for Neck Pain, Chest Pain, Arm Pain, and Upper Back Pain.

Massage is not likely to blame for the incident, though — it was probably interacting with some unidentified vulnerability in the patient, such as a muscle disease or a complication caused by a medication.

Clearly massage and heat alone do not normally cause such severe side effects! Nevertheless, the potential for awful interactions does exist, and this is a good example of it. Although notice that some of these are too serious not to report.

Headaches are an extremely unpredictable and complicated category of problems with countless possible causes, and they can be seriously aggravated by massage. I could feel it getting worse as she worked. Stretching injuries. Stretch is sometimes applied to patients by massage therapists, sometimes very strongly, and of course they routinely recommend it. Although mostly safe, obviously you can overdo it. I know this one from personal experience: Stretching Injury. I am one-degree of separation from a patient whose femur the big leg bone!

It was a weak and vulnerable femur to a modest degree … but still, wow! Intestinal rupture. He had ripped a five-centimetre hole in his upper colon, and bled a litre-and-half of blood into his abdomen before diagnosis.

He got lucky, but this certainly could have killed him. How many one -centimetre tears have gone undiscovered? Massage can dislodge blood clots , which can then get trapped in the lungs or brain or other tissues, a potentially deadly complication. Falling off the table. Still, massage tables are quite narrow…. Dizziness and vertigo attacks. These are classic non-specific symptoms that are easily triggered in many people, especially by massage for some reason, 28 and just because many people are vulnerable to them for all kinds of reasons.

For instance, a reader told me this story:. Near the end the room started to slowly rotate on me: the beginning of a vertigo attack! Do you think the massage could have caused this episode? A good question without a good answer. These are rare but real incidents.

Healthy people are unlikely to be injured by massage. Most of dangers are related to undetected vulnerabilities, and they emphasize the importance of alternative health professionals being trained to spot the scary stuff.

Massage therapists need to know that the most important part of their job is the smart management high-risk situations that they may see only a handful of times in their entire career.

But how do you handle a curve ball when it finally comes? But they also need to know that chronic pain is a relative common dangerous situation, easily aggravated by.

As a massage therapist, I typically get sore in my upper back and shoulders after a long day or when I do more than a couple of deep tissue clients in a single shift. Sometimes a few stretches in the morning with lavender essential oil diffusing in the diffuser can remedy my soreness. There is something very satisfying and effective when a therapist places prolonged broad pressure on a sore muscle. It feels a lot like an inflammatory boost to the inflamed muscle. I like my massage with medium pressure and long gliding strokes mixed with a little kneading here and there.

It gives me that good, hurt feeling that I love and enjoy in a massage. Please make sure you tell your therapist what you are hoping to get out of your massage and make sure you help them regulate the pressure. Research states that a massage has more prolonged effects and healing attributes to your soreness, unlike some medicine, which can reduce inflammation and slow the healing process.

Did you know that peppermint essential oil has inflammatory compounds? Add a couple of drops to some coconut or olive oil and massage into the area of your sore muscle. We always recommend using Bnatural Organic essential oils when possible. If the soreness persists, you can always book a massage appointment with us right here!

This is really great content. I do appreciate that this post underlined that massage helps our muscles to relax. In general, it is a good idea to keep your elbows close to your body while delivering treatment. Having your table at the proper height is also key for injury prevention.

Variety of Treatments is key for injury avoidance. Vary the techniques you use with clients. Aim to book a low-pressure client such as one seeking lymphatic massage after a session with more intense treatment. At our massage therapist school, we provide resources to keep our students and alumni safe and injury-free. Your effectiveness as a therapist will improve while the longevity of your career increases. These structurally oriented, pain free techniques will deliver results for clients suffering rotator cuff injuries, shoulder impingement, tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and more.

Learn self-care techniques equally useful for client and therapist alike. This hands-saving technique will add variety to your massage practice. Keep abreast of these and other upcoming CE offerings at our Continuing Education website.

As the situation with COVID continues to unfold, our highest priority at East West College is the health and well-being of our staff, faculty, students and extended community.

In light of public health recommendations that we practice social distancing to slow the spread of the virus, our staff and faculty are working remotely until the Oregon Stay At Home order has been lifted. Feel free to contact them via phone or email as usual. It is assumed classes and the student massage clinic will resume for the Summer term starting in July based on current information.

If you have questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact us at or via email at StudentServices eastwestcollege.

View Larger Image. How to Avoid Injury while Providing Massage Therapy Stopping the repetitive movements that cause overuse syndromes can be financially challenging for massage therapists, so the best approach is to prevent injury in the first place through mindful massage therapy practice. Share This! Related Posts.