Massage therapy is best renowned for its ability to relax and reduce stress. It feels great, especially if you had a stressful day at work. If you’ve ever had one, you know it relaxes your mind, body, and soul. People love body massages because it –
- Eases tension
- Relieves muscle aches
- Improves your sleep
- Lifts your spirits
Massage therapy is administered by qualified experts who are trained to identify and target problem areas. Therapeutic massage focuses on the body’s soft tissue – the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that move and support your body.
Why Get a Massage?
Your doctor may recommend you get a therapeutic massage to address a specific area of your body. Your healthcare provider, chiropractor, or physical therapist may want to supplement treatment with therapies you are presently receiving.
Alternatively, you may not be obtaining great results from conventional treatments. Massage therapy may be beneficial in more ways than one. Surely, it can ease discomfort and pain. A massage therapist can help with a variety of medical concerns, both chronic and acute medical issues.
These issues can include:
- Injuries caused by repetitive and long sitting or standing postures
- Scar tissue post-surgery
- Migraines, sinus headaches, tension headaches, and clusters
- Whiplash
- Radiating pain
- Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder
- Strains and sprains (after swelling has gone down)
- Lower back pain
- Tendonitis
- Frozen shoulder
Massage Therapy Session
There aren’t any standard therapeutic massage routines to speak of, however, depending on the areas of concern, the massage therapist will personalize treatments to your specific needs.
Because of this, it’s critical to tell the massage therapist exactly what you want worked on. Discuss your specific demands with the therapist.
Similar to a relaxation massage, you may enjoy soft lighting and relaxing music playing during your appointment. A therapeutic massage session tends to focus on a particular part of the body. The therapist will work on this area for an extended amount of time rather than a whole-body treatment.
The massage therapist will devote the majority of the time during a 60-minute session to one area, but may also incorporate other muscle groups.
Does Massage Therapy Work?
Some people don’t think of massage therapy as very effective. Massage therapy helps patients in pain. There should be plenty of clinical studies backing these claims.
Massage therapists relieve achy “trigger points” every day. It has become an ever-popular treatment for stubborn and painful conditions such as low back pain, neck pain, and headaches. Researchers still want to know if massage therapy brings
substantial change, or does it simply distract patients and possibly take the edge off?
Types of Massage Therapists
Few “medical” massage therapists have years of more substantive training in orthopedics and rehabilitation. The therapist holds certifications proving they are “licensed” or “registered” massage therapists, however, the requirements for each title vary greatly.
Massage therapists attend higher learning education for two years of training. Unfortunately, this training isn’t the same as going to medical school, far be it. Honestly, it doesn’t even compare to what physical therapists, chiropractors, and some osteopaths do, but it’s far above average for massage.
Patients should look for a massage therapist with this degree of knowledge if they wish to use massage as a treatment for anything.
Therapeutic Massage vs Relaxation Massage
A therapeutic massage may feel more intense than a relaxing massage. You may also feel more tender as the therapist works through the tissue. It’s critical to notify your therapist if the pressure feels too intense or uncomfortable. Don’t be frightened to speak up.
During your treatment session, the therapist may employ a variety of strategies. Therapists may use deep-tissue massage, myofascial release, trigger point manipulation, various movement therapies, or passive-resistive stretching techniques, depending on their expertise.