Massage therapy
What’s the first thing you think of after a stressful day? A relaxing massage, right. Well, such is the goodness of Massage. As they say, there’s nothing a good massage cannot solve. Well, we cannot agree anymore.
Now, Massage is in use for centuries and is often used for relieving pain. In today’s time, it treats various medical conditions and is a part of Complementary Alternative medicine.
A good massage has tons of benefits and before we dive right in, let’s start with basics.
So what is massage therapy?
To begin with, Massage is the manipulation of soft tissue to relieve pain. In other words, its a method of relaxing the strain on muscles. The main aim of massage therapy is to improve muscular conditions. It focuses on restoring flexibility and alleviating pain.
A therapist would use their hands, fingers, and elbows to offer this manual therapy. At times, they also use knees or legs. They use different techniques to improve the results of massage therapy. Thus, they focus on improving the functions of our body.
Indeed, “Massage is not just a luxury. It’s a way to a healthier, happier life.”
What are the different types of Massage?
There are numerous types of massages out there. While some serve the mere function of recreation, certain massages are designed to help treat medical conditions. Here are a few of them,
- Trigger point massage.
Trigger points are painful knots in the muscle. They cause chronic pain and in the upper back and shoulder region. Moreover, these knots cause headaches and conditions like fibromyalgia, myopia fascial syndrome, etc.
Trigger point massage deactivates these trigger points through manual pressure.
- Acupressure.
It is a variant of Acupuncture that involves applying pressure on acupuncture points. It is done by rolling, rubbing, and applying pressure directly on the pain points. Moreover, it is also based on the concept of life energy. It is effective in treating nausea, vomiting, and back pain.
- Reflexology.
The pressure is applied through fingers and thumbs on specific points of hands and feet. These points correspond to all the areas of the body.
- Swedish Massage.
It’s the most popular form of Massage that relaxes the muscles and joints of the entire body. It uses five styles of stroke that include gliding, kneading, tapping, friction, and vibration. In addition to reducing chronic pain and fatigue, it reduces stiffness in the joint muscles.
- Sports massage.
This Massage reduces the risk of injury. Further, it improves physical performance by stimulating the flow of blood in muscles. It is adapted according to the needs of each athlete.
- Chiropractic massage.
It focuses on healing the areas that are related to spinal health. It promotes healing of the spine and works on preventing future pain conditions. Techniques used in this therapy include kneading, gliding, and manual pressure.
- Thai Massage.
This Massage focuses on the energy lines throughout the body. It helps in managing the conditions of the musculoskeletal system. Further, it makes use of various stretching techniques to improve the body’s flexibility and blood circulation. It also helps in improving joint movement.
These are amongst the few different types of Massage. Apart from this, there are more massages that are quite popular. Few of them include deep tissue massage, hot stone massage, and pregnancy massage.
In short, it’s important to choose the Massage that can help in treating your medical condition.
When in pain, remember, “Massage is what the body needs.”
What medical conditions does massage therapy treat?
Massage is proven to effectively improve various medical conditions. This includes acute back and neck pain, headache, depression, tension, and even Cancer. Besides, it can also help in treating disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Further, it is also useful for conditions like Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, HIV, and pregnancy.
What are the effects of massage therapy?
There are so many proven benefits of Massage on our bodies. Let’s see what good massage therapy can do to us.
- Massage soothes your nerves and relaxes our mind.
- Additionally, it offers relief from pain.
- It also improves digestive functions.
- Further, it improves our circulatory system. This, in turn, removes the toxins from our body.
- It reduces migraines and headaches.
- It also improves the stretch of muscles.
- A great massage can improve the body’s ability to function.
- It helps in treating various medical conditions.
This list can go on and on. However, we can say that the therapeutic approach of Massage is truly beneficial to all.
What are its side effects?
Massage therapy is very safe, with little or no side effects. There are very few cases of severe injury because of this therapy. Some of these effects include blood clots, bruising, swelling, and discomfort. In very few cases, a nerve injury may occur. It is because of the carelessness of the therapist.
To sum it up, Massage therapy improves the body’s ability to perform better. It heals you in ways unknown to you. All in all, this therapy promotes a general sense of wellbeing in the body.
For more information, please call First Choice Medial at (561) 296 8787.