Why Massage Therapy Doesn’t Always Focus Where It Hurts
You enter your appointment with shoulder pain. Though you expect your registered massage therapist (RMT) to get right to work on the exact location that aches, they instead start working on your upper back, neck, or even your chest. What’s going on?
This might seem confusing, but it’s actually a sign of your RMT taking on a thoughtful, holistic approach to treatment. RMTs are trained to look beyond the site of pain and consider the bigger picture—because where it hurts isn't always where the problem starts.
The Body Works as a Whole
Muscles, joints, nerves, and fascia (the connective tissue that surrounds and supports every structure within your body) are all interconnected. When one area is tight, restricted, or out of balance, it can affect how other areas move and feel. For instance:
• Shoulder pain might be influenced by tightness in the chest, limited mobility in the upper back, or even nerve tension in the neck.
• Low back discomfort can be related to tight hip flexors, glutes, or imbalances in the legs.
• Headaches might stem from tension in the neck, jaw, or even shoulder muscles.
Thus, your RMT might assess and treat areas that seem unrelated at first glance. In doing so, they are following patterns of compensation, restriction, and referred pain.
What is Referred Pain?
Referral patterns occur when pain or discomfort is felt in one area, but the source is somewhere else, therefore leading to referred pain.
A great example is the upper trapezius muscle, which runs along your shoulder and up your neck. This muscle is a common source of tension headaches. With this in mind, an RMT may choose to target your upper trapezius, even though they are treating pain you feel within your head.
RMTs learn to recognize referral patterns through training and experience, and use them to guide effective treatment.
Trust the Process—and Communicate
If your RMT is working away from the site of your complaint, it’s not a detour. Rather, it’s part of the strategy they have developed to help resolve the issue at its source. Even with such an understanding in mind, it is important to remember that open communication is always encouraged.
If you’re unsure why something is being addressed, feel free to ask. Your therapist will be more than happy to explain their reasoning. By bridging an understanding with you, your massage therapist can ensure that you will be continuously involved within your own care.
Massage Therapy as a Holistic Process
Registered massage therapy isn’t just about chasing down acute sites of pain. Instead, by stepping back to look at the bigger picture, your RMT will begin to broaden the focus of your treatment to restoring balance, improving function, and supporting the body’s natural healing.
Restoring Balance
Each day, our activities can lead to muscle imbalances . For example, we may use muscles on one side of the body more favourably than the other. This can cause muscle imbalances, as well as a build up of tension. Massaging the regions holding tension can restore balance between the muscles in the targeted area and opposing muscle groups.
Improving Function
By releasing tightness within muscles, massage therapy can improve both range of motion and mobility. Furthermore, the reduction of muscle tension and breakdown of adhesions within the fascia can allow muscles to contract (and retract!) more efficiently.
Supporting the Body’s Natural Healing
Massage therapy can improve blood circulation within the injured region. As blood carries oxygen and important nutrients within it, increased blood flow allows for more of these necessary resources to reach your body’s tissues. This process can bolster tissue regeneration, and reduce swelling.
Why Your RMT Might Not Treat the Exact Spot That Hurts
Massage therapy is a holistic process. Even though your massage therapist is working to target your pain, they may start their work in areas that do not ache. By stepping back to consider the body as a whole, your practitioner can begin to trace pathways of pain, such as when identifying referral patterns.
Additionally, by restoring balance, improving muscle function, and supporting the body’s ability to heal naturally on a global scale, your RMT will be able to help you achieve the targeted pain relief you initially sought out.
Ready to step back and shift your focus away from everyday pain? Consider bringing registered massage therapy into your healing journey today.
Meet Emily Vostrel
Emily is a Registered Massage Therapist at Qi Integrated Health who takes a whole-body approach to healing. Drawing from techniques like Swedish massage, trigger point therapy, and myofascial release, she looks beyond where it hurts to uncover the root of your pain. Emily creates personalized treatments that restore balance, support function, and help you feel deeply at ease in your body.
