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Last week I wrote a post on Facebook about some of the myths of massage. My statement on this issue was and continues to be that I am not accusing anyone of telling a deliberate lie, nor am I attacking the character of any teacher who has helped to perpetuate these myths. I choose to believe that everyone has good intentions.

Before I became interested in the evidence-based practice of massage, I’ve been just as guilty as sharing some of them myself. There seem to be so many of them, and in my opinion  people tend to blindly accept what they learn in massage school. We view teachers as authority figures, but the fact is, teachers have a tendency to repeat what they were taught in massage school…so they pass that on to their students, who in turn share that false information with their clients, with the best of intentions. Some of those same students go on to become the next generation of teachers, and those same myths just keep being perpetuated.

Yesterday I heard from Lee Kalpin of Ontario, who shared a few more of these massage myths with me. I am presenting them here, and if anyone has any valid research references that will back these up as fact, please feel free to post it for our enlightenment.

- Massage removes toxins from the muscles.

- Lactic acid is responsible for DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

- Massage can get rid of cellulite.

- It is contraindicated to massage a person who has cancer (or had cancer).

- If you massage a person who has consumed alcohol, it will increase the effects and make them more intoxicated.

- You can strengthen muscles by performing tapotement.

- You can straighten a scoliosis by doing tapotement on the weak side and stretching on the tight side.

- Manual Lymph Drainage causes the lymphatic channels to collapse for 20 minutes so you cannot do any other manipulations after MLD.

- You should never do more than 3 trigger point releases in a treatment (no reason stated for this one – it was just stated as a fact).

- Ischemic compression for trigger point release should be done as deep as possible.

- Only deep massage is therapeutically effective – as deep as possible. Lighter massage is just for relaxation.

- You should not massage pregnant women during the first trimester.

- You should not massage the feet and ankles of a pregnant woman as it may cause her to miscarry.

- Drinking lots of water flushes toxins out of the system – encourage the client to drink water after a massage.

- You cannot massage a person who has “high blood pressure” – definition needed about how high is high, and cause of hypertension.

- You must massage toward the heart or you could damage the heart valves.

- It is contraindicated to massage pitted edema.

I must say that I have heard all of these at one time or another. Where did they come from? I don’t know. As one FB friend said “I heard it from some reputable teachers.” And they probably heard it from their reputable teachers.  So let’s just let the buck stop with us. If the words “research shows” are going to come out of your mouth, then back that up with the actual research reference, and if you can’t produce any, don’t say it–to your students or to your clients. If all the evidence you need is that massage helps people feel better, then let that stand for itself and don’t make wild claims. And please, as I said above, if you have the research to prove any of these statements, share that with the rest of us.

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Pease educate us as to why this is a "myth" and please back it up with some medical journal links and or clinical study research. So far I am not convinced and you state that you are a 20 + yr veteran of massage therapy. Please share with us the knowledge that doing something for that long brings with professional rhetoric. If this is to be a forum of exchanges in ideas and opinions let's try our best to keep the ego and arrogance out of it.
Many respects,
J.

Here's a good article about the flushing out myth that has references within it:

http://www.massagetoday.com/mpacms/mt/article.php?id=10608

 

I think the toxin talk that has invaded us from should be looked at with the eye of a marketer in most cases (imagine yourself as a marketer and how to make a product or procedure alluring).  People like the thought of being flushed of unhealthy *anything*, so the marketers use than in many areas of health marketing (colon cleansing, detoxifying diets etc).  It works as a seller, but that doesn't mean it's true.

 

Interesting article.
What toxins??   And what difference does it make with how long Ive been doing a massage? Has nothing to do with toxins?    Smoke a joint...get a massage...you will still flunk the drug test the next day..Eat a fish thats contaminated with mercury or DDT and get a massage...Sorry, you;re still contaminated....Get bit by a rattle snake...get a massage. You are still going to die...What toxins   Read  Vlads  link above..  My best friend is a medical doctor...Anesthesiologist.. He knows its not true... Everyone knew that was a myth 20 years ago.  

Jason David Bratcher said:
Pease educate us as to why this is a "myth" and please back it up with some medical journal links and or clinical study research. So far I am not convinced and you state that you are a 20 + yr veteran of massage therapy. Please share with us the knowledge that doing something for that long brings with professional rhetoric. If this is to be a forum of exchanges in ideas and opinions let's try our best to keep the ego and arrogance out of it.
Many respects,
J.

Gosh, here is a somewhat related article ...Im not sure what to think?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507164405.htm
Massage books have never stated that massage would eliminate the kinds of toxins you are mentioning. If a therapist is telling their client that getting a massage will save them in a drug test or their life from a rattlesnake bite , those are quite outlandish statements that they are making, and no well seasoned therapists here or anywhere thinks that or makes those claims.I think that when therapists are saying that massage eliminates toxins from the body that they are referring to assisting the elimination of Byproducts(metabolic waste) of muscle metabolism. Maybe it's an easier way to make the statement rather than to spend the time explaining the process to a client since they are not there to get a lecture on physiology, they are there to relax and/or receive therapy. I think folks here are making a mole hill out of an ant hill with respect to terminology. Hope this terminology calms the fires. If the initial statement that we are all making is incorrect then we should be more PC about it.
Many respects,
J.
LOL!!!!


Gordon J. Wallis said:

Gosh, here is a somewhat related article ...Im not sure what to think?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507164405.htm
some people get so wrapped up in how something is said they don't hear why it is said. Why not just leave it at "massage can do a body good, give it a try"? It constantly amazes me to what degree we can devolve into the infinitesimal.

Jason David Bratcher said:
Massage books have never stated that massage would eliminate the kinds of toxins you are mentioning. If a therapist is telling their client that getting a massage will save them in a drug test or their life from a rattlesnake bite , those are quite outlandish statements that they are making, and no well seasoned therapists here or anywhere thinks that or makes those claims.I think that when therapists are saying that massage eliminates toxins from the body that they are referring to assisting the elimination of Byproducts(metabolic waste) of muscle metabolism. Maybe it's an easier way to make the statement rather than to spend the time explaining the process to a client since they are not there to get a lecture on physiology, they are there to relax and/or receive therapy. I think folks here are making a mole hill out of an ant hill with respect to terminology. Hope this terminology calms the fires. If the initial statement that we are all making is incorrect then we should be more PC about it.
Many respects,
J.
Yea you're right.. Uhm, was that my fault that it devolved? lol... Maybe?  Yea, it can get like FoxNews VS.MSNBC in here...   I dont know?   Well all I really know is Man I really love my work.. Im into it... Like everyone else in here Im sure... So I will try not to be uhm too devolving ... lol    Hmm, I'm going to try to think of a good topic for this site....?
some people get so wrapped up in how something is said they don't hear why it is said. Why not just leave it at "massage can do a body good, give it a try"? It constantly amazes me to what degree we can devolve into the infinitesimal.

Jason David Bratcher said:
Massage books have never stated that massage would eliminate the kinds of toxins you are mentioning. If a therapist is telling their client that getting a massage will save them in a drug test or their life from a rattlesnake bite , those are quite outlandish statements that they are making, and no well seasoned therapists here or anywhere thinks that or makes those claims.I think that when therapists are saying that massage eliminates toxins from the body that they are referring to assisting the elimination of Byproducts(metabolic waste) of muscle metabolism. Maybe it's an easier way to make the statement rather than to spend the time explaining the process to a client since they are not there to get a lecture on physiology, they are there to relax and/or receive therapy. I think folks here are making a mole hill out of an ant hill with respect to terminology. Hope this terminology calms the fires. If the initial statement that we are all making is incorrect then we should be more PC about it.
Many respects,
J.

While we are talking about massage "myths", let’s remember it's not just us massage therapists who get stuff wrong here and there! I was taught that what made our planet different and special was that there is water on it, unlike any others. Now water has been discovered on other planets, even the moon! Just this month the long-held belief that there is nothing faster than the speed of light has been disproven. There are life-saving medications, yet medications are frequently recalled for good reasons that took time to become apparent. I believe in evidence-based practice, but that does not preclude me from questioning the source or the accuracy of that evidence if it doesn't add up. It saddens me to see practitioners who have helped hundreds, even thousands, of hurting people get their pain relieved and get their lives back, being attacked because of an erroneous belief or statement. That practitioner and their entire body of work gets "de-bunked" and called quackery, even mocked. We know what we know until we know something better. And what do I know? I know that from whatever therapeutic perspective a massage therapist approaches their clients, the great majority iof us are doing it with deep concern for our clients and great love for the work we do. I think that upon this, we can all agree!

Even if this has any truth, what kind of a massage are you referring to? The word massage here is used loosely. Are we talking about Swedish only? So many studies are done without regard to the modality. Is it Swedish, Balinese, Gua Sha, Tuina, Korean or Chinese Acupressure, Amma, Feldenkrais? What is the benefit of discussion without specifying modalities? Contraindications apply to specific application but often people say simply massage. We are professionals and should be more specific in addition to not spreading myths we are suspicious of.

Linda LePelley said:

Hi Laura,

Regarding, "You must massage toward the heart or you could damage the heart valves". This is valid and important because there are one-way valves in the veins to prevent backflow of the blood. However, it is the valves in the veins that are at risk, I imagine you would have to be doing a pretty forceful and traumatic massage to injure the valves in the heart itself!

Are you talking to me? If so, I was responding to the original post which listed the statement, "You must massage toward the heart or you could damage the heart valves." as a myth. What exactly are you talking about when you say, "Even if this has any truth?"

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