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Massage Therapy

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Nam

MyPTSD Pro
I'm not sure if this belongs here...move it if needed.

I've been having other health issues that are somewhat related to depression. (Isn't everything???) There is pain in my left arm that has been there since January. It started with tingling and has now progressed to deep, constant pain. It's in my shoulder blade, deltoid, and tricep. I've been proactive with my depression. I could feel it come on, so I joined yoga, got in to a therapist, doing the med cocktail thing, and saw my GP. He suggested getting a massage and set me up for a neuro consult next week. They will be doing an EMG study. I do hope they find something. My GP thinks it's because of my posture which is related to the depression....I guess I can see that.

Ironically, the EMG doesn't seem nearly as invasive as the massage. Even though they use small needles and electrical current (very small, but I have a trauma from electrical current), I feel the massage is more threatening. Isn't that odd?

So, my questions are:
  • how do I prepare?
  • Is it painful, should I take drugs beforehand?
  • should I take someone with me?
  • is this a good idea for a person with PTSD from sexual abuse?
  • does it help with depression (did it work for you?)
 
There are many, many, many different types of massage. Not just Swedish vs Shiatsu vs Sports Med vs Hot stone vs (a few dozen different types).

If you're getting massage for physical therapy it would most likely be in a well lit room, in a physical therapy facility (looks like a gym staffed by doctors & nurses), fully clothed, with a person in workout gear/ scrubs and several advanced degrees. Shoulder means probably laying down, although it could be in a sitting position with a moving arms kind of almost dentist chair.

It could be fully unclothed, under a sheet, in a darkened room, with New Age music, by a person in street clothes, with several advanced degrees (I'm picky. My LMPs all have advanced degrees in sports med & rehab in addition to the most basic massage certifications. Most insurance companies agree with me. So if it's being paid for by insurance, your LMP will usually have 3-7 years of schooling in their specialty, and if they're a PT, up to 12... 7 years of bachelors & masters degrees, plus 3 years of massage training & continuing education).

Even if it's the dark room & music paradigm? Any good LMP worth their salt will happily turn the lights on and the music off. The environment is for client comfort, not their own. They don't work in the dark because they're moles. They work in the dark because clients prefer it. :D If you don't prefer it? They want to know!

Most of those questions? Are questions to ask your GP & the people she/he has referred you to. With the exception of #3. Inform them that you will bringing someone with you. They'll either agree outright (no problem!) or say that they usually prefer to work 1:1 & reasons why. That gets met with "I have a trauma background so it becomes necessary to me. If this is a problem, do you have any colleagues you respect you could refer me to?" ((At which point they either make the accommodation happily, give a recommendation, or don't.))

My PTSD isn't from sexual abuse. Yes, it helps inordinately with my depression, pain, and headaches. IF I'm seeing the right LMP. LMPs all have different styles. And, as I've said, Im picky. Sometimes I luck out after moving and find a great one off the bat (I also know the specialties I like best, which helps), and I've been bloody cursed, and had to go through 20+ to find the right one.
 
  • how do I prepare? Hydrate with water properly, bathe or soak in a hot tub or shower with Epsom salts,
  • Is it painful, should I take drugs beforehand? Pain relievers are not advised as it is not beneficial to mask the pain or discomfort.
  • should I take someone with me? You can if you like
  • is this a good idea for a person with Link Removed from sexual abuse? You can state up front that there are areas not to touch or you prefer to wear clothing from the waist down for instance. I'd give it a go frankly.
  • does it help with depression (did it work for you?) Depression? Not that I recall, It did though help me to remember what it felt like to be relaxed after a few sessions... for me it was a physical treatment not one for depression. I dealt with that separately.
 
I find massage very helpful for relieving my shoulder, neck, and back pain. If you decide to get the massage, let your massage therapist know that you're new to this, you're nervous, and you don't want it to hurt. Nervousness for someone new to massage is a perfectly normal feeling, even for someone without PTSD.

To answer your questions . . .
  • No special preparation is needed, aside from showering sometime within the 24 hours prior to massage :p. Active communication with your massage therapist—both before and during the massage—is appreciated! Tell her/him when something feels good to you, foreign to you, etc. If you get uncomfortable and want to take a break for a moment, say so.
  • Massage is not painful. The closest thing to pain you should find in the massage world is deep-tissue massage, and they're not going to do that for someone new. Massage is meant to be very relaxing. If massage were painful, people wouldn't go!
  • You don't need to take someone with you, but if it would help you feel safer, do so. In fact, now that I think back, someone took me to my very first massage.
  • I don't know for sure. I also have sexual trauma, but it's not the cause of my PTSD. Tell your massage therapist that you don't want to be touched in certain areas. If you're okay with massage on your torso, neck, and arms, but don't want to be touched below a certain point or on your legs, say so before you begin!
  • When I feel down, dejected, alone, etc., massage brightens me up. For me, it's very helpful for depression!
My GP thinks it's because of my posture
I believe your GP. I have posture issues that an ordinary person wouldn't notice, but my doctors notice easily. As far as I know, most posture problems are solved with a combination of two things:
  • postural awareness (learning how your body is meant to stand/sit, and being conscious of your posture)
  • exercise (strengthening the imbalanced muscles that lead your body to stay out of balance)
Hopefully your GP can refer you to a physical therapist who can help you with both.

A year and a half ago, I started working to correct my neck and shoulder pain. I haven't been religious with my routine (PTSD got in the way), but I went from a [7] on the pain scale to [3] in the course of only a few months' exercise. It's not instant but I think it's the only way to get lasting pain relief.

Last thing: your pain is in your upper body, but your lower body probably needs work too. You probably have unnoticed posture issues in your lower body (probably anterior pelvic tilt) that contribute to your upper-body posture issues. A holistic view of the body is necessary; don't just focus on the painful parts.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes! :hug:
 
Hey @Nam - as you mental/emotionally prepare and/or ground... remember that this person is assistive and is there to provide you a service that is beneficial. If you feel the need you can state your feelings of uncomfortabilness or that you need or want them to stop at any time. Stop means stop in a therapeutic setting... and it is good to communicate honestly what is going on if you can. If you think you can't discuss it before the session and use a hand signal.
 
P.S, The extra added bonus for me about massage when I could finally normalize it and relax enough to allow touch and relaxation... was that stop really did mean stop in a therapeutic setting. Very different from other trauma situations and my first marriage.
 
Thanks you guys. I'm comforted to know that many of you have gone! It's just...well, new. I've had doctors, and chiros, but all of them I have known for at least a year, some of them for ten years before they touched me.

I have a trigger: cupping. I know that is not what they do there. I'm happy for that. but laying on my front..with my back exposed. Not sure if this is a good idea.
 
I've given massage to people in different positions before based on physical constraints.
If someone was uncomfortable by the standard on-the-table approach I could see sitting at their feet on the floor as they reclined in a chair and massaging the feet, or hands. See what can be tolerated and how best to bring about true relaxation for the client. Assessment/Connection.

What would you like for a massage therapist to do for you? Personally I could go for just the head/face/ear and neck massage - it's all up to the client.
 
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There is a nerve that is irritated. No one can agree where the impingement is: neck, shoulder, or wrist. My shoulder and arm hurts quite a bit. Because of that, I'm tensing in my neck and shoulder more. I just hurt. There are two knots that hurt the most: trapezius, and deltoid/tricep area. So upper shoulders and arms would be good. 55 minutes seem like a long time....
 
Massage can be good for this situation. Sometimes I never know where my pain is coming from until someone lays their hands on me. An exploration of all the areas you mentioned, by someone competent, might help you learn a lot about your pain and your body.
And, you can have it your way! If you start to feel that a place, person or technique isn't right for you, then it's not.

I've had to change both my treatment providers in the last two months - therapist and acupuncturist. My new acupuncturist (that I like but am not trustful of yet) said to me she would try to make the transition as easy as possible for me. At that moment, those were the kindest words I could have heard. I have so much going around in my head about the change and she let me know that she was there for me, and I felt like I didn't have to worry about her.

All the Best.
 
In a medical setting, I don't tip. I have a physical therapist who works in a hospital. She does a gentle massage for me most weeks. It would seem really weird to me to tip my doctor.

Outside of a doctor's office, I always tip my masseur/masseuse. I give $20, but I think $10 would be a perfectly respectable tip too. Of course tips are, by definition, optional. I wouldn't expect you to tip unless you were satisfied with the massage.

So, short answer: In my mind, a tip of $10–20 is customary.
 
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