Client low back pain *after* massage

[anne s]

    First of all, it may be possible that this was just a coincidence, since you said that you didn't do much work on the lower back.     I had 1-2 cases of this happening with people that I worked on, but not to the degree that you seemed to get across.  It also happened to me at least once, but to a minor degree.  Because of this, I did some informal research on this.  As for a woman that I worked on that had this problem, her bed was largely the problem (lack of good support).  This may be the reason why some people here are suggesting the use of small pillows.     As for technique and such, my research has shown that the lower back is most susceptible to being strained during the FIRST five minutes of the treatment.  As a result, I use only light pressure during the first five minutes or so.  Also, I seem to have better luck when doing the bulk of the work on the upper back.  I find that doing deep massage on the lower back seems to be just asking for trouble unless you are highly trained here.  Also, excessive pressure on the spine can lead to problems, particularly with alignment and such.     If a person is susceptible to lower back pain, he or she should take it easy for a day after the massage treatment.     If this problem seems to happen frequently, particularly with the same client, lighter massage and reiki may be a better choice.From John Nozum