The medication you take have a very significant role in your massage. If you have an ache or a pain that won’t settle and have taken a pain killer or an anti-inflammatory within 6 hours prior to your appointment, our massage therapists may have to postpone your treatment.
Taking Medication Before Your Massage
The role of medication before your massage is that the drugs in your system may affect the symptoms you present, influence the results of your treatment, and even cause you to react differently to the massage itself.
Taking over the counter and prescribed pain killers or anti-inflammatories can disguise how you respond to treatment. Under their influence, your reactions to a therapist’s pressure may differ. They may alter your tolerances so much, that a therapist might unintentionally hurt you during treatment.
There is a recommendation to all remedial massage therapists that we “should consider altering treatment plans for anyone taking pain relievers. When people take pain relieving medications, they may experience altered pain perception, low blood pressure, dizziness, and bleeding or bruising.”
Along with the common medications like Nurofen, some prescribed medications for conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia can affect treatment.
Declaring The Medications Your Taking
It is important to disclose any regular medications that you take to your massage therapist and in the CBR Massage Client Intake form. While also keeping us updated on any changes in your regular medication. As part of your health care team keeping us informed of any changes allows us to continue to maximise the outcomes of your treatment.
For example, according to Brent A. Bauer, Medical Doctor (MD), Director, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic in the US, “a common medication that may require treatment alterations is anticoagulant medications, [blood thinners], like Warfarin, because they may make your clients more prone to bruising and internal bleeding.”
Corticosteroids, too, can cause swelling of the legs, thinning of the skin, tendency to bruise, high blood pressure and a weakened immune response.
Having these meds in your system and then having a massage could cause the therapist to unintentionally cause an injury by pressing too hard on you. So, to ensure your massage fulfills its potential discuss the medications you are taking and have taken that day with your massage therapist.
CBR Massage therapists will be happy to answer any questions you may have about treating you with whatever meds you happen to be taking.
References
Massage and Medication | Massage Therapy Journal (amtamassage.org)