01/05/2026
Massage can help you feel better, but it does not “fix” an injury. 🤕❌
This is because most injuries require specific loading that modalities such as massage do not deliver. Manual therapy and basic generic mobility/strength exercises with no structured individualised plan or progressive overload do not deliver long term results. 🤦♂️
I am treating people on a weekly basis who have been dealing with injuries for months or even years which could have easily been rapidly resolved with appropriate evidence-based treatment. Instead they have had only massage, acupuncture, cupping, mobilisations etc etc as primary treatments with limited results and then never been referred onward by their practitioners (which you should expect if you are not improving). Let’s explore why this hasn’t worked further ⬇️
1. Injuries are more than tight muscles 🧐
A lot of people assume pain = muscle tightness. But most injuries involve things like:
* Reduced strength
* Reduced load tolerance
* Reduced capacity for activities
Massage mainly works on soft tissue tension – it does not rebuild capacity for load.
2. Healing is a biological process 🧬
Recovery depends on your body repairing tissue through processes like inflammation, collagen formation, and remodelling. Massage might support circulation slightly, but it doesn’t replace the body’s healing timeline.
3. Pain relief ≠ actual repair 🤥
Massage can reduce pain by:
* Relaxing muscles
* Improving blood flow
* Calming the nervous system
That’s why you might feel better temporarily. But the underlying issue (e.g., a tendon injury or ligament sprain) does not go away, the reduced capacity for load is still there. Capacity won’t increase without specific loading and load management.
4. Most injuries need specific loading, not relaxation 🏋️
For many conditions (like tendon problems), the fix is progressive strengthening, not just loosening tissue. This is a core principle in rehab and physical therapy—you need the right kind of load to stimulate proper healing. I reiterate here that a sheet of generic mobility/strength exercises is not specific loading.
5. Massage can sometimes irritate injuries 😠
If tissue is inflamed or damaged, deep pressure might actually make it worse rather than help.
✅ Where massage does help:
* Feeling of reduced muscle tension and stiffness
* Sometimes short-term pain relief
* Recovery after exercise
* Stress management and relaxation
❌ Where it’s not enough:
* Ligament sprains
* Tendon injuries
* Muscle weakness
* Significant muscle tears
* Chronic pain (pain over 3 months)
* and much much much much more…
🤩 If you’ve got a specific injury, the most effective approach is usually a mix of:
* Activity modification (not total rest)
* Gradual strengthening
* Guided rehab from a qualified professional
If you want, tell me what kind of injury you’re dealing with and I can break down what actually helps for that case. 😊
Practising what I preach 🙌🏻⬇️
For enquiries or booking contact me on:
📞 07954724471
📧 [email protected]
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https://bb-physiotherapy.uk2.cliniko.com/bookings?practitioner_id=1496980636689244552
