When Not to Receive Massage

Several recent interactions with potential clients have led me to write about when you should not receive a massage.

First, let’s look at the effects of massage on your body. I’m talking here primarily about Swedish and Deep Tissue massage.

Massage changes the internal environment of your body, influencing the diameter of blood vessels and direction of fluid flow. Massage also changes the chemical balance of the body, reducing some types of hormones and increasing others, shifting secretion of neuotransmitters, and changing the protein levels in interstitial tissues.

So, the question becomes, can your body handle these changes?

Many of the medical conditions for which massage is contraindicated (meaning you should not receive a massage) involve the circulatory system.

Do not get a massage if you have an embolism, thrombus, or anything involving a blood clot. If you have a history of and risk factors for blood clots, be sure your massage therapist knows. Each therapist will decide whether to give you a massage; however, you should know that if you have an undiagnosed blood clot, massage can theoretically cause the clot to dislodge and land you in the hospital (or worse).

Any condition involving damaged blood vessels requires extreme caution for massage. For example, some people consider aneurysms an absolute contraindication for massage while others say it depends on the location and type of aneurysm. Even so, massage only with a doctor’s written OK and no deep massage.

Other cautionary conditions include advanced atherosclerosis, uncontrolled high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes, and advanced heart disease.

Aside from circulatory conditions, another major area of contraindication for massage involves acute infection. Massage can potentially cause any infection to spread.

What about colds and flu? Massage can potentially make you sicker by helping the virus spread. Once you are past the acute stage, and just have a few lingering symptoms, massage is OK, though you may feel a little worse for the day afterward.

And I hope it’s obvious that if you have anything contagious, you shouldn’t be getting a massage. Be considerate of your massage therapist! We are particularly concerned about contagious skin conditions.

Also be aware that research about the effects of massage on some medical conditions is lacking, and sometimes massage therapists are just being safe by not doing massage. Afterall, we don’t want to hurt you.

Ten years ago, cancer was considered an absolute contraindication for massage, but recent research has shown that carefully applied massage can sometimes be beneficial. Many cancer treatment programs now even include massage.

The important thing is to make sure you give your massage therapist an accurate and complete health history so that he/she can make an informed decision about whether massage is appropriate for you.

If you are interested in more information on massage contraindications and the effects of massage, see Ruth Werner’s A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology.

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