By Robin Westen
After a massage, who doesn’t float off the table feeling all is right with the world? Stretched and oiled with muscles relaxed and mind calm, it’s the perfect treat for our bodies. Or is it? In general, massage is safe and its side effects are rare. But when you have certain conditions a massage can put your health at risk.
Diabetes: The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) advises diabetics to check their blood sugar after a massage. It can cause a drop in the blood sugar level. If you are diabetic and get massages regularly, map your blood sugar after each treatment to watch for patterns.
Cancer: If you have cancer, check with your doctor before considering massage since it can damage tissues that may be fragile from chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
Allergies: Many massages incorporate oils, lotions, and aromatherapy products that can trigger allergic reactions. Speak with your massage therapist beforehand about your allergies or sensitivities and see if the products can be eliminated or adjusted.
Blood Clots: Massage can be dangerous for people with blood clots because it can potentially dislodge them. This might allow the clot to travel to the heart or brain, leading to a heart attack or stroke.
Infectious Skin Conditions: A number of infectious conditions of the skin can be transmitted between client and massage therapist during massage if the massage therapist is unaware of the outbreak. These include herpes, cold sores, and ringworm. Likewise, as in the case of warts, a massage therapist can unknowingly spread the contagion from one area of the client's body to another.
Other Conditions: People with rheumatoid arthritis, goiter (a thyroid disorder characterized by an enlarged thyroid), eczema and other skin lesions, should not receive massage therapy during flare-ups. Experts also advise that people with osteoporosis, high fever, few platelets or white blood cells, as well as those recovering from surgery, should avoid massage.
Also, even if you are healthy some forms of massage, such as deep tissue massage and rolfing, can cause nerve damage. This is because the massage therapist has to exert pressure past the skin layer in order to manipulate muscles and connective tissues. An untrained therapist, or even a trained therapist who does not receive proper feedback from the client, might exert too much pressure resulting in temporary nerve damage to the client.
To be prudent, check with your doctor before making a massage appointment.
