After surgery, even familiar routines can take more effort. You may feel tired, uncomfortable in certain positions, or tense in areas that have been doing extra work. It is understandable to wonder whether massage could help you feel more comfortable.
The right starting point is your surgical care team. What is appropriate depends on your procedure, healing, medications, and activity restrictions. At Benjamin Rosendahl, LMT LLC in Pensacola, a conversation before booking helps establish whether a session fits your current needs or whether a provider with specialized training would be more appropriate.
Where might massage fit during recovery?
When your care team considers it appropriate, massage may offer some relaxation and attention to uncomfortable muscles. It is supportive care alongside your recovery plan. It does not replace wound care, prescribed medication, rehabilitation, or follow-up appointments.
There is research on comfort after certain operations. A 2015 randomized study involving 127 patients after colorectal surgery found improvements in reported pain, anxiety, and tension with massage compared with a control group. That study concerned a specific procedure and supervised postoperative care. It does not establish that ordinary massage appointments speed healing or that the same approach suits every operation.
A useful goal might be a more restful appointment or less discomfort in an area your team has approved for work. You do not need to measure the value of a session by how deep the pressure is.
When is it appropriate to book?
There is no universal waiting period that applies to all surgeries. Ask your surgeon or treating clinician whether massage is appropriate now, what areas may be worked on, and whether there are limits on pressure, positioning, or movement.
Approval for gentle massage away from a surgical site does not automatically mean direct scar work, deep tissue massage, or treatment for postoperative swelling is appropriate. A closed incision also does not tell us that deeper tissues are ready for pressure. Your care team's procedure-specific instructions matter.
What should you ask your care team?
- Is massage appropriate at this stage of my recovery?
- Which areas should be avoided, and what pressure is permitted?
- Are there restrictions on lying on my back, stomach, or side?
- Do I need a therapist with training in scar care, oncology massage, or postoperative lymphatic care?
Bring written instructions if available. Before booking, tell Ben the type and date of your surgery, current medications, any complications, and the guidance you have received. Include information about blood thinners, drains, dressings, swelling, or changes in sensation.
What about scar massage?
Scar care is a separate conversation from a general massage appointment. The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital's scar-care guide describes light massage after a wound has fully healed, with care tailored to the scar. Your surgical team should guide when to start and how to do it for your procedure.
A scar is part of healing. Working on it is not about forcing tissue to “break up,” and massage cannot promise to remove a scar or prevent every adhesion. Do not massage an open, draining, infected, or incompletely healed wound. Ask your clinician about a painful, changing, or troublesome scar before trying a technique yourself.
If you need direct scar treatment or postoperative lymphatic work, ask the provider about training and experience with your procedure. Ben's classic and deep tissue services should not be assumed to include those specialized treatments.
How does massage fit with rehabilitation?
Your surgeon or physical therapist may give you a movement plan with specific limits. Keep following it. Massage does not override restrictions on lifting, reaching, stretching, or bearing weight, even if you feel more comfortable afterward.
During an appropriate session, positioning and pressure can be adjusted around those limits. Areas unrelated to the operation may be the focus, or the appointment may need to wait. Share any discomfort immediately rather than tolerating a position because it is normally used for massage.
Tell your care team if a new activity or session leaves you with increased pain, swelling, or reduced function. Those changes deserve assessment; they do not reliably tell you what caused the problem.
When should you seek care instead?
Contact your surgical team about fever, worsening redness, drainage, a wound that opens, or increasing pain or swelling. Follow the warning signs and contact instructions in your discharge paperwork. Do not book massage to investigate or treat a possible complication.
New pain and swelling in one leg can be signs of a blood clot and need urgent medical assessment. Chest pain or shortness of breath, especially with those symptoms, requires emergency care. The NHS guide to deep vein thrombosis explains these warning signs. Do not massage an area where a clot is suspected.
Also discuss medications and other conditions with your clinician before a session. The NCCIH safety overview notes that serious adverse effects are rare but can occur, particularly with vigorous techniques or in people at greater risk.
How should you choose a provider?
Ask about licensing, relevant training, experience with your procedure, and how the provider follows medical restrictions. If your needs involve postoperative rehabilitation, lymphatic treatment, or specialized scar care, look for the appropriate expertise rather than choosing by pressure preference or convenience alone.
A useful first conversation includes what you have been cleared for and what the provider can actually offer. There should be room to explain the limits of a session and to recommend another provider when needed.
Considering a session with Ben
Before choosing an appointment after surgery, text Ben at (850) 776-4952 to discuss your care team's instructions. Booking deep tissue or a longer appointment is not automatically the right choice during recovery. There is no required series of visits.
Ben practices inside Adore You Salon at 2750 East Olive Road, Pensacola, FL 32514, with mobile appointments available on Mondays. You can review the services and current rates while you discuss whether a session is appropriate. For a general introduction, read what to expect from therapeutic massage.