[ADVICE] Terribly sore after massage

So I was given a gift voucher for a massage for my birthday (ace!) and I used it on Saturday (double ace!)

Yesterday, I was a bit sore.

I was also very sleepy (but am still getting over the flu, so no big surprise there) and so had a nap from around 1.30-5ish.

By the time I got up, I was really sore. To the point that I elected *not* to get up.

Last night, I barely slept - back so very very sore, and feeling ... bruised? Swollen? But no visible bruise - though DH did think it was a bitt raised in places.

Today it's still pretty sore, but I'm taking Neurofen which is helping.

But I suspect that it's masking and not actually any better.

Google suggests that maybe it's lactic acid ... would that be heaps bad because I've been sick?

Or something else?

How do I fix it? I just want it to stop hurting :cry:

And I really can't go another sleepless night. :(

Thoughts?

I don't really know how to help but can I ask, was it done at an asian massage place? I had one a few years ago and was exactly after you described afterwards. I get all my massages at a day spa now and have never had any troubles.

I do remember that I had very hot showers and stretched a lot to try and help.

Apart from maybe the massage going a bit deep or wrong, the pain could be because you've been very sick. Massage and similar therapies can bring illness to a head. It's like detoxing. Anything nasty is going to come out.

i suggest a bath with epsom salts, take some cal mag tablets & vit C, keep hydrated and rest. If it's not better in a day or so, see a chiro

Do you have a pre existing back injury? Is the pain around your spine, through your hips and buttocks or just random?

Hmmmm... the only time I felt really sore after a massage (and it hurt during as well, particularly around my neck), I came down with chicken pox and a secondary infection a few days later.

You mentioned that you have a virus - is there any chance it's your glands that are swollen and sore? Massage seems to make that a LOT worse. Could the virus be worsening, or be an infection?

I've had that. Time, rest, fluids, stretching was what helped me. I get it if I'm really tight before I go and need a firmer massage. But I get it after Physio too.
Hope you feel better soon xo

I have been very sick. It's just so freaking sore - I've had litres of herbal teas today, just trying to take the edge off, and now I'm going painkiller-free for a few hours, to see if it's actually feeling better.

I've got some proper tiger balm, but I don't want to apply it if I'm not sure why it's hurting.

I've had a nice bath, but I had no epson salts and couldn't bring myself to head on out again... :(

My glands are swollen, but they swell at the tiniest sign of trouble (and have done since getting GF back in the late 1990s...)

No pre existing back injury - sciatica issues etc from pregnancies, but no serious issues since having my babies.

Sounds like I'll keep focusing on fluids, and go back to the chiro (it was a chiro based massage) if not better this time tomorrow.

Thanks :)

Hi there, I'm a massage therapist.
What you are experiencing is actually quite a normal response to a remedial massage, particularly after being sick. The day after a massage is the worst for some people, or day two or three for others. This is particularly the case for someone who doesn't have a lot of massages.
Being sick would increase the toxins in your body, so after a massage the toxins can be released into to body, making you feel crap.
Massaging the muscles is a little like the reverse of going to the gym. It hurts to physically work and tighten the muscles, and it physically hurts to relax and work out the knots.
My advice is that it should start improving over the next 24 hours, but plenty of fluids, include some magnesium/potassium as plain water can dehydrate you more if your salts are low. Heat or Ice packs can help - its different for each person. Try them
Both and use what helps the most. Hot baths/showers are great - basically you are doing all the right things.
Feeling tender/bruised even when there is no visible brushing is extremely common.
Take it easy - hope you feel better soon!

I always feel bruised after a massage, but I really hold all my tension badly in my muscles in my neck, which is always where it hurts the most.

I have always been told by massage therapists to drink a heap of water after a massage, because of the toxins released which need to be flushed away.

Know anyone with a spa? That might help a bit. I know it does for me.

Thanks, Dee!

I'm still sore but not as bad tonight as last night. I don't think it will keep me awake tonight, so hopefully with a decent night's sleep, I'll be much better tomorrow.

Yules - my parents do, but I don't have much chance of getting there any time in the next few days.