Massage or Massacre? Spa Injuries Exposed

April 3, 2008— -- For most spa-goers, a massage is best followed by a stint in the sauna — not a trip to the emergency room.

But for 27-year-old Kellia Rogers of Brooklyn, N.Y., a supposedly relaxing massage last month turned into an excruciating hour of torture on the table of a heavy-handed masseuse.

"Punch, punch, punch," Rogers said. "I felt like she was digging for something … I felt abused."

Fortunately for spa fanatics, such spa "abuse" injuries don't happen too often. But some doctors report that they do occur.

"I recently had one patient who had an abrasion on her back … from a vigorous massage," said Dr. Tina Dobsevage, an assistant clinical professor and internist at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Kaiser Permanente Emergency Medical Services national medical director Dr. Jay Goldman said he has even seen patients with more severe injuries.

"A woman went for a massage … [with] a massage therapist," Goldman said. "All of a sudden, she feels this searing pain through her shoulder and yelled out, but the therapist insisted this was what she needed."

The outcome was a tear in her shoulder tendons, Goldman said.

And spa injuries aren't limited to bad massages.

"I've had several folks suffer burns in tanning beds, develop skin rashes from massage oils, or finger/toe infections from manicures/pedicures," said Dr. Richard G. Roberts, professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine.

For Rogers the massage didn't soothe her muscles, it left her with severe muscle injury from her neck to her pelvis.

Part of the problem could have had to do with a communication barrier. Indeed, the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) recommends that consumers "communicate clearly" with their masseuse.

The AMTA also encourages consumers to "report any discomfort [and] give feedback about [the] amount of pressure."

But this may not be as easy as it sounds, Rogers said.

"She seemed very confused," she recalls. "I told [the masseuse] I wanted a Swedish massage, but she still seemed confused … when she popped my neck, I said 'Don't do that!' She just nodded … like everyone says that."