Why we need to talk about Pressure

By: Jeanette Rupar, LMT BCTMB

Different pressures are used in massage.  Some pressure is light, some can be very hard.  But is there a pressure that is best?? 

This is a very personal and subjective perspective.  It can vary from person to person, and even then…  it can vary moment to moment and day by day for each person. 

Pressure used is something that should be discussed between you and your massage therapist for many reasons.  Not getting enough pressure can make a person feel like they are not getting what they need or what they feel they have paid for.

But getting too much pressure used can be just as bad. How so, you ask? First and foremost, too much pressure can make you tense up. Yes, this can be, if not bad, at least not a great thing. Massage therapy is trying to make your body not be tense, and the more tense your body is, the less effective our work is. We want your body to relax to receive the utmost benefit of what it is we are doing. Tensing up during a massage will not allow us to reach deeper muscles that may need work. Too much pressure can also cause things like more pain and even bruising.

And sometimes, more pressure is not recommended for other reasons. There are health reasons to not get a lot of pressure during a massage. There are drugs that thin the blood, and can lead to bruising or worse. And sometimes, like when someone is living through cancer treatments, that more is not better, as the body is already working really hard. In cases like this (and there are more things other than cancer that makes the body work really hard), that more pressure will overtax an already overworked body. Lighter pressure during massage, in these cases, will not tax the body nearly as much, and will still have a lot of benefits to a person.

Learning how to communicate with your therapist is always a great idea. Only you really know what you can and can’t handle in regards to pressure. You and your therapist will both be thankful you spoke up!