Does my stress level affect the benefits of massage?

About a week and a half ago, I woke up in the middle of the night sleeping on my right side, which is always bad news. My right shoulder is badly damaged, and after spending over 20 years managing it, my body seems to know instinctively not to roll onto my right side. If I do, I usually wake up right away and can turn over.

Occasionally, though — usually when I’m extremely tired — I’ll roll onto my right side and not wake up immediately. When that happens and I finally do wake up, I know that I’m in for a major Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) pain flare.

Massage is definitely the way to get things calmed back down, and luckily I already had one scheduled for a few days after this bad night happened. When the day came, however, I was having an enormously stressful time at the school where I work. As if my shoulder wasn’t already sore enough, the stress-ignited tightness in my neck and shoulders had dramatically exacerbated the flare to the point of severe pain.

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During the massage, my bodyworker, Kim, spent a long time on my shoulder, back, and neck, as all of the various muscles intertwine — and once one gets angry and inflamed, the others tend to follow. One modality she uses, which I find most beneficial when I’m in such a flare, is cupping. For some reason, my body seems better able to withstand the pulling pressure of the cups better than the pushing pressure of traditional bodywork.

Usually, the marks from the cups last only a few hours, or a day or two at most. This time around, though, my shoulder was so inflamed that the cup marks there lasted for over a week.

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While I felt a little better right after the massage, it was just a little; in truth, I didn’t feel that different overall. Usually I get pretty significant relief from my massages, but I usually don’t go into them in such a high-stress state, either.

That got me thinking about how much external forces affect the effectiveness of various modalities. I considered how differently my body reacted to this massage when I was under such stress. After all, stress makes everyone, not just those of us with EDS, get tense, and massage usually helps with that. But some reports say it helps to relax before getting a massage.

I already know that stress and anxiety play off my EDS and vice versa, but it made me wonder if I would’ve been better off delaying my massage for a few days to let my body’s stress level come back down. Or would it have been even worse if I hadn’t intervened immediately? Did that massage keep me from getting worse, even if it didn’t make me feel better? I’m not sure.

Luckily, I was able to get in for another massage the following week, which finally broke the pain cycle and started me on the path to feeling better again. I don’t know whether it would’ve been better to wait or not, but I definitely think that my state when I walk into a massage can play a role in how much it works.

Note: Ehlers-Danlos News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Ehlers-Danlos News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Ehlers-Danlos.