Male or female Massage Therapist?

[Springsummer]

I am a female, so naturally I prefer a female. I am going to book this famous spa resort. so security is not a concern though.

 

BUT.....I am wondering if male generally is better? because they are stronger and have stronger hands and fingers?

 

I want to book this deep tissue specialty message because my left shoulder has chronic pain.

 

so I am hesitating before booking. any experience and thought to share? thanks!!!

Edited July 14, 2018 by Springsummer

[HiCrunchy]

I've had a male. I did enjoy much pressure he was able to put on my muscles.

I would say go for it.

[grays]

Hmmm. I am a female so I naturally prefer a male. I also think I want someone stronger who can really get deep. I have asked other people about this, tho, and they say that women can give a good strong deep massage, so if you'd be more comfortable with a woman you might not be missing out.

[basil67]

I'm a female so naturally I prefer someone who can give a good massage.

 

I've had good massages from people of both genders. The strongest fingers I ever encountered were from a little Thai lady.

[basil67]

I want to book this deep tissue specialty message because my left shoulder has chronic pain.

 

While a massage is nice and will probably give you relief for a couple of days have you looked at the cause of the pain?

 

When my shoulder was having chronic pain, the cause was two displaced neck vertebrae and a rib which was out of place. Caused by lifting too much at the gym. Sadly, it took a lot of different physios before I found the ones who could diagnose and fix the problem rather than just give me a temporary massage fix.

[Mr. Lucky]

The strongest fingers I ever encountered were from a little Thai lady.

 

Agreed. I go to a female deep-tissue masseuse who quickly convinced me, were I captured, I'd give up the important secrets in a heartbeat...

 

Mr. Lucky

[Woggle]

Google therapists in your area and see who has the highest rating. I don't think gender matters much.

[Springsummer]

While a massage is nice and will probably give you relief for a couple of days have you looked at the cause of the pain?

 

When my shoulder was having chronic pain, the cause was two displaced neck vertebrae and a rib which was out of place. Caused by lifting too much at the gym. Sadly, it took a lot of different physios before I found the ones who could diagnose and fix the problem rather than just give me a temporary massage fix.

 

ya, I think I need to know the cause of the pain. I don't know who to find that can diagnose accurately.

 

ya, I need to find a physio, but it's a headache to know how to find a good one...no idea how.

[Springsummer]

I've had a male. I did enjoy much pressure he was able to put on my muscles.

I would say go for it.

 

I would love to...but I grew up in a conservative culture...men and women should keep a distance from each other. Despite I have spent half of my life in north america.

[Springsummer]

sign, I am going with a female...massage is not going to cure me anyway.

[basil67]

ya, I think I need to know the cause of the pain. I don't know who to find that can diagnose accurately.

 

ya, I need to find a physio, but it's a headache to know how to find a good one...no idea how.

 

I hear you! I know what I'm looking for and they are still really hard to find. For starters, when you call the physio, tell them that something is out of whack ask if they do skeletal work. They do exist and are worth their weight on gold.

[Springsummer]

I hear you! I know what I'm looking for and they are still really hard to find. For starters, when you call the physio, tell them that something is out of whack ask if they do skeletal work. They do exist and are worth their weight on gold.

 

oh, wow, worth their weight on gold? definitely should find one soon then. Thanks for the advice.

 

talk about cause, I remember now once I fell on my right side/shoulder very hard while snowboarding. but it was many years ago, at least 8 years. It didn't appear to me as an issue. over the years, only on occasions I felt some pain after I open the window at night when sleeping, so I thought it was the cold. but it wasn't big pain, so I forgot about it. now this year, I start to have more consistent pain, I thought was because the new job, where the height of my desk is not good, and I use the right mouse too heavily. I thought it was ergonomic problem.

 

Now, I am making the connection...maybe the fall weaken(or harm?) my muscle there, so it is vulnerable to cold and ergonomic position?

 

Thank you for making me thinking harder of the cause! is it too late after so many years of neglect? what kind of damage could generally make you feel nothing, but then it's still there, only resurface again?

[basil67]

oh, wow, worth their weight on gold? definitely should find one soon then. Thanks for the advice.

 

talk about cause, I remember now once I fell on my right side/shoulder very hard while snowboarding. but it was many years ago, at least 8 years. It didn't appear to me as an issue. over the years, only on occasions I felt some pain after I open the window at night when sleeping, so I thought it was the cold. but it wasn't big pain, so I forgot about it. now this year, I start to have more consistent pain, I thought was because the new job, where the height of my desk is not good, and I use the right mouse too heavily. I thought it was ergonomic problem.

 

Now, I am making the connection...maybe the fall weaken(or harm?) my muscle there, so it is vulnerable to cold and ergonomic position?

 

Thank you for making me thinking harder of the cause! is it too late after so many years of neglect? what kind of damage could generally make you feel nothing, but then it's still there, only resurface again?

 

I once knocked my hips out of alignment in a surfing incident in a dumper wave, so sure a snowboarding accident could do it. Definitely relevant history for them...along with anything else you may have done. When we get out of alignment, our body will compensate for a while and we'll be OK. But then the compensation gets too much for us to keep holding and we begin to fatigue and that's when we get all the aching muscles and various hot spots.

 

When a therapist gets you aligned again, your body will hold it for a while and then go back to bad habits. So it can be a bit of a process with getting fixed repeatedly until our body learns the new way to be. But it's worth it.

 

You could try osteopathy too. Again, like physios, they can be hit and miss. I spent a small fortune finding someone good, so I wish you well.

 

Edited to add: I've also compressed ribs recently (which made my shoulder blade trigger) because I was sewing with really bad posture for too long. It doesn't have to be a trauma to put you out of whack.

Edited July 15, 2018 by basil67

[GemmaUK]

I'm with Basil, massage is a temporary aid, physio and possibly and MRI scan would be the place to find out the why.

 

I have two physios near me - one deals with all of you. The other deals with the complaint.

 

I first needed physio on a badly damaged ligament in my foot from under the ankle to about half way down my foot.

I went to the cheaper physio.

They did nothing of any help to the ligament but saw my toes were 'too highly placed at rest' (their words)

Despite me telling them that my feet have always been that way with no issues the physio decided to crack my toes down on each foot. They did one and I screamed so loud and long that I couldn't speak or stop them before they did the same to the other foot.

I could barely walk upon leaving. I got to the end of a 15ft driveway, sat, cried, called a taxi.

I spent the next few days off sick and in total agony.

 

I found another physio and went to see them. I was so bad I got the top guy.

I was in bits. He explained to me that my toes sat comfy where they did because I have high arches. Basically my toes sit right - for me.

The first two weeks of treatment was spent rectifying the damage the first physio caused.

Then we got on to my actual foot issue.

 

Since then I've had the odd back issue but also neck and shoulder issues.

I carry tension in my shoulders and neck plus I get repetitive strain injury in those areas too.

I also have a dislodged disk in my neck - discovered by an MRI requested by a physio there. I know to take care - basically.

 

My physio is a 'whole of you' physio - they ask questions about your job/relationships/life and it helps me to know what will cause me bad pain so as to know to ease off.

If you are googling physios then a place where they say 'we look at the person, their life' - that's what to find.

 

In my last 'fix' the Phys suggested regular deep tissue massage.

I love it but the cost is way too much to keep up.

I also do trigger point therapy (google it) and something that is really helping is a Shiatsu neck and shoulder massager I got on Amazon for £40.

It's fabulous! It can bruise - be careful if you choose to get one.

 

Your aim is to find the cause and cause for it to flair up.

Your need is easing the pain and knowing what to do to help it.

 

Ergonomics DO make a difference so that desk - find a better solution.

I've got an ergo keyboard, chair, mouse and have a desk that I can change the height of.

 

I also learned about the Alexander Technique (google it) which helps an awful lot.

[d0nnivain]

ya, I think I need to know the cause of the pain. I don't know who to find that can diagnose accurately.

 

ya, I need to find a physio, but it's a headache to know how to find a good one...no idea how.

 

You will get an accurate diagnosis from an orthopedist. Ask your primary doctor for a referral. Also ask friends, neighbors & co-workers. If you live in the states, check your state's licensing board for medical doctors. They won't tell you who is good but they will tell you who is bad -- had their license taken away or lost a med malpractice law suit.

 

Meanwhile since you have underlying pathology, I'd go with the female massage therapist & tell her about your undiagnosed problem. If you have a tear, a deep massage could make it worse.

[JuneL]

^^^I second the above opinion: You first need to find out what the issue is, medically, by an orthopedist, who may order a CT scan or MRI. I think physio/physical therapy is your second step, which I’m positive your orthopedist would refer you to anyway.

[Springsummer]

If you have a tear, a deep massage could make it worse.

 

um...this makes sense. I had a general message about a month ago. she said she can feel my muscle there is tense and the textual is different than the rest of my body. she mentioned I should see a physio, but also come back for another massage first in 2 weeks. I booked last week, but was messed up by the receptionist, so got canceled.

 

I didn't feel any better after the massage. so I decided to get a special and more expensive type of massage instead yesterday. Now, it makes sense to find the cause first.

[Springsummer]

You will get an accurate diagnosis from an orthopedist. Ask your primary doctor for a referral. Also ask friends, neighbors & co-workers. If you live in the states, check your state's licensing board for medical doctors. They won't tell you who is good but they will tell you who is bad -- had their license taken away or lost a med malpractice law suit..

 

I am living in Canada. free health care, but terrible. takes forever for everything. damn hard to find a family/primary doctor. I will just have to go to a walk in clinic to get a referral then.

[preraph]

Besides an orthopedist, an osteopath can very often fix pains like that. Sometimes a chiropractor, but not always. Usually, it takes someone who can offer PT exercises to do also.

 

That said, I type a lot, and had a chronic pain and a masseuse at a chair massage, once I mentioned it, fixed it just like that. BUT turns out she was a chiropractor. Now, recently, I went to a chiropractor for arm pain, but it had minimal effect.

 

An osteopath can move things around because they know all those muscles and joints backwards and forwards and get something in a better position. One got me walking one time. They're real doctors.

 

To your question: Masseuse, male or female? I much prefer female. Believe me, some of them are even too rough, but at least you know they're not going to creep out on you. They're not really trained for that though. An orthopedist would probably send you to PT, which I have always been helped by PT.

 

My last chiropractor also recommended I did go to a masseuse for my shoulders and back but it was solely to loosen up everything back there since the nerve bundles run up to your neck from your appendages.