Victoria Massage therapy is sometimes meant to be relaxing, and other times it is meant to address a certain health condition or injury that the client is experiencing. But is there any case in which a massage should cause bruising? To answer this, we’re going to explain how bruises can appear.

Bruises occur when capillaries become broken and red blood cells leak

Contusion is the proper term of a bruise, and it refers to a traumatic injury that causes capillaries to break and red blood cells to leak. But really, no actual “injury,” as we think of the term, necessarily has to occur for a bruise to appear. Stagnant blood could currently be stored in your tissues, and releasing it through massage, stretching, or deep breathing (using your diaphragm) are good ways to allow new blood to get through.

Why is stagnant blood sticking around in your tissues? This blood can be found all throughout your body in the form of knots. A knot is lymphatic fluid that is formed in such a way so it cannot make its way to your heart, as it is waste that does not benefit your body. This fluid can build up so much in one place in your tissues that the muscle of the area can appear inflamed. Massage can break up these knots, which may cause a bruise to form. But in this case, your body benefits from what is going on underneath, as fresh blood can now get through well again.

Bruises could potentially be a sign of poor technique, though

The bruising we discuss above should disappear in less than a week–probably in about four to six days. If you are left in pain consistently after massages and with bad bruises, we recommend talking to the practitioner or finding a new massage therapist in Victoria that can offer you the treatment you need.