I recently had a client tell me, "I feel that knot in my back. You can't hurt me, just keep pressing deeper to make it go away." There is a common misconception in Massage Therapy that a massage has to be deep and painful to be effective. While there are some modalities and instances where deeper massage or a specific deep technique is needed, there are actually many more occasions where deeper massage can be worse:
1. The cause of the issue - Ultimately, it is always better to treat the cause of an issue rather than just the symptoms. Sometimes just treating symptoms can generate immediate relief, but if the original cause isn't addressed, the symptoms will just come back. The "lumpy knot" that is felt may be the thing causing the pain, or it may be a symptom itself of a larger issue. Just going in with full deep attack may not fix the underlying issue if a different, lighter, more sensitive technique is what is needed to fix the original cause. Proceeding with gentle caution until the cause is determined will make the massage therapy treatment much more effective.
2. Making it worse - On a similar note as finding the cause, if the pain is being caused by an injury or issue, deep pressure may make things worse. When a muscle is injured - either in a big way or even something small like a micro-tear, overexertion from working out, or something like a pinched nerve - the body reacts by protecting the injured area so it can heal. Usually that protection comes in the form of inflammation, scar tissue, or something that covers or envelops the area. Deep pressure to just break through any existing tightness negates the body's attempts to heal itself and can make the healing time longer, more painful, and less effective.
3. Personal tolerance - Not everyone's body can handle deep heavy pressure. Massage should never be painful to the point where it is uncomfortable or causes more stress or distress. Yes, some sore or tight spots may feel more discomfort than others while being worked on, but it should never HURT. Every person's body is different - what one person considers deep pressure, another might consider medium pressure - and every massage therapist has a different sense of what they give as far as pressure. So there is no standard as to what is "deep pressure". If someone can not tolerate deeper pressure for whatever reason, there are techniques that can be done to care for an issue that may traditionally seem like it needs "deep digging". This is why good, open communication between client and therapist is so ver important. A client should be comfortable and able to express if something is too much or too painful, and a therapist should be open to either making the adjustments needed or referring the client out to a colleague who can, or at least helping explain to the client why the technique is being used, what is happening, and still being willing to work within their tolerance. Nobody should come out of a massage in more pain than they went into it with. "No pain, no gain" is not the attitude for massage.
Now I personally looooove deep massage. My muscles are pretty tight and overall hard plus I have a lot of adhesions and scar tissue from my previous career being very hard on my body. So I know personally that there is a big difference between a "deep" massage and simply a lot of painful pressure. The difference lies in how the muscle tissue is handled and manipulated versus just pressing or squeezing hard. Even so, there is a time and place for each type and pressure level of massage, depending on what the end goal of the session is. Whatever the goal or the preference, the important thing to remember is that deep isn't always the best or most important factor in a massage. Each session should be fitted to what the body needs and can handle rather than just general brute pressure to fix everything.
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