This person went in for a deep tissue massage & heat treatment after waking up unable to move her neck. This is rarely a good solution, as nice as it may sound. The next day she woke up with searing pain and could hardly move her shoulder.
With that, she asked a very good question that I'm glad she asked: do I go in for round two? Or let my body heal on its own?
The answer is to let your body do its thing. The increased pain and immobility was caused by the massage treatment. When any part of your body is sore or stiff it is a small injury. Tissues are irritated and likely have micro-tears in them. Your body's immediate natural response to irritated or damaged tissue is inflammation - the area swells. This causes the pain and lack of function/mobility.
By having someone go in there and stretch the muscles with massage so soon after the healing process has begun, you are making it worse. A hot pack is also likely to make it worse. Not to say you can't take a hot shower in the morning when you wake up stiff, but prolonged & concentrated heat on the area will in some fashion increase inflammation.
By having someone go in there and stretch the muscles with massage so soon after the healing process has begun, you are making it worse. A hot pack is also likely to make it worse. Not to say you can't take a hot shower in the morning when you wake up stiff, but prolonged & concentrated heat on the area will in some fashion increase inflammation.
The best option the day you wake up with a stiff neck or sore anything? Ice. The cold reduces the swelling. I find it's more effective when you can relax the targeted area while doing so (lie down).
If you're hellbent on getting a massage (it's not always a bad idea), I would recommend avoiding a lot of deep work where the injured area is being heavily manipulated. People tend to have an inclination to go to a massage therapist with a "it hurts here so massage here" mentality when it can sometimes not be the best choice. If your massage therapist knows how to do myofascial work, I find that to be a helpful and less invasive way to work on a sore area. Deeper work to areas adjacent to the injury site can be helpful as well, but just know you may end up more sore! One of the more difficult sides of injury treatment massage is making that call of
Next time you wake up and your neck hurts, do what you can to reduce swelling and then make a note to checklist your sleeping setup. It's likely the pillows under your head are not supporting your head properly! You want your head as level as possible. Check out my previous posts on sleep posture for a better explanation!
