Waterfall

Deep massage can damage nerves

October 31st, 2007 by Richard Brassaw

Researchers at the Arizona May Clinic have found that excessive focal pressure to the neck and shoulder area can damage the spinal accessory nerve, which was not previously recognized as a cause of injury to the nerve.

The spinal accessory nerve is a small nerve traveling in the back side of the upper shoulder area.

To illustrate the dangers of deep massage to the neck and shoulder area a healthy 38-year-old woman found it difficult to lift her left arm and experienced shoulder pain after a massage. When the pain and limited arm movement persisted she visited her doctor who used electromyography (EMG) to confirm injury to her spinal accessory nerve. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed evidence of swelling in the shoulder’s trapezius muscle, which is supplied by the spinal accessory nerve.

For the following 6 weeks the woman underwent physical therapy and gradually improved, however, 2 years later, the woman still experiences mild pain and weakness in her left shoulder.

The researchers suggest that anyone experiencing pain or shoulder weakness, after a massage, should consider a visit to their physician to determine if nerve damage is the cause of their symptoms, which can be determined with an EMG test.

tag Category : Chronic Pain, Medical Issues

3 Responses to “Deep massage can damage nerves”

  1. Gisele Siat, on January 4th, 2011 at 10:50 am Said:

    I had a massage in November that caused nerve damage. The therapist used too much focal pressure on my back which resulted in nerve damage radiating down my arm into my hand. The pain was so intense that I had to go to the ER, had an MRI, x-rays, triggerpoint injection and physio therapy. Two month later my left hand is still very weak, I lost a lot of dexterity and it is constantly dingeling like it is asleep. Now the bills start poring in from all the treatments. I am depressed about it. Cannot play golf. Anybody have any advice?

    Gisi

  2. Amy, on April 15th, 2011 at 11:03 am Said:

    I also sustained nerve damage from a massage. I had stretch traction on the neck and compression that was too deep on my scapular area. As a result when I got up off the table I could not lift my left arm. The EMG shows LTN palsy and Spinal Accessory nerve palsy. I am a very active person so this has been horrible!!
    The massage place was very dismissive of my concerns. Not caring in the least to my injury.

    AMY

  3. Jason, on September 30th, 2011 at 7:45 pm Said:

    I am a student for massage therapy and I am deeply concerned about this. In defense of bodyworkers, at my school we are given a plethora of things we ought to do prior to, during, and after each session to ensure no injuries are sustained during a session. We are taught that it is of upmost importance to check in to see if the pressure is too heavy, as well as not heavy enough, amongst other things. There are several things I am curious about as to the cause for these damaged tissues; were the superficial layers previously warmed before deeper pressure was appilied, was deep pressure applied too rapidly, was the muscle that was massaged overworked? Are there any genetic factors? There are lots of things I have learned during massage school, and I humbly announce that I am top of my class, but this is something I am going to ask my instructors about to see if I can prevent this kind of injury.

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