Just went for a massage… it was AGONY

[macaroonsandgin]

It was seriously excruciating!! Shoulders, legs, bum, neck, back - all so tight, so much so the therapist gave me a bottle of water afterwards as she said she felt sorry for me 😳

What can I do to try and stop myself from getting this tight again?? I’m very lucky in that I don’t have any chronic health issues. I recently had a really bad bout of gastro something or other (young kids) so I haven’t been able to exercise as normal lately, I’d wondered whether that was somehow contributing?

Anyone have any advice for how to stop myself becoming so tight and sore??

TIA

You just had too hard a massage I think. I've had this before and just asked for them to have less pressure. They often ask at the beginning how you want it.

Also depends on what type of massage it was. Sports ones are pretty intense.

After mine I felt sick and was sweating 😂

Went elsewhere after that and have had some really good ones.

I've had this during sports massages. My last one made me feel sick. I've jad loads over the years ans they've all been sore but I used to do lots of running. I don't now so god knows why my muscles are sore. I've been told to stretch for much longer than I think and have warm baths.

A massage therapist once asked me to use a heat pad on my shoulder before a massage as they are so tight

Yoga. Keeps your muscles stretched and you feel great all the time. Very much recommend.

Sports massage is painful if you're tight. I had my gluteal done once and it hurt so much I cried and my PT felt so guilty he gave me a cuddle afterwards. 😂

I had one give up on me after a few sessions!
I was apparently so extremely tense there wasn't much she could do for me!
At least she was honest, I suppose!

I had one once that was so hard my muscles were bruised for days. I ask them not not to be so deep.

Stretching. Others have suggested yoga. If you do any form of exercise, make sure you stretch properly afterwards. Get a foam roller and watch some videos on how to use it properly.

There's also different types of massage. If you don't want it to be uncomfortable, you can just do a spa-type massage (I had a physio who referred to "there there" massages", meaning a nice body rub). Sports massages are designed to get the knots out to help recovery, so if you don't stretch and have tight muscles, it will be uncomfortable.

Some years ago I had rehab physio massage after being hit by a car. I had prescription painkillers to take before physio. Excruciating, but necessary.

This is nonsense. The whole point of a massage is to work out the tension, not gently rub you so you can fall asleep or something. For the OP especially, it should be deep if she is that tense as her muscles need releasing. No point paying for a massage just to have someone gently rubbing your back. They need to get into the knots. It will hurt, you might bruise, but it’s good for you.

you should never be bruised after a massage! If you are in pain during a massage it causes your muscles to tighten up further so totally defeats the object.

@macaroonsandgin yoga is your answer. Especially the very slow type (look up Yin yoga) where you stay in position for a while.
If you’ve done yoga before, I’d do it at home and concentrate on the poses that target the worst areas for you.
All the hips opening stuff us usually good imo

This is wrong. My mum is a massage therapist (a proper one, not a spa fake massage one). Never had a proper sports massage?
Bruises forming witching 2 or 3 days is normal. As you go more, and your body starts to get loosened up, it stops happening.

Yin / restorative yoga and self-massage with a foam roller or a tennis ball for knots in the shoulders.

I used to go to the most amazing bloke. Never found anyone who can get anywhere near the same pressure since.

If you can afford it, go regularly.

Well I’m a physiotherapist so no ,bruises are not normal and a sign of damage and I would never return to a massage therapist who bruised me….your mum is doing it wrong!

Have you ever had a proper sports massage? I’ve had them in every country I’ve lived in, from my teens due to being heavily involved in sports. You bruise. My mum got into it, and retrained because of all the involvement in my sport life as a child.

Sorry, but not all physiotherapists actually know what they’re doing. And I doubt that every sports therapist I’ve ever seen in multiple countries is doing it wrong. I also had. Aquifer google and yup… bruises.

Sorry I call bollocks . I am probably rather more qualified than your mum is.

Go more frequently. There'll be fewer knots for them to find each time.

Yeah ok. You carry on.

Find stetching videos on YouTube to do daily. Do them after a short walk or even walking in place for a few minutes to get you warmed up.

Some really good PT channels have stretching too.

I stretch after every exercise session and do yoga three times a week. A good sports massage still hurts. It's not just tightness, but all the knots and minor injuries they find.

No, @Bagpussrules is right. Your mum is doing it wrong. She should not be leaving anyone with bruises, that suggests her technique is not right. And a physio is much more qualified for such a thing than a ‘massage therapist’.

Yoga does me no good at all for neck and shoulder tension, but ten minutes work with dumbbells helps open up everything. Can you ask for a proper induction at your gym?

Thank you so much everyone, some great suggestions here!

Sounds like yoga, regular stretching, foam roller would all be good to try.

Do people think it’s OK to keep going to a massage person (she’s just on our local high street so I didn’t particularly research the place or anything) or would a physio be better? Or should I swerve altogether if I’m that knotted up?!?

Ty

@macaroonsandgin a good massage therapist is worth their weight in gold and perfectly suitable for you but just remember it’s not a protected title and ANYONE can call themselves a massage therapist …so it could be someone who’s literally done a few days training and set themselves up to practise or someone who’s done a degree and has years of experience ( and everything in between)…so check their qualifications, even better get recommendations from those in your area and make sure you feedback during the session how you are finding it. If you are really tight and stiff it’s better to have a few sessions where the therapist can slowly get you moving rather than a heavy session and be in a lot of pain where you can’t function!