help! My massages are making me feel ill

I practised remedial massage for 20 years and used to teach massage, anatomy and physiology.
Your therapist's qualifications are good and well-known in the field.
I wondered if you have neck and shoulder massage as part of the treatment?

I’m going to osteopath weekly at the moment and was lightheaded after the last treatment on my back. It be only lasted a couple of minutes though . She said it was normal

I have only had one massage in my life and it made me feel dreadful, dizzy, sick and I had an awful headache. The lady was fully qualified, but honestly I'll never book another one again.

Im a retired mt,massage stimulates all our systems,physical,emotional,lymphatic etc sounds like an overload in some way,either a lighter massage ,a shorter one ,
or none at all?

I would stop immediately. I would also check their qualifications

Could be vertigo coupled with low blood pressure.

Just stop having the massages! They are supposed to make you feel better, not worse! It's possible that the 'dizziness' is due to orthostatic hypotension. Every time we sit or stand, the vascular system has to adjust, mainly by constricting the blood vessels in the lower limbs, to maintain adequate blood supply to the brain, otherwise the blood pools in the lower limbs and we faint or feel unsteady, headachey, or nauseous. The older you get, the slower the adjustment is. It is the reason that a lot of older people fall when getting up for the loo at night. A masseur should know this and encourage you to sit up slowly at the end of the session, and then stand slowly. Do look up "orthostatic hypotension" in Wikipedia for a summary. It is nothing to do with mysterious 'toxins' being released. Anyone who asserts this should give a scientific explanation of how that could possibly occur, and be prepared to give proper references. The other symptoms (apart from muscular pain) could also be due to orthostatic hypotension.

See your Doctor

I would certainly query if they are using essential oils - there are some that affect some people more than others so shouldn't be used.
Bit concerned about her reaction - anyone that has been well trained would have been happy to try something else on you - in my experience, having "diplomas" and letters after their name, doesn't really mean a lot !
Try another masseuse that actually listens to your concerns that is recommended by people , who is happy to massage in different ways and perhaps try other forms of alternative treatments - the only thing that helps the sciatica is acupuncture, so that might be worth a try!
The drinking water is a good idea - I have never had a massage anywhere (face, shoulder, full body,feet, hands) where I haven't been given a glass of water and allowed to sit quietly for a few minutes in the reception area before leaving the salon!

After a massage your body is readjusting. It could be that your muscles, joints and brain are re-learning; some muscle fibres will have become shorter and some longer, it takes time and you should go gently if you haven’t experienced deep tissue massage before. There is also the idea that tightly held muscles also tightly held emotions and feelings, linking body pain with mental pain.

For some massage is actually too intimate and you have to have trust in your therapist. For others the process of giving their body over to someone else can be traumatic, some very deep tissue massage therapies are used to release buried events in life.

Your reactions may improve with more sessions but if not then you may need to consider another type of help.

How are your iliopsoas muscles? Often the cause of low back pain. Do you have any pelvic /sacral issues? If you can’t cope with massage someone like a chiropractor might help, plus youtube has some useful self-help stuff.

(I had a few Cranial-sacral sessions and each time had a migraine afterwards - it was very gentle but went to deep for me to cope with at the time. I went for some one to one sessions of Somatics which helped me re-set when I retired (again check put youtube)) Good luck!

I suspect it’s a release of endolymph and perilymph released during a deep tissue massage and your body not being used to it. The side affects will stop making your feel headachy etc eventually but rest and water is all you can do. It’s seen by the body as a toxin. Hence the side effects. It’s because you are experiencing inflammation and tissue damage. These chemicals are released due to damage/ repair cycle.

Apologies if you've tried all this already .... Ask your masseur to change the base oil she is using - grape seed oil is gentle. The other thing I would suggest is ask for deep tissue massage only on the bad back, then a much lighter pressure everywhere else. Deep tissue massage can feel like a shock to the body!! Light pressure is very comforting. That could well be the answer. Another suggestion would be to only have a back & shoulder massage, again with firm pressure only on the painful back bit. You could try a full massage but with all light pressure - it's worth persevering if you like massage, you just have to find the right combination. It might be that the masseur is not the right one for you. I remember having a massage from someone who was very angry - not with me but with her life. I felt ill and bruised for days afterwards. So ..... happy masseur, gentle pressure, drink lots of water afterwards, and have a snooze! Good luck! :-)

Yes same thing happens to me too. My physio for my sciatica gets me to drink some orange juice before she starts and afterwards, and when I get up, I do it slowly in stages ( I forget how she does it, it’s quite specific), and slowly roll to my side, slowly sit on the edge with feet down and slowly raise my head and look at the wall in front of me, and then have a wee sip of orange juice. I sit there for a good 2-5 minutes afterwards before I get up.
You must be careful or you will be at risk of a fall or fainting.

I too have Fibromyalgia and am very sensitive to pain. I don't find massage helpful at all. However, I now do Tai Chi and find that is beneficial.

I have had this after a massage particularly when my back was injured. Your body is trying to rebalance itself after a deep treatment. As long as you are using a qualified person I would not worry, but definitely give them feedback. If you are not right in day two or three afterwards they should give you a free follow up to check you out.

My masseuse always tells me to be careful after a sports massage-if she's had to do a lot of deep work I can feel light-headed for quite a while. It's also a good idea to drink plenty of water.

Hi. I am a MT. The qualifications of your MT are good! You have experienced a 'healing crisis'. The body has literally gone into shock mode because the tissues have released toxins and powerful hormones in a bid to naturally realign. Hydration and rest are a must. Please inform her and maybe she can reduce her pressure and do more fascia work (suggestion). The more regularly you receive massage, the less your body will react. Great point re the 'grounding'. I also agree with a previous op, that if you have an inflammatory condition, you may have this 'shock' reaction. My advice is to receive a lighter touch with gentle 'fascia release'.
Good luck dear!

Hi, the 'massive headache' is probably due to dehydration. These oils can make you dehydrated, and consequently disorientated - they stimulate all sorts of systems in your body. Make sure you drink a large glass of water immediately after you have the massage, before you leave the room even, and make sure you drink lots throughout the evening too. I'm sure the massages are working for you if you feel like this afterwards. But do discuss with your therapist.

Initially I thought low blood pressure as that is my problem with having a relaxing massage, the only other thing I can think of is dehydration. After a massage you should have a glass of water and then drink plenty more liquid as soon as you are somewhere with a loo!!!

Yes, this does happen. I have had 2 full massages in my life - no scented oils, just the same almond oil I use myself - and an experienced masseuse - and felt just the same.

My physiotherapist (very experienced) has come across a few people like this, and has a hypothesis that it happens mostly to those of us with inflammatory conditions (fits with the comments above).

I personally don't find it makes me feel better at all, so never book one. Having said that, very limited massage, just on the affected limb (or part of the back) does help.

I hesitate to suggest this, as it is completely unproven, but we have wondered if there is a connection between the inflammatory condition and release of some chemicals into the body that makes me feel unwell. That would be why a full body massage has a deleterious effect, but having a limited one feels more beneficial.

On this rather shaky hypothesis, I wonder Leonora, if it is worth suggesting to your masseuse that she limits the massage to the worst bit and see if it helps? Apologies if you've already tried that.

My physiotherapist says that I am extra sensitive and usually gives me a less deep massage because of it. A couple of things of things can help, when you put your feet to the floor afterwards put them down firmly as if you are quite literally “grounding” yourself and I’ve found that keeping well hydrated both before and then another drink of water afterwards helps me.
I’ve got Fibromyalgia so tend to over react to everything too, in fact it it was quite a relief to read that Squiffy is the same. I agree with her as well that the positive effects outweigh the disadvantages.

It may just be that your body is extra sensitive. I have had a few massages over the years, all by highly qualified therapists, and I’m affected in the same way as you. I know of several other people who have the same reaction. I have ME, so I tend to over-react to everything, including osteopathy! Having said that, the treatment has such a positive effect on my hurty bits that it’s worth it!

these are her qualifications Dip RM (MSM) Adv Dip MT (MSM)
and she has excellent reviews. She uses some sort of coconut oil I think but it's not meant to be a relaxing massage, more of a deep tissue massage to deal with my lower back pain.
I just feel a bit wobbly still today.

I would be seeking some medical advice about this, and
I would only use a qualified physio.

I was asking the same questions. I have my back treatments from a qualified physio and experience none of the problems you describe. I would seriously consider changing.