05/09/2025
Why Massage Therapists Ask About Old Accidents — Even from 20+ Years Ago
You might wonder why, during your intake, massage therapists ask, “Have you ever been in a motor vehicle accident?”—even if it was decades ago.
Here’s why it matters:
Example:
Thirteen years ago, I was in an accident where a semi jackknifed. We were stopped in a turning lane when it hit us, and we ended up underneath the truck. I felt fine at first—just shaken up—and said no to the ambulance.
Hours later, a visible goose egg appeared on the side of my neck. I took a hot bath and went to bed. At 2 a.m., I woke up paralyzed from the neck down. It was diagnosed as whiplash and I was sent home with sedatives.
A year later, another accident: we were T-boned and pushed into the bumper of an oncoming semi. I couldn’t walk, my body was black and blue from the neck down, and trauma surgeons were on standby. Thankfully, no surgery—but the chronic pain never left.
Years later, a physiotherapist found fractures from T12–L4 in old X-rays. I still deal with:
Muscle spasms
Migraines (hospital-level)
Blurred vision, tinnitus, and neck numbness
Trouble sleeping due to pain
Muscle tension so deep no one can break through it—not even with aggressive treatment
This is why we ask.
When you tell us about past accidents, no matter how long ago, it helps us:
Understand your soft tissue and nerve history
Choose the right techniques to avoid triggering pain
Document injury history for insurance or legal claims
Respect your body's unique patterns and compensations
Whiplash is not “over” when the paperwork is.
Even if you got a settlement, your body may still be paying the price. Tension headaches, back pain, or nerve issues years later can often trace back to a trauma that was never fully resolved.
So when we ask if you’ve ever had a car accident—even if it was 20, 30, or 40 years ago—please tell us. It’s not to pry. It’s because your body remembers, even if you've forgotten.
Just because someone has walked away from an accident, doesn't mean they have healed from it.
