Should Massage Be Painful?

Have you ever wondered if a massage has to hurt to be effective? 

If so, you are not alone. Many people believe that a massage has to hurt in order to be effective. Well, it doesn’t! You’ll be happy to hear that the saying, “No pain, no gain” doesn’t apply to massage therapy. Sometimes the most effective massages are the ones that don’t cause you any pain. Something that feels great, and is good for you too? It doesn’t get much better than that!

Deep Tissue Massage might cause some discomfort….

A deep tissue massage is when the massage therapist manipulates the deeper layers of your soft tissue. Soft tissue includes your muscles, ligaments, fascia, and tendons (it’s pretty much everything that isn’t bones or organs). Usually, your massage therapist will use lotions or oil and will work lighter at first, this is important, it helps to warm up and relax the top layer of tissue and muscle, meaning less pain for you. Then the deeper layers of muscle can be worked on more easily and with less pain.  This will feel much better and you will get better results!

Typically, deep tissue massage is recommended for those with chronic pain caused by tight muscles or injuries. Deep tissue massage can be very therapeutic because it helps with relieving patterns of tension that have developed over time and helping with muscle injuries. With a good deep tissue session, clients will feel more relaxed after the massage if no pain was endured during it. It’s really difficult (nearly impossible) to relax if you are in pain, and muscle tension will release faster if you are in a state of relaxation. 

Deep tissue massage is not for everyone! You are not a wimp if you don’t like it. It is one of the more involved and intense massage techniques. Some people simply like the feeling of more pressure, and a firm massage isn’t always deep tissue. Just be sure to communicate with your therapist about what you prefer and need. Please, speak up! I promise, your therapist will appreciate your feedback. Happy clients become regular clients, and your therapist wants you to love your massage.

Pain vs. Discomfort

Muscles naturally react to any sort of pain. When your muscles feel that your body is about to be injured, the reflex to deflect the pain is stimulated. If your massage therapist is ever applying too much pressure, your muscles tighten up to naturally counterattack the force, and that is not a great way to relax. Most trained therapists will notice this reaction, decrease pressure, and check-in with you about your comfort level before continuing. A massage is meant to relieve the tension of your muscles so if you feel as though the massage therapist is applying too much pressure for comfort, let them know and ask them to use less pressure. Seriously, they want you to! 

Don’t go into the massage thinking there won’t be any discomfort at all though. Pain and discomfort are two different things. People usually describe the discomfort as a “good hurt” - especially in reference to getting a massage. When you experience pain during a massage, it is more than discomfort and could even cause bruising or injury. 

Everybody has different tolerances for pain, so a massage that is painful for one person may not be painful for you. If you find that your massage therapist isn’t working between your tolerance levels for pain, then it’s important that you say something. Massages should almost never cause you physical pain and very rarely is it okay for you to be left with marks on your body afterward. In my practice, if I have gotten consent to spend extra time working deep in one specific area, I let my client know that they may feel sore or even have slight bruising over the following few days. Even though I have gotten consent to continue with deeper work, I ALWAYS communicate with the client during these times to ensure their comfort.  

If you are booking your first massage, you probably don’t want to start out with a deep tissue session. Ease your way into massage therapy and start with something less specific, like Swedish or integrative massage. I combine many different techniques based on each individual’s needs at the time of service. At each appointment, we discuss what your goals for the session are and also make adjustments as needed. 

Your comfort and healing are my priority when you are in my workspace! 

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