by Lisa Hendricks, LMT, CMLDT
I’m sure you have heard the saying, “No pain, no gain.” Well, this is not necessarily the case when it comes to massage. The truth is, every person is different. Some people are more sensitive to pressure than others, and there is such a thing as too much pressure.
Deep tissue massage is about getting into the deeper layers of tissue; it is not about the amount of pressure that is applied. It doesn’t mean that the massage should be painful. Applying too much pressure can actually exacerbate an injury or cause new problems that were not there before.
A skilled therapist will be able to feel your tissue reacting and determine how much pressure to use. There may be times when the techniques a therapist is using are uncomfortable to you because there are adhesions in the muscle tissue or there is inflammation. You should not be in excruciating pain, however.
After your massage, you may leave feeling sore, especially when working through injuries. Deep tissue massage is meant to be therapeutic and helpful – you should not feel like you have been tortured!