deep tissue or hot stone massage?

[tresharsh]

I have inflamed muscles and constant back pain, especially in my right shoulder and lumbar. I've never had a professional massage before and I'm wondering, which would be better for relieving the pain: deep tissue or hot stone massage?

 

[SmartAss]

Vipassana meditation, Goenka style, may have nice side-effects.

 

[Daisy]

After my husband injured his back shoveling snow this winter,we had a horrible episode with a chiropractor. It seems every time we went he became worse. I posted a question here and Mr. massage therapist (that's what we call him) gave us a suggestion that cleared up his back pain within 24 hours. Then he emailed us with a name of a neuomuscular therapist not too far from us. Let me tell you, this guy is fantastic. The first visit he did all kinds of tests and took pictures of my husband. After about 5 treatments,he retook the pictures,unbelievable. I swear he is 2 inches taller and half of his belly is gone because he is standing so straight. His back pain,neck and shoulder pain,gone. I have been to regular massage therapists before and I can tell you,there is no comparison. And as far as chiropractors go,well lets just say,they will never get any of our money again.

 

[massage therapist]

The very best type of therapy performed by massage therapists for pain relief is Neuromuscular Therapy. It combines deep tissue massage with some trigger point therapy. Call some therapists and ask if they are certified in NMT. Most times if you treat just where you feel the pain, you will miss where it actually originates from. Example, a hip flexor in the front can cause excruciating low back pain http://myofascialtherapy.org/symptom-checker/symptomcheck/symptom_leg_iliopsoas.html

 

[synisterkat]

Massage only provides temporary relief, it does not address the underlying cause of the back pain. See a chiropractor in conjunction with massage and you will be much happier. And the chiropractor can direct you towards the best type of massage for your condition.

 

[MyThought]

I wouldn't recommend deep tissue for your first massage - the therapeutic benefits are terrific, but it isn't very comfortable. The massage therapist pushes through and possibly tears the top layer of muscle to rearrange the fibers of the underlying muscle.

Deep pressure (as opposed to deep tissue) means the therapist pushes hard on the massage strokes he/she applies to your body, compressing muscle to the bone. Many clients love this, but a first-time massage client may be sore afterwards.

If you were my client, I would recommend a full-body swedish massage,with extra time on the areas that hurt. I probably would apply hot towels to those areas to help the muscles relax - not every therapist does that, but it's a good technique. Hot stones are another good way to get heat to penetrate deep into sore muscles.