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What You Need To Know About MassagesMay 5, 2004 ¡ª A good massage can help everything from stress and migraines to serious illnesses like Parkinson's and sickle cell, but a bad massage can injure nerves and cause muscle spasms and inflammation. What do you need to know before your next massage?
Mary Schreiner loves adventure, but her active lifestyle has had its downside. She broke her back in a climbing accident and her shoulder in a scooter mishap.
"I had this constant ache here, which made me want to get massages, which I did every week," said Mary Schreiner.
Mary went to massage therapists she found in the phone book, salons, and even referred therapists for help.
"The massage always helped it, made it feel better at the time, but then it would get more aggravated within a day or so," said Schreiner.
Doctor Robert Gotlin says about fifteen percent of patients who get a massage end up needing corrective treatment afterward. He says the initial problem usually isn't the muscle.
"It's really the bone or the nerve that's underlying that problem that's really causing the pain," said Robert Gotlin, D.O., Sports and Orthopedic Rehab Specialist, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY.
Meaning massages could make it worse. He says thin people should steer clear of deep massages. A nerve, muscle or bone near the spinal column could be injured. Also, a person who has weak muscles or who has trouble moving their arms, back or legs should seek medical help before receiving a massage.
If you attempt a massage at home, Doctor Gotlin says don't go too deep on your partner and use gentle strokes like this spindle technique along with deep breathing.
It took cortisone injections for Mary to find relief.
"For three weeks, I was agonizing over it, and it was over in three minutes," said Schriener.
Now, she works out on her pilates machine to keep her muscles in shape. Doctor Gotlin says if you want a better chance of a safe massage, try a therapist from the American Massage Therapy Association. He also cautions if you have nighttime aches, see your doctor. It could be a bone injury, arthritis or a more serious problem.
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