A few days ago, I went to see a professional massage therapist because I was interested in receiving a Shiatsu massage and a Deep Tissue Massage. I get occasional lower back pain from playing sports so I wanted to see if a Shiatsu massage or a deep tissue massage would help.

At my first session, I chose a Shiatsu massage which is more or less an acupressure massage which involves applying medium pressure to specific acupuncture points or trigger points on my body. This type of massage feels quite comfortable because you don’t feel any pain during the massage. The massage therapist informs me that like most massages, I will need to have regular sessions of Shiatsu massage in order to get the ultimate benefits. The day after receiving this massage, I did not notice any difference.

The next day, I went back for a deep tissue massage which is recommended for body pain from sports or if you have tight tense muscles in general. During this massage, I definitely felt pain on my shoulders, back, and legs. Since my lower back was a bit painful before the massage, this type of massage was actually loosening the tense muscles in my lower back and I could feel an increase in blood circulation in my back. A deep tissue massage really feels like a workout even though I’m lying flat on my stomach with the therapist doing all the work.

The next day, my body felt a bit painful in areas where I did not have pain initially but my lower back was actually feeling better. For me, it seems like a deep tissue massage really helps to reduce pain from playing sports.

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