The Where-You-Start Approach to Pain-Management Massage

Originally published in MASSAGE Magazine, December 28, 2023
By Amy Bradley Radford, LMT, BCTMB

Beginning a pain-management massage session distant from where the client is experiencing pain can result in successful pain relief.

When I was a student in massage school, it seemed like each teacher had a handful of signature massage approaches that were remarkably successful for a few specific issues.

I remember asking if there was some kind of book to buy that had a compilation of all these great approaches to the body or manual overrides of knowledge and skill for massage therapy.

The answer, of course, was no, and I have since learned that what many of those teachers were graciously sharing was their personal success experiences at the massage table.

In that same spirit of sharing success experience, I offer one of the approaches I use that can create a positive difference for pain-management massage therapy.

It is the concept of beginning a massage distant from the pain of which your client complains.

Why Select a Different Starting Point Distant from Pain?

If you are a seasoned therapist reading this article, you likely already understand this concept. You also understand that if you approach an area in pain directly and it doesn't work, then you go looking for other areas that take the pressure off the pain.

Through both experience and a process of elimination, we learn there are always a couple of ways to work certain kinds of pain patterns, and the muscles will respond to one of those approaches.

When these approaches stabilize into repeatable concepts that work for most clients, these are what I call Universal Principles.

One of those principles is that where you start the massage, locally or dynamically, can create a positive difference and impact how much the body will decrease in pain and inflammation during that treatment or session.

The reasons for this are rooted in kinesiology, but the outcome of this concept is best explained by physics.

In my article for MASSAGE Magazine, I explain how these opposing muscle relationships can influence pain patterns, why the area experiencing pain may not be the best place to begin, and how selecting a different starting point can change the outcome of a massage session.

Read the full article: The Where-You-Start Approach to Pain-Management Massage

Learn More About PPS Bodywork

These concepts are part of the foundation of PPS (Pain Patterns and Solutions), the pain-management massage system I have developed through decades of clinical experience, observation, and teaching.

PPS teaches massage therapists to look beyond the location of pain, identify patterns of dysfunction, and understand how the order of treatment can influence the body's response to massage.

Learn more about PPS Bodywork and continuing education opportunities.