When most people think of massage therapy, they think of a relaxing time where a skilled masseuse rubs your body using oils, lotions, and hands of magic. While it’s true that a massage feels great and relaxing, it’s also a form of therapy that contains healing properties. In addition to relieving stress and anxiety, massage therapy is also highly effective at relieving pain.
Massage therapy is great if you have any type of temporary or chronic muscle pain. It’s especially effective for relieving neck and back pain that you’re experiencing due to an injury or physical condition. However, it’s crucial that you receive your massage from a licensed chiropractor or massage therapist, as they will cater their massage to your needs.
What is Massage Therapy?
As the name indicates, massage therapy is when a physical therapist, chiropractor, or massage therapist gives you a massage for medical purposes. Kneading and rubbing the body in specific areas increases blood flow to those areas. As blood flow increases, it can reduce inflammation and swelling and activate the healing process.
Massage therapy also involves rubbing at different pressures based on the amount of force that’s necessary. The therapist will use different techniques and movements depending on your needs and the source of your pain or injury. The goal is to manually manipulate muscles, tendons, ligaments, and pressure points to relieve pain and promote healing.
Different Types of Massage Therapy
While all forms of massage therapy involve the rubbing of muscles and areas surrounding them, there are several different types of massage therapy.
Trigger Point Massage
If you’re experiencing pain at a specific point, known as a trigger point, you may need a trigger point massage. Using this method, your therapist will target the specific area that’s causing pain. In most cases, trigger point massages are useful for working out knots, spasms, and tight areas in the neck, back, and shoulders.
Focusing on specific trigger points will increase blood flow and relieve pressure in those areas. This will help break up the knot or spasm and provide almost instant pain relief.
Sports Massage
Similar to both a trigger point massage and a deep tissue massage, a sports massage is especially beneficial for athletes and manual laborers. Repeatedly performing the same activities and motions, which is what athletes and workers do, will cause soreness and pain in certain areas. By targeting those areas and working out the knots and spasms they’re causing, your massage therapist can relieve the resulting pain.
Deep Tissue Massage
Deep tissue massages are the most common type of massage used during massage therapy. A deep tissue massage allows your therapist to treat more than surface muscles and tissue that’s causing pain. It allows them to penetrate the underlying tissue that’s often the source of your discomfort. A deep tissue massage is the best type of massage for those dealing with long-term, chronic pain related to an accident or their lifestyle.
The Benefits of Massage Therapy
If you’re still on the fence about getting massage therapy, here are some of the benefits of this non-invasive treatment.
Increased Blood Circulation
The main thing that massage therapy does is increase blood flow to specific parts of your body. These areas often have inadequate blood flow because the nearby tissue or muscles are damaged. Restoring blood flow and circulation is essential if you want these areas to heal and recover properly.
Reduced Swelling and Inflammation
As blood flow increases to damaged areas, swelling, and inflammation will decrease.
Pain and Spasm Relief
By increasing blood flow and decreasing swelling and inflammation, you’ll experience pain relief in the affected area. If you have severe neck or back pain, for example, massage therapy will help relax your muscles, eliminate knots, and eradicate spasms that result from them. For that reason, massage therapy is a great option if you’re recovering from a car accident or injury or have a chronic condition such as cancer or fibromyalgia.
Faster Recovery
If you’re trying to get back on your feet after an injury, massage therapy is an excellent treatment. By increasing blood flow, reducing inflammation, and relieving pain, you’ll recover more quickly from an injury to a muscle or the surrounding tissue.
Improved Sleep
Millions of people around the world lie awake at night, unable to sleep because they’re in pain. The only way to find comfort and relief is to have the pain eliminated. If you don’t want to deal with the side effects of medications or surgery, massage therapy is a great option.
Because massage therapy is non-invasive and completely natural, you won’t experience any unwanted side effects. You’ll simply benefit from the pain relief you experience. Additionally, massage therapy also increases the amount of dopamine and serotonin your body produces, which are essential hormones when it comes to sleep.
Less Stress and Anxiety
In addition to helping you sleep, serotonin and dopamine also help you relax by relieving stress. During and after your massage, because your muscles are relaxed, you’ll produce extra amounts of these hormones. This, in turn, will lead to less stress and anxiety in your life, making massage therapy a mental health treatment as well as a physical one.
Boosts Your Immune System
Finally, on top of everything else, massage therapy can also boost your immune system, which is important if you don’t want to get sick. Massage therapy helps with this because it increases white blood cell production, which is your front-line defense when it comes to your health and wellness.
Conditions That Massage Therapy Can Help
Pain and discomfort are a common side effect of a number of acute and chronic conditions. Here are some of the most common conditions that massage therapy can help relieve the painful symptoms of, at least temporarily.
- Cancer
- Fibromyalgia
- Back or neck pain
- Shoulder pain
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Osteoarthritis
- Arthritis and other inflammatory conditions
- Constipation
- Mental health conditions related to stress and anxiety
- Sleep disorders
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Many others
Is Massage Therapy Right for Me?
If you struggle with any form of physical or mental pain, massage therapy can help you. In addition to feeling great and relaxing, massage therapy promotes healing and provides pain relief. However, it’s important to receive your massage at the hands of a qualified, experienced therapist.
If you’re looking for premier massage therapy in the Bluegrass State, look no further than Stanlick Chiropractic in Northern Kentucky. We offer massage therapy as a standalone treatment or combine it with others based on your needs and conditions. Contact us to set up an appointment with one of our massage therapists!