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FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION
As the massage continues, your therapist will zero in
on your pain area. When that happens, your attention
will be drawn to the spots that are tender. For
instance, if your neck is bothering you, your massage
therapist will search for the tender or tight areas in
your cervical muscles. In a short period of time, your
therapist will find the epicenter of your pain and
delineate its borders (e.g., it's tight underneath the
base of your skull, but not a thumb-width below it.)
Now, you are completely aware of your pain area and
can start to evaluate whether massage is helping to
reduce the pain.
REDUCE PAIN
Once the pain area is identified, your therapist will
begin to work on reducing the pain through applying
the appropriate pressure. Too much pressure may
cause you to tense up, but just the right amount
of pressure will evoke the hurts-so-good response.
Depending on the issue, it's not uncommon to feel
immediate pain reduction during the massage. Other
times, relief may occur right after you get off the table
or a day or two after the massage.
MONITOR PAIN
Experiencing pain reduction after a massage drives
home the idea that paying attention to pain is a good
thing. It's a 180-degree shift from viewing pain as
If applied to everyday life, this
perspective of paying attention to
your pain—initiated and reinforced
in a massage session—could
actually help prevent injury.
