Side Effects of Massage Therapy

Side Effects of Massage Therapy

Massage is the practice of manipulating muscles and soft tissues to improve your well-being. Many hand manipulations are inherent in massage that, if performed improperly or on a damaged body part, could cause harm. Though massage has been around for centuries and fills an important role in complementary medicine, consult a doctor before getting a massage if you have a medical condition.

Changes

The manipulations can affect changes in your body that lead to serious medical complications. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, your blood sugar levels usually change after a massage. If you have diabetes, you should make a habit of checking your blood sugar after a session to ensure that you are within your limits. A blood clot can be loosened during a massage session so avoid massage if you have an existing blood clot, a bleeding disorder or an infection in your veins.

Damage

Your tissue is weakened while undergoing chemotherapy and a massage could damage the fragile tissues if you have cancer and are getting chemotherapy treatments or radiation. The rubbing involved in massage can damage any open sores or skin lesions further. If you have an enlarged thyroid, the organ can undergo damage from the pressure. Other conditions that could be exacerbated by massage include osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, high fever, kidney or heart failure or low white blood cell counts. You should wait until your surgeon releases you before having a massage after a surgical procedure.

Inexperience

An experienced massage therapist should know what conditions are not conducive to massage therapy. Many accidents and injuries occur from inexperience, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Specialists trained in treating specific populations take additional classes and receive advanced training to provide massages to people with special needs. For example, massage can be dangerous if you are pregnant unless you see a therapist trained in pregnancy massage. You could become injured after a grueling race if you see someone who isn't trained in sports massage. Cancer patients should seek massage therapy treatments from specialists trained in the modality.

Side Effects

A vigorous massage can leave your muscles sore for a day and not cause any permanent damage. If the therapist is pressing too hard, you should speak up and ask her to lighten her touch. Serious side effects can occur and should be considered before having a massage. You could develop permanent nerve damage or even temporary paralysis if pressure was incorrectly applied, according to MayoClinic.com. Also, most therapists use massage oils that you might have an allergic reaction to.

Indian Massage 107 Points

The Indian massage technique of Marma-Point is in keeping with many Eastern therapies which concentrate on the integration of the body and the mind. This is a very old massage technique that has been practiced for thousands of years and is now making its way into the Western spa's.

The first part of the name of this technique "Marma" is a Sanskrit word whose meaning is the same as the word hidden. So the basic idea of this massage technique is to use deep tissue massage to reach the hidden places and stimulate the muscles and joints and ligaments where they meet.

It involves stimulation of 107 body points and is based on principles of Eastern philosophy but even Western practitioners can see that it provides health benefits. The therapist uses light stimulation to apply a very gentle pressure which relieves stress on the joints.

In Indian massage session can be quite lengthy as it works on both the front and back of the body. Marma-Point consists of applying pressure with the fingers to strategic locations which are called anguli. This technique is similar to what is done in reflexology and dates back to 1500 B.C. were it was practiced in southern India. It actually originated as a complementary practice to a type of martial arts and the Marma Points were the areas where a blow could result in a lot of harm thus the massage technique was used to release tension in those areas.

The Marma Point technique uses circular motions with a very low pressure and the typical session lasts about 1 1/2 hours. During the session, the therapist will constantly be seeking your feedback to be sure that they are working the points correctly without exceeding comfort levels.

This is not an easy technique to learn and sometimes can take as long as five years for an apprentice to become familiar with all the points and the best methods of stimulating them. However someone familiar with Ayurvedic medicine and a burning desire to learn could become familiar with the basics in a few months. Much of the early study involves learning about a type of energy called doshas.

In this Indian massage technique each of the points has a unique name. While there are 107 of them, some of them you might not even think of, but others might be more familiar with you such as the temples, the backs of the knees and points at the base of the skull. Although an ancient technique, Marma Point can have many health benefits in modern times when done properly.