Can massage trigger a spasm or migraine?

Michael B

2007-01-13 13:03:52 UTC

Not likely, especially after six days. Sounds like a selective
awareness,
with an "Ohmygod, this happened a week after that massage!"

You know, one of the things the massage professional should
do is find out what you do. Not so hard in conversation. For example,
if you were a barber, there would be likely problem areas. Same thing
if you were, for example, a computer programmer. Let's use that one
as an example.
Sitting a lot. High stress. Typically poor nutritional habits. The
litany
goes on.
So you would likely have several issues to deal with individually.
Males tend more toward cluster headaches, women toward migraines.
Not to say that one gender doesn't get what the other typically gets.
There are food triggers for migraines, as well as occupational or
personal stress. If you get an aura "Damn, I'm gonna get one" try
taking an aspirin right away, with some food.

But anyway, back to that programmer example. Sitting all day.
There are some muscles for your back that are actually in your
pelvis, going from your legbone (now isn't that nicer than calling
it your Greater Trochanter?) to your back. Now, if you sit most of
the time, those muscles will tend to get shorter. They need to be
stretched. If you get that "Oh, my aching back" feeling when you
stand up, you are a good candidate for that condition. Those
back muscles (that really aren't in your back) can really give
you hell if they go into spasm, and they are rarely dealt with
during a massage (trust me, it's not a casual thing). But dealing
with them is actually a stretching maneuver where you lay on
an exercise ball (your choice on how much inflation is tolerable)
for the purpose of stretching those muscles. Follow that?

And see what I mean about learning what the person does all day?

Do you get stress headaches often? What gender? What do you
do for work, passtime. There are some folks here that might have
some suggestions for you. Might even tell you about somebody
named Thomas, and a test that might be called for.

Post by gabe
Hi,
I received a massage about six months ago. The massage was great, but 6
or 7 days after the massage, I had an extremely severe back spasm. It
lasted for several hours and felt like a heart attack. I don't know if
the massage caused it or not, but I stopped the massages.
About two weeks I got another massage. It felt great. 6 days after the
massage I had a severe migraine. It affected my vision for 45 minutes,
seeing lights and everything became dark. A severe pressure remained
for 2 days and affected my reading.
If someone is under a lot of stress, can a massage actually trigger a
spasm and/or migraine?
Thanks,
Gabe