Kick Pain Out! – Phase 1 of a Journey to Wellness 

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Wednesday, 22 May 2024

By Agata Dudo & Cinzia Serri

When first approaching massage therapy, many are drawn in by a very instinctual, primordial call for action: pain. Pain ignites our necessity to do something to turn it off, to feel better. So, we turn to remedial massage therapy with a simple and fair expectation at first – we want the pain to go away. Our expectations are incredibly high because pain is hindering our life and blurring our vision, confirming the common saying that a “painful mind is a confused mind”.

Remedial massage therapy is not a magic antidote that can solve every problem in the blink of an eye or in one session, but oh, what a difference it can make! This is where the answer to that initial reason for seeking therapy comes in: relief. A good massage therapist knows that communication is key at this stage, and an honest, ethical relationship should be established immediately in order to allow for the healing to happen. Yes, we can help reduce pain, put it at bay, and eventually eliminate it, but this usually doesn’t happen overnight. Although relief and some degree of improvement should be experienced after each session in order to prove its effectiveness, resolving pain and symptoms is a process that requires repetition and consistency. This is due to the physiological changes happening in the body when addressing pain, tightness or inflammation. 

“Pain is a language that the body uses to inform their owner that a limit has been reached and a change is needed”.

Pain is a symptom of some sort of dysfunction happening in the body– our first goal is to ease it by providing relief to the affected areas. This often means massaging the area in a way that manually releases tension, lengthens shortened muscles, soothes any spasm and increases the blood flow to the area. This last part is extremely important as it allows for any acidic (auchy) waste products and toxins to be release from the area and new, repairing, and healing ingredients to be delivered, easing any inflammation. We also focus on opening any constricted and kinked muscle fibres, fascia sleeves, blood and lymphatic vessels as well as nerves to allow for better flow and faster recovery. All of these physiological processes bring gradual improvement and much-anticipated pain relief.

Even though phase 1 is all about resolving symptoms, our ultimate goal isn’t just to temporarily suppress the pain but to eventually kick it out and eliminate the cause of pain completely. Therefore, the therapist will try to introduce some level of correction during the first sessions in order to offer some longer-lasting results. This, however, depends on the severity and sensitivity of the condition presented initially.

Let’s focus for now on the first session that has primary focus giving the patient immediate relief. Here's what typically happens:

First Consultation: On top of the intake form that we will require you to fill out, the therapist will ask further questions in order to paint a clinical picture of the problem presented. It also allows for them to understand the problem better and plan the session. They will ask about pain, its duration, intensity, and any factors that may have contributed to it. This initial conversation is crucial for understanding the client’s specific needs and tailoring the treatment.  

Objective Examination: The next important step is to identify the area of problem. The therapist might conduct some tests to check the range of motion or find the holding patterns. They will also palpate through the towel at the beginning of the massage, when you lie down relaxed on the massage couch and will be looking for any imbalances, shortened muscles, pain areas and biomechanical dysfunctions.

Setting and Managing Expectations: The therapist will explain what massage therapy can and cannot do, setting realistic expectations about the process and the timeline for relief. They will inform you about how your body responds to the treatment and what your treatment prognosis is. If the response to the treatment is positive, the prognosis is usually very optimistic, providing the right course of action is taken. The good news is that we can usually help to resolve the symptoms but as with every transformative journey - we’ll need to go through it step by step before reaching our destination.

Treatment Plan: Although each injury or pain-associated complaint is different and a lot will depend on the severity or acuteness of the problem, we are able to give a rough guideline as how long will it take for the symptom to be resolved. This is due to the neurological and cellular processes happening in the body when we provide remedial or sports massage. Based on scientific research and our experience, we noticed that most initial symptoms can be eased in 3 sessions. During the initial treatment, if the therapist notices that your body responds well to the techniques used, they will likely recommend one session per week for the next two weeks. The frequency of the treatment is an absolute key for this phase in order to eliminate the problem. The treatment progress is reviewed after each session. There are client cases where only 2 treatments were enough to get the required result, but on the other hand, we also are aware that the body can respond by going into a healing crisis before allowing for the recovery to happen and this might extend the number of treatments required. You can prevent that by ensuring you stay hydrated before and after each session and following the treatment plan given by your therapist.

Towards the end of Phase 1 (on 2^nd or 3^rd visit), your therapist will also discuss long-term goals, including identifying and addressing the root cause of the pain, which may involve posture correction, strengthening exercises, or lifestyle changes. Whilst the first sessions aim to provide relief, it is just the beginning of the journey. Massage therapy is a process that involves continuous assessment and adjustment of techniques based on the body's response. A massage therapist’s job is not only to ensure that pain is managed but that also the underlying causes are addressed to prevent recurrence. We believe that our job truly starts when you are out of pain as this is when we can actually create some meaningful changes that will help you long term.

Patience and consistency are crucial. Regular sessions, combined with recommended exercises and lifestyle adjustments, can lead to significant improvements. Remember, the goal is not just to patch the problem, but to fix it! Phase 1 is just the first step of our journey, where we take back control of our body and kick pain out of our lives.

Stay tuned for the second step of our journey: Phase 2 – Learning how to fix it