What Type Of Massage

[tandh]

i feel down the stairs on monday, and now the left hand side of my mid to lower back is killing me. I saw a doctor yesterday, and he said i've just bruised some mussel and told me to take some paracetamol. i'm in quite a lot of pain though(even after taking it) and my movement is quite limited (it hurts to bend down or carry anything) i'm thinking about treating myself to a massage to try and help it but not sure what type will be best, although i am leaning more towards a deep tissue or thai massage, any thoughts or advice about this would be greatly appreciated.

[Answerprancer]

Massage on an injury is likely to make it worse. Just take it easy and time will cure it.

[Answerprancer]

...just to explain: massage is good for tight muscles that need realeasing or un-knotting. When there is actual damage caused by (for example) a fall, something has been torn and it needs to be left alone to heal with painkillers used to make things easier. If the pain really is unbearable, maybe you could see your doctor again with a view to getting stronger painkillers but beware, they can give you a false sense of security then you might end up bouncing about and make the healing injury worse.

[Hopkirk]

How about Ibuprofen, rather than paracetomol?

I think it is more likely to help, as it is anti inflammatory.

[Zacs-Master]

Massage is not the answer.

[tandh]

oh no really guys :( i just dont have the time or the patience to take it easy. my house is a building site and i really want to get it in order so i can get it up for sale before Christmas.
thanks hopkick, i thought paracetamol was an anti inflammatory, i'll get some tomorrow.
i agree answer p, i do suffer from a week back anyway but i dont usually take anything for it because of that. This pain is really bad though, so much so it's waking me up at night.

[Answerprancer]

Further warning: I'm sorry if you are in a hurry to straighten your house out before christmas, but if you go looking for painkillers simply to get work done, you will most likely make your injury worse and definitely make it take longer to heal.

[Scarlett]

Your back might suffer some stiffness through you walking funny, not bending or stretching due to the pain. Take ibuprofen for pain and to reduce inflammation. Use a cold pack or frozen peas on the area that hurts, which will reduce swelling and also numb the pain a bit. PAY someone to come in and help you sort the house. Don't risk making your back worse! You could go for a VERY gentle massage around the area that hurts, to loosen up the stiff bits, but I would try and heal a bit first. Do you have a private physio near you? Seeing someone one to one will diagnose your injury and give you suitable exercises, and a bit of massage- is so worth the money. GPs will only ever prescribe a pain killer. You need to be proactive in helping yourself unfortunately as they don't have the time or resources to treat all the people with back pain!

[tandh]

@answer prancer, not sure if i'm misinterpreting your answer, but i was agreeing with you in my last post. I've always thought pain killers long term were a bad idea, as it is your bodys way of telling you something is not right.

@answer prancer and scarlett, you are both right. and although it's frustrating, i've taken your advice and not done anything in my house today. It is feeling a bit better now i've just had a really hot bath and taken some ibuprofen.
seeing the physio is a good idea too, i have already seen one a few years ago and he gave me some really good exercise tips that i still do today.

i just wish i could do more to make it heal faster...:-(

[jennyjoan]

Unfortunately Tandy - injuries like this take some time and I mean time.

[tandh]

oh jenny j, its just so annoying, why can't someone come up with something to make it all better?

[Scarlett]

Chiropractors and osteopaths can often perform miracles!

[tandh]

just thought you all might like to know that my back is so much better now. I've been taking ibuprofen orally and applying it directly to the area, along with heat patches and it's made the word of difference. It is still a little sore but i'm able to do things without being in pain. Thank you for all your advice