Massage Soreness

[cl0ckradi015]

I have a client who I worked low back issues on a Wednesday pm. I worked hips/low back/quads with a moderate pressure for about an hour. I also worked his upper back to some extent. Talking to him today, (Saturday 3 days later) he said that he was a bit sore on Thursday and felt great on Friday. However, this morning he woke up and his back was very tight and perhaps worse than before. He can't think of anything that he did to provoke this and had been drinking a fair amount of water. I really felt that I worked a moderate pressure for a reasonable amount of time. I'm curious as to if it was due to the massage, why was there the good day in between followed by the pain. I communicated with the client throughout the massage and although there were some uncomfortable parts in the massage, it was never at the point of pain. I've had this come up a couple of times before and just want some feedback if other people have heard of it. Is it the body adjusting to the release of muscles? Thanks for you thoughts.

 

[G. #2]

Massage Soreness

These conditions typically do not happen overnight, nor are they cured in an hour. It is possible that he felt great for a few days and over did it with activity. Also, the muscles are trying to find their balance - they went from tight to loose and I feel they are bound to go back to their previous condition unless steps are taken to figure out how he got that way to begin with.

Bottom line, it takes time and your client is going to have to be proactive in order to stop this from reoccurring. Even some basic daily stretching could be helpful.

Good luck!!

 

[Poetry]

Massage Soreness

Thanks Dragonfly - I never expect to cure a condition in an hour, believe me and I do let the clients know that. I did say to him that I felt that the muscles were trying to find a balance. It was the first thought that came to mind. I also advised him to talk to a PT or take up stretching/yoga after consulting doctor. I guess I'm just always trying to find that balance. I've worked on people at a moderate pressure for as little as 45 minutes and I check in quite a bit and try to read their body language even if sometimes they say the pressure is great I back off because that isn't what their body language is saying. In these 45 minute sessions I have worked a fairly general area, rarely do I spend 45 minutes on say, one hip although I know that's done too. I have then had them call a day later and say they were really sore. This rarely lasts for more than one day. I have been a therapist for 7 years and run a good practice and KNOW I have helped alot of people. One thing I have always struggled with is "how sore is too sore?" I'm not a "massage bully" I don't necc believe in the deeper the better, although again, I know that works for some therapists. How long are other people comfortable with a client being sore? One day? Two days? Not at all? Entirely dependent on final outcome? I encourage people to drink water, give them stretches, suggest hot epsom salt bathes. This is an interesting forum. I have tried to talk to different therapists about it and I tend to get alot of shrugs and I dunno. And this is from good therapists. I know there is no definitive answer but would really like to hear other therapist's opinions. This sounds like a basic massage question but it's just one that has always lurked in the back of my head. Also, do people have "limits" on how long they will work on someone or how deep they will work on someone the first time especially if they are a very tight person?

 

[Clare [:]

Massage Soreness

You brought up some really good points! I am sure that the outcomes could be a factor of any of those scenarios you mentioned. I too am curious to see what others opinions are of this situation.

 

[MAR2009]

Massage Soreness

It's not an easy answer because what works for one doesn't for another and especally when dealing with fibro clients it can vary from treatment to treatment. But I have had clients who felt great the next day and then became sore the day after. When they are really inflamed and tender to touch I try not to work the area over 30 min. I use gentle pressure, MFR, and heat. At the end of the session I ask permission to use biofeeeze or Sombra and recommend an ice pack when they get home and recommend they soak in a warm bath before bed. I always tell them if their back goes into spasm the next day to come back and I'll give them 15 min of free heat and light work. I've only had someone come back twice in 3 years and both times they bought biofeeeze or sombra. Also, both times it helped them and they became regular clients. On the other hand I know of at least 2 clients I lost because their back was too sore after massage.

I always tell new clients that if they are sore more than 2 days to be sure and tell me so I'll know how to best treat them their next session. Trusting our instincts with each client each time they come goes a long way. When they can sense that you have their best interests at heart, that alone, covers alot of mistakes we make along the way and they will be willing to grow with us as we either figure things out or just accept the fact that thee are some things we will never fully know.

 

[blah13]

Massage Soreness

From your statment about the client feeling better, I tend to lean toward the following:

It is possible that he felt great for a few days and over did it with activity.

I've seen this happen time and time again over the years.

Even when I tell people, if they feel better, not to overdo it - many do anyway. :undecided:

 

[HOPE FOR GOOD.]

Massage Soreness

No matter how "deeply" I work, I tell clients that they "may" have some mild soreness tonight or tomorrow, but that it should be very transitory. If it lasts more than a few hours, I want to know about it. The way I work now, anything more is too much.

 

[StarStruckk Is A Monstur!]

Massage Soreness

Also, do people have "limits" on how long they will work on someone or how deep they will work on someone the first time especially if they are a very tight person?

It's been my experience that even though I will not usually do more than a medium pressure for people who have extensive muscle tension and try to work up to longer and deeper sessions, every single person will respond differently. Two clients can come in who have knots in the exact same places and feel exactly the same tension-wise and you give the exact same massage, I think one will almost always have a different experience than the other.

I'm sure there are a few reasons for this.. particular stress levels, physical activity, water intake, body composition, maybe even diet all probably go into effect. I do the same thing when I ask people about the pressure and their body language or resistance says otherwise. As far as I know, about 3 out of 5 first-time clients of mine are mildly sore for about a day and a half on average, and even though I preach water to no end, I've had the nagging feeling sometimes that when people say they have drunk a lot of water, it really means they maybe had a swallow or two after they got home and forgot about it.

 

[Gentleman]

Massage Soreness

Also, do people have "limits" on how long they will work on someone or how deep they will work on someone the first time especially if they are a very tight person?

It's been my experience that even though I will not usually do more than a medium pressure for people who have extensive muscle tension and try to work up to longer and deeper sessions, every single person will respond differently. Two clients can come in who have knots in the exact same places and feel exactly the same tension-wise and you give the exact same massage, I think one will almost always have a different experience than the other.

I'm sure there are a few reasons for this.. particular stress levels, physical activity, water intake, body composition, maybe even diet all probably go into effect. I do the same thing when I ask people about the pressure and their body language or resistance says otherwise. As far as I know, about 3 out of 5 first-time clients of mine are mildly sore for about a day and a half on average, and even though I preach water to no end, I've had the nagging feeling sometimes that when people say they have drunk a lot of water, it really means they maybe had a swallow or two after they got home and forgot about it.

Stop preaching the water myth. It's outside your scope of practice to tell them how much to drink, and it probably has absolutely nothing to do with any post-massage discomfort they experience. In my experience, the way I work has a far greater impact than how much water they do/don't drink ever will. These days I rarely (if ever) talk about hydration with clients unless it is directly relevant to their health history in some way. Even chronically dehydrated clients won't experience much significant discomfort if I moderate my use of pressure and technique appropriately.

 

[TDWP]

Massage Soreness

I continue to encourage my clients to drink water - myth or not. I also believe that it can make a difference, as I have tried with and without water numerous times on my "self", post-deep work. I have a tendency to recoup better with than without water.

As a side note... Taoist, I absolutely love your icon. May I ask where you got it?

 

[thecused1]

Massage Soreness

Stop preaching the water myth. It's outside your scope of practice to tell them how much to drink, and it probably has absolutely nothing to do with any post-massage discomfort they experience. In my experience, the way I work has a far greater impact than how much water they do/don't drink ever will. These days I rarely (if ever) talk about hydration with clients unless it is directly relevant to their health history in some way. Even chronically dehydrated clients won't experience much significant discomfort if I moderate my use of pressure and technique appropriately.

Perhaps I need to go back to my original thought of how everyone is different. Based on my own personal experience, I find that the effects of getting a massage last longer when I drink more water and I really do feel less "stiff" in the days following. I honestly hadn't really thought about it being outside my scope to tell people to drink water .

pueppi- I don't remember exactly where I found it, just online somewhere. I really wanted to find a yin-yang symbol that didn't look lame (the yin-yang and peace sign craze in the 90's nearly ruined it for me!) and happened to stumble upon this one.

 

[Gabriella]

Massage Soreness

FWIW, this is an article on the benefits of water and metabolic boosting.

 

[mandi nic]

Massage Soreness

That's a very fascinating study. Thanks, pueppi!

 

[Cathy]

Massage Soreness

Another thing to consider, you worked on him Wednesday and he was sore the next day but felt great on Friday and then Saturday felt worse than before? Another thing to consider is memory and how the brain works. Did he really feel worse on Saturday or was it that he felt so good on Friday that when the initial complaint returned on Saturday it felt worse than normal? In my experience, when a client gets to live a day or two without any pain that they were feeling previously, and then it returns-- even if less than before, it FEELS worse because they are going from pain to a pain-free state then back to pain.

Just something to think about in your work.

 

[mumba]

Massage Soreness

Another thing to consider, you worked on him Wednesday and he was sore the next day but felt great on Friday and then Saturday felt worse than before? Another thing to consider is memory and how the brain works. Did he really feel worse on Saturday or was it that he felt so good on Friday that when the initial complaint returned on Saturday it felt worse than normal? In my experience, when a client gets to live a day or two without any pain that they were feeling previously, and then it returns-- even if less than before, it FEELS worse because they are going from pain to a pain-free state then back to pain.

Just something to think about in your work.

I think that's a good point. I turn into a huge baby whenever I get sick since I hardly ever do get sick. When it does happen, I think it feels worse to me than it really is just because I'm not used to it.