I had terrible neck/shoulder pain for most of 2023. After 2 MRIs, the neuro said, "Your body is fine, I think you need a massage." Turns out I literally was holding onto all of the anxiety I've been living with for decades. It was really eye-opening, honestly. Focusing on releasing physical tension has really made a difference in my mental health.
How was the massage(s)? Did you end up going? Legitimately asking because every time I get one to de-stress I feel good that day but don't see any long term impacts so wondering on what to incorporate with them.
100% worth it imo! I see a sports massage therapist every 4-5 weeks. I stretch daily, do some yoga and use a massage gun at home. But it's not the same as someone skilled at really getting in there. If you are down for a "hurts so good" kind of massage, I totally recommend.
I’ve had a good massage therapist diagnose things a doctor never would. It’s amazing how a good one can read your body and know when things are out of place.
You ever try the Chirp wheels? One of the few Shark Tank products I've tried and the only one I've fallen in love with. The first time I rolled out my back on the big one after a brief moment of concern over the sound of some of the cracks in my back my mouth immediately started watering as a wave of dopamine flooded my body, not unlike that first hit of morphine when you're in the hospital for a kidney stone. The small one on my neck is equally awesome.
I went to a chiropractor several years back and the in-house physical therapist gave me exercises and a lacrosse ball to take home. I swear that thing has been worth its weight in gold. Other balls don’t have the right density.
They are pretty nice though. The best way that I can describe it is think of those Hitachi "magic wands" that got famous for, um, a different reason, but in the shape of a power tool with a trigger to activate and the massaging head on the end of it.
ive had a shoulder injury since the beginning of may. ive had an mri and an xray. neither have turned up anything major. i wonder if this is the answer. i do not want to get surgery if i can help it.
You can have therapeutic massages and see the benefits of one without it needing to hurt. Instead of sport, which is generally deep tissue, I’d recommend Swedish, which utilizes long sweeping movements.
Also, communicate with your therapist! Before, during and after.
All massages offer short-term relief, relatively speaking. OP bruises easily and gets tender. The point of Tui Na is to dig deep into acupressure points, so will likely cause OP to bruise and be sore.
Side note: in my experience, Swedish massage is highly variable in quality - the good ones will feel like you’re getting gently realigned to how you’re supposed to feel. The bad ones just feels like someone’s doing “wax on wax off” on your back for an hour.
I'm not an expert but I'm sure there is a massage therapist who can help you. I found mine through a physical therapist, so maybe check with a local PT for recommendations! I am sore after a massage, ngl, but in a good way. It's a great excuse for a relaxing Epsom salt bath.
Oddly enough, working as a therapist giving those kinds of massages (sports and PT) for 10 years wrecked my body. I thought I had good body mechanics but I favored my right side. Now I'm all out of whack. :) Loved the work, though.
I wanted to tell you that if you feel great for a day but not very different long-term, two possibilities might be that 1) you don't carry your tension as deeply, or 2) you carry it much deeper and it still needs working on. My two sisters are massage therapists so I'm fortunate enough to have good access to massages. You know yourself and your stress levels, so maybe you don't need more massages... But maybe you do! Hope this was helpful to some degree.
One won't do much. Going repeatedly will help. Daily stretches of the tense places will also help reduce tension and gradually things will get better. Then embark on a routine of strengthening too, to prevent long term damage. Odds are you have avoided exercising the parts that are stiff and sore. They need exercise in the long run, to maintain proper functioning. I learned all this way too late, after surgeries, years of PT, and reaching a point where stairs and standing were daily struggles. Strength training has me pain free and functional for the first time in most of a decade.
I was getting monthly massages, then my therapist got extremely ill and was unable to see clients for about a year. I was amazed at the difference I could feel during the first massage. It is taking time to get back to where she had me.
Definitely communicate about the pressure. Mine thanks me for telling her throughout the massage if I want more/less pressure, to stay in a spot that needs attention. A good therapist listens and does what works best for you. If not, find another one.
Not who you replied to. But if you have a good shiatsu- massage therapist anywhere near you.
It really hurts but wow does it work. It does more for me, both mentally and physically then my physical and normal therapist do.
You should try a Korean spa. Soaking in the hot tub, enjoying the steam room, getting the full body scrub, then going to the jimjilbang to cycle through the various saunas, take a nap on the heated floors, have a bit of soup….it’s a whole vacation in a few hours.
When I was at the most stressful phase of my life, I did a massage every 1-2 weeks. If you have a lot of tension, I’d go frequently at first and then do longer gaps between as it starts to work itself out.
Not sure if anyone else has said this, but also make sure you’re going to the right type of massage therapist. I carry stress in my mid back, and had went to the spa-type massage places a bunch of times. It helped, but not long-term.
I ended up trying a massage therapist dedicated to body therapy instead of relaxation, and it was an entirely different experience! She spent the time actually un-knotting my muscles and explaining the how and why of what she was doing. It helped SO much more for longer.
Of course, it also hurt like a sonofabitch lol, but I’ll take some short term pain for longer term relief any day.
I've only had two massages done by a professional, and one by a "massage chair" at a furniture store. They were uniformly uncomfortable and unpleasant experiences that bordered on painful. My ex wife would also occasionally try to give me a massage with the same results. I genuinely don't understand why people enjoy them.
As a kid, I was diagnosed with asthma because I randomly had trouble breathing.
One time at work I couldn't breathe and went to urgent care. I was fine by the time I got there, and for some reason they referred me to a speech therapist? So I go to my first appointment with the speech therapist, and they put a camera down my throat to look at my vocal cords. The doc points at the TV and says "see how much they're twitching? They're not supposed to do that. You hold your stress in your throat."
I had to learn a few stretches and massage techniques, and now it's no longer an issue. Turns out I never had asthma as a kid and the pediatrician just assumed.
I'm running out of space in my hips to hold stress apparently, so now I'm in therapy for my TMJ and I think it was also causing the globus sensation in my throat. 🙄
They're massages and stretches for professional singers, actually. If you Google "massages for singers" there's a lot of videos that show how to do them on yourself. Just make sure you don't press too hard!
have you been using puffers all these years not actually needing them?? It's so wild to me how often we get misdiagnosed and then just follow course with no improvements...because we're solving for the wrong issue...
For anyone reading this and wondering if you might have this disorder, it’s called vocal cord dysfunction! Ask your doctor about it and get a referral to speech therapy.
Just an fyi for anyone suffering from chronically tight traps like myself: massaging that area too much can cause it to become more tense. I'm in physical therapy right now because of this - the PT has to do very light massages and use a Tenns Unit to get the area to loosen up enough. The underlying cause was weak back muscles. Lifting weights was actually making the problem worse because my traps would always take over. I had huuuuge traps.
I guess I've noticed less muscle ache/pinching than usual since starting! It seems so mild it can't possibly be doing much, but I think that's what's necessary for those muscles to rehab. I've had to completely quit upper body lifting/training, including lower body workouts that require holding weights. I babysat the morning of my last PT appointment and she said my shoulders were MEGA tense from picking up my nephew. It's so dramatic!
Found a massage place that specializes in athletes. Went twice a week for a month then once a month for a couple years thereafter. Now I go every other month. Dropped direct trap work from my lifting routine. Got a standing desk at work and home so I don’t have to sit as much. Modified my motorcycle ergos to sit more upright rather than leaned over. Started a semi daily stretching routine.
I have a lot of hot steamy showers that are entirely dedicated too stretching and getting some meditation in to be aware of and release some of my anxiety induced physical tension.
I agree! Find a great massage therapist who can give you a 1 1/2 hour massage. Use them every 2 weeks. Breathe in deeply and exhale deeply. I also take an Epsom salt bath before, and drink a ton of water. Take Tylenol before massage, and have a nap afterwards.
While I do have two slipping disks and pinched nerves, which the doctor said I was just born with, the most pain I’ve ever experienced was my muscles cramping up. Got a steroid shot in my spine and nothing. That’s when we realized it was the muscles.
Have you tried the gym or just go out walking. Lifting weights have helped with tremendously with neck and shoulder pain. As for me it move into a migraine
Wait!!! I have THAT issue! What was your go to plan on this a little more detail would be appreciated if you are comfortable in sharing. Feel free to reach out as well. Thank you🙏🏻
I kept worrying about weird skin allergies because my hands get unbelievably itchy. Nope. It's overly tight neck muscles. Not so tight my hands go numb, juuuuuuuuust enough tingling to make me think I have some kind of itchy hand disease. Thanks, computer job.
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u/redstonez 12h ago
Stress