When massage is contraindicated?

Massage therapy has a lot of benefits to your health: relieves stress, pain, muscle tension relief, etc. But massage therapy can be detrimental to your health too. As being a massage therapist myself, I always have to ask my clients any medical conditions I should be aware of before performing a massage on them. There are many people that don't know all the contraindications for massage therapy. I know that some spas they just push the clients to sign up a consent without taking really care of the client's health. So its very important people know these contraindications before getting a massage. Contraindications for massage therapy could be general or local as follows:

General: These general contraindications can be permanent or temporary. A person suffering for the following medical conditions CAN NOT receive a massage (unless previous approval by a doctor): Hives, High Blood Pressure (unless controlled by medication, diet or exercise),cardiovascular conditions like phlebitis, thrombosis, angina and those with pacemakers, fever, inflammatory conditions, hepatitis, tonsillitis,edema, psoriasis or eczema, recent operations or acute injuries, skin diseases, under influence of alcohol or drugs, first trimester of pregnancy, osteoporosis, cancer, scabies, chickenpox, cumps, cneumonia, ringworm, contact dermatitis (if wide spread), diarrhea (if due to infection), kidney failure, lymphangitis, myocarditis, pericarditis, pulmonary embolism, severe acute respiratory syndrome, tuberculosis, epilepsy, diabetes, acute rheumatism and hemophilia.

Local: Is when the therapist can massage but not over any areas affected by: varicose veins, undiagnose bumps or lumps, pregnancy, bruising, cuts, abrasions, sunburn,open wounds, undiagnosed pain and inflammation (including arthritis), acne vulgaris, athlete's foot, blisters, Shingles, swollen lymph glands, ulcers.

The following conditions will require a medical doctors approval: Congestive Heart failure, Coronary Artery Disease, Myasthenia Gravis, Nephrosis, Peritonitis, Polycystic Kidney,Acromegaly, Aneurysm, Atherosclerosis, Burns, Cancer, Cerebrovascular accident, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Hemophelia, Hodgkin's Disease, Kidney Stones, Leukemia, Disease, and Uremia.

If you have a condition that has not been listed here, or you are unclear about whether you can receive massage, talk to your massage therapist or your doctor. In case you are turned down for a massage because of a condition you have, it is because the massage therapist really care about your health.