I have seen a massage therapist three times now to break up the scar tissue in the balls of my feet from the surgeries to remove the neuromas. sigh. The first time didn't hurt much at all. The second time, I could tell she was moving tissue around pretty good, most likely loosened up from the first visit. She used her hands then a tool on the right foot to break up the tissue there. All of it, hands and tool, hurt a little at first; the more she did it with her hands, the easier it got - the more she did it with her tool, it never got easier. No problems afterwards for either of the first two visits. I didn't have throbbing, burning pain in my feet or toes at night when I'm trying to sleep as I often do. Then I saw her again yesterday morning, the third visit. She worked the tissues on both feet pretty hard, and I could feel the tissue loosening and moving around. (I could even feel a lumpy-sensation afterwards walking around for a little while at first.) But! My feet haven't settled down since. They hurt and throb and burn, both of them, and she only used the tool on the left one this time, meaning the right one and the left one are hurting just the same, with or without the tool being used. Why? What is happening in there? Is this normal? To be expected? Will it get better with more visits? Will it get better without more visits?
On a side note, but very important one to me, she found a neuroma on my left foot with her tool. It's very tiny. I can feel it when she runs the tool over it. It "pops" (not really, but that's what it feels like) which is common for a neuroma to do when it has pressure applied to it. Wonderful me. sigh.