Hi Lauren, I have suffered a bad back & neck for yrs now and what has worked for me is a combination of massage & physio, but it depends on exactly what the problem is as to how you would use that combination. If its just muscular, than just the massage, but if there is what my physio would call 'movement restriction (but referring to my neck) then I would need the physio. I found though that using the massage at the same time helped the physio 'fix' the problem sooner as he could spend a whole hour loosening the joints in that area, so the physio could then 'free them' allowing them to move again. Anyway, I just get a massage once a month as maintenace and don't suffer like I use to.

If your getting shooting pain down your leg, I would suggest you may need to see a physio. If you do see one, ask them how massage can assist with the healing process and exactly what the masseuse should work on. Once I did that, things happened quickly for me as apposed to going to my old physio on a regular basis, paying a fortune and feeling like I was going nowhere. It can be challenging finding someone good & ethical. Good-luck. If you have any questions, feel free to ask