Does Massage Help With Pain? 5 Things You Should Know

Massage and Pain Management: A Supportive Approach

Massage and Pain Management: A Supportive Approach

Pain management is rarely straightforward. For individuals navigating cancer, lymphoma, and the side effects of treatment, pain and discomfort are an unfortunate part of the process for many. For others, chronic pain can be debilitating and long-lasting. Medication plays an essential and often life-saving role, yet many people continue to experience discomfort, tension, restlessness, or fatigue even when their medical care is appropriate and well managed.

Massage, in some forms, can be very helpful for people living with pain. Alongside traditional medicine, it offers a supportive, non-pharmacological option that many people find useful in shaping how pain is experienced in daily life.

Pain Is Shaped by the Nervous System

Pain is not simply a signal coming from injured tissue. It is processed and interpreted by the brain and nervous system and influenced by stress levels, emotional load, sleep quality, and overall physiological strain.

This is especially true with persistent or chronic pain, which often continues even after tissues have healed or when imaging does not fully explain the severity of symptoms. Many people notice that pain fluctuates with stress, fatigue, and overall nervous system load rather than with any single physical finding.

Massage does not approach pain as a single problem to be “fixed.” Instead, many people report that pain feels reduced, quieter, or less consuming under the careful hands of a skilled massage therapist. When the nervous system settles, pain is often experienced differently—even when the underlying condition itself has not changed.

A Focused Approach to Pain Management - Trigger Point and PNMT

In an effort to extend my reach beyond the oncology care and lymphedema patients I see, I have welcomed a new therapist to the practice who specializes in pain management. Patrick Ryan, LMT, CPNMT offers both restorative relaxation massage and focused therapeutic work, with particular experience in pain management massage, trigger point massage, and PNMT (Precision Neuromuscular Therapy).

Finding a compatible therapist is not easy. Patrick meets my standards for care and excellence and offers treatment approaches that differ from my own, giving clients additional options when pain has become persistent or difficult to manage.

PNMT and related neuromuscular techniques focus on working with sensitive, overactive areas within muscle tissue that are often associated with pain or restricted movement. While different people respond to different approaches, many find trigger point–focused massage helpful in reducing discomfort, improving mobility, and restoring a greater sense of ease in movement.

Patrick’s work fits seamlessly within my broader philosophy of care: attentive to the nervous system, grounded in experience, and responsive to the individual. He is available by appointment in the afternoons, early evenings, and on weekends, expanding access to pain management massage in the South Shore and Greater Boston area, including Hanover, MA.

Beyond the Massage Table

Surprise: massage therapists do not wear capes. We don’t perform miracles. And yet, it’s surprising how much people expect one massage to solve! More often than not, the bigger issue isn’t what happens on the table—it’s how you spend your time when you are not at massage. The good news is, these are things we can help you unpack in your appointment..

If you are experiencing chronic pain, it’s often worth looking at how you move through the many hours between sessions.

How do you sit during the day?
On a couch with a laptop? At a desk with your neck strained forward?
How do you move—or not move—between work and rest?
Are there repetitive patterns in your job or daily routine that may be adding up over time?
What kind of shoes are you wearing most days?

Are you carrying a baby on one side of your body while loading the dishwasher and doing other chores?
Slinging a backpack over one shoulder on the way to class or work?
Sitting on a thick wallet?
Overextending on a treadmill?
Working on a laptop while sunk into a soft couch?
Typing into a phone with your thumbs for hours each day?

Would it surprise you to know that the body was not built for many of these habits?

We are essentially designed to walk around all day, move frequently, and change positions often—largely in search of food. Evolution has not caught up with the modern lifestyle (or diet). Our bodies are remarkably adaptable, but they still respond to how they’re used.

Identifying small, realistic changes in your day can be just as important as the work we do on the table. For us, effective pain management is a two-pronged approach: what happens during your session, and what happens during the many hours in between.

A Practical, Grounded Approach

For many people, the value of massage lies in its simplicity: skilled, attentive touch that helps the body feel calmer and less burdened. In that quieter state, meaningful changes often occur—not because pain has been eliminated, but because the system is no longer operating under constant strain.

Pain management is rarely about a single solution. It’s about understanding the body, paying attention to patterns, and choosing support that helps you move through daily life with greater comfort and ease.

If you’re curious whether this approach may be helpful for you, consider booking an introductory appointment to explore your options.