Massage & Bodywork Questions

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For long-term chronic conditions, whether chronic pain or stress, post traumatic stress, or autoimmune conditions, weekly sessions are best for making incremental forward progress.  Of course time and money are a consideration, so less frequent sessions are still good, and consistency is important.  For general stress reduction and wellness, many people find a monthly or twice monthly session to be right for them.  It’s a very individual choice, and since it feels so good to get bodywork sessions, most people want to come as often as possible. 

The short answer is no—and there is a place for heightened intensity, that feels good, that you can still relax into, when distressed areas are being worked out.  This should not reach the level of pain, where you are tensing up, guarding, or moving away from the pressure.  Pain is an indicator of injury or potential injury and the body will always, to greater or lesser degrees, seek to protect itself.  The pain response is the opposite of the kind of lengthening and relaxation that is the basic goal of all massage therapy.  So no, massage should not be painful, and should always be a pleasant experience, even when working in over-stressed areas.  We can’t rush the body into change, and clients and therapists need to learn patience.  

There are many massage therapists that see pain during and after massage sessions as productive.  We at Inner Wellness do not agree.  Pain is an indicator of injury to tissue, which the body has to recover from.  Even if there are instances in which this could be clinically useful, it is not the general case for massage therapy.  What you are really experiencing here is most likely a misinformed, aggressive therapist, who has more ego than patience.  Clients who are seeking pain from massage are also misinformed, often by massage therapists, about how results are achieved in massage therapy.  Discomfort in distressed tissue during a massage is a useful indicator for client and therapist about areas that need attention.  These are areas where we should slow down, communicate, work together patiently, well within the client’s pain tolerance, to bring about a result that feels good—not painful—in the days following the session.  When working with chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia, arthritis or Ehlers-Danlos, it is important to communicate about the days following the prior session to be sure we did not over-treat, and cause the condition to flare up.  The goal in all cases is to move progressively forward to a place of pain-free ease in the body.  If that is your goal, come see us at Inner Wellness. 

Yes, we are very experienced with prenatal massage, and always encourage expecting moms to come in for regular sessions to help relieve potential stress and discomfort during pregnancy.  We are well aware of the precautions to take for prenatal massage in each trimester, and we use the side-lying position during the second and third trimesters.  This is your time to be pampered, so come in and see us for truly relaxing pregnancy massage. 

Yes, we love the benefits of lymphatic drainage, and use it in combination with other modalities, or in full session form.  There is a long history in Europe of people going for lymphatic drainage sessions before the winter months to enhance immune function.  It is also very useful as a gentle form of post-surgery, or post-injury bodywork to encourage fluid movement and healthy regeneration of tissue in the recovering area.  If you are used to receiving heavier forms of bodywork, you might be surprised at how effective this work can be for chronic pain.