“No Pain, No Gain”: The Myth of Deep Tissue Superiority
Written by Jo Hodges, LMT PA#MSG015344
My specialty, like many massage therapists out there, is deep tissue. If people need more pressure, I meet them at their limit to help push through their chronic pain and get them feeling better. More often than not though, I see people on my table that are in so much pain that they want to break their boundaries in order to relieve pain and tension. Why do we believe we need to “power through” the pain to be better? What happens when the relaxing feeling of self care disappears, and the dread of having to make appointments to manage pain begins? When searching for ‘deep tissue’ massage in a generic Google search, ‘is deep tissue massage supposed to hurt?’ is in the top 5 autofill searches – and the answer is no.
In this post from AASEM, a blog forum for answering pain point questions, they detail the reasons that deep tissue may be painful for a client, including sensitivity to pressure, muscle tension, and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Though DOMS is a very common cause of soreness after an intense massage or workout, there’s a definite line from ‘soreness’ to ‘pain’ that many people don’t see. Massage should not leave you unable to walk, get out of bed, or stand or sit for long periods, especially after the first 24 hours of recovery. So often, we see clients convinced that the pain heals them, instead of causing more issues for your body in pain management. Here, we can turn to Google again and see that health-related websites (such as MayoClinic and WebMD) paint deep tissue massage in this superior light, giving firm pressure the spotlight over Swedish (relaxation) massage. The real issue doesn’t lie in the fact that deep tissue massage is better or worse; it lies in the fact that firm pressure and pain relief aren’t always synonymous, like many clients are led to believe.
‘Deep tissue’ is often used by massage therapists to discuss sessions that include pain and injury relief. It doesn’t mean that the therapist needs to use all of their pressure to relieve that pain – it doesn’t necessarily mean firm pressure at all! Deep tissue massage can be done with any pressure, and plenty of adjustments during the session. Many clients are hesitant to commit to deep tissue, especially with pre-existing conditions and chronic pain, because they don’t want to end up in even worse shape. Massage is one of the most fluid and customizable ways to help your body, and that doesn’t just stop when you select an option in our online booking!
At Monacella Massage & Kinesiology, we’re proud to have an extremely adaptive and intuitive team of 10 massage therapists, with a range of tools to help you feel your best! When booking, we have separate options for relaxation, deep tissue, general setting if you’re unsure, and now introducing sports massage. Never be afraid to ask questions, and do what is needed for your body! Firm relaxation sessions do exist, as well as deep tissue with light to medium pressure, though it may seem contradictory at first. Understanding when your body is telling you to stop is just as important as setting up your appointments at all! Wishing everyone a safe and sunny summer, and we hope to celebrate National Relaxation Day with you on August 15th!