Physiotherapy, types of massage... which is the hardest/most painful?

Question

I have bad back pain & I've tried a few massage places, but none of them do it hard enough for it to feel much better. I had a deep tissue massage yesterday but my back feels the same! Has anyone tried a physiotherapist for back pain & what do they do to fix it? What kind of massage if really hard & painful?

Answer 1

I have never done physical therapy for back pain but I have friends who have.  One of them said that they give her special kinds of exercises to do to help strengthen the muscles in that area.  They also sometimes use ultrasound (it's a bit different than the kind that is used to diagnose medical problems or monitor the growth of a baby in a pregnant mom) to help work the area.

As for massage my friend says that they have done that too.  Sometimes they may also use special machines called electronic muscle stimulators which can help exercise the muscles deeper than the hands of the physical therapist and also massage down deeper than what the physical therapist can do.

They may use massage techniques like rolfing (an example) or Swedish massage.

I have the link to a site that can help you find more information.  If interested please e-mail me off site with the subject line: "Physical Therapy link" so that I will know what it's in regards to.