Kiwi, I'd like to clarify that for Debi, her medical history has chemo use for her cancer. These drugs are known to damage the dorsal roots by attacking DNA in the host cells and this mostly happens in those ganglia.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: an update on the current understanding

In patients with no chemo agent damage factor, the pain can be due to radiculopathy. This tends to be a compressive type.
The dorsal root issues are more chemical. And of course there can be both, if a chemo patient also has arthritis and spurring.

Radiculopathy Definition, Types, & Symptoms

The bottom line is one should not have to "recover" from a massage. An aggressive massage should be avoided if there is any type of pathology in the spine, or nerves.

Somewhere on both of the PN forums is an article from Science Daily explaining the dorsal root damage,and how some people cannot make the repair growth factors there to fix a toxic damage. This factor is being examined as a target for a type of stem cell therapy in the future.

The discussion here reminds me of another treatment decision that people have to make for back pain.

Heat vs ice
Too much heat will just overstimulate nerves and spasms/
Too much cold treatment may cause poor circulation at the target site.
So there is a balance that has to be done with both.

The same can be held for massage. A gentle massage may help by improving circulation to the tissue. But an aggressive massage may damage or trigger the same target.

Each person is different, so it is important to understand your own situation clearly, and see that you don't get hurt or damaged further.