Should deep tissue massage hurt?
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Massage Continuing Education Classes
There is much controversy over whether or not deep tissue
massage should feel painful to the client or not. Different therapist have
different opinions on this topic.
Many feel that deep tissue without pain
is not being effective. Clients may often feel that if they can't feel
pain, it isn't doing any good.
The intention of deep tissue massage is to reach the deeper
structures of the body. To do this deep pressure must be applied to get
through the superficial layers of the body. The key to doing deep tissue
work without inducing pain or more trauma lies in knowing how to use your Ki or
energy and to use awareness to stay in touch with the clients body to be able to
know when they are resisting more so that you can adjust the pressure you are
applying. A good deep tissue
therapist will know how to do just that.
Often people like the pain of deep tissue massage. (I
used to be one of them. I thought it felt good and was necessary to
relieve the pain and tension.) There will also be people who say that they
have a high pain tolerance or they may even have spots in their muscles that are
numb. Do they really have a high tolerance for pain or are they just
out of their bodies and not self aware? Do people like to experience more
pain and in some unconscious way continuing to cause themselves more harm?
While there is no one answer to this, there is much room for
discussion...Post your opinions, thought and feelings on the
blog
