Massage therapy is much more than just a relaxing back rub. It can reduce pain, improve mobility for people during the recovery process after an injury, fix chronic issues, and improve the quality of life for people with hidden injuries or no injuries at all. Massage therapy is a great option for every kind of patient, and everyone can benefit from massage therapy.
Massage therapy is a great treatment option for people with chronic pain, whether from a personal injury, sports injury, or work injury. And it can help both the body and mind heal after trauma, such as a car accident. Although massage therapy has so many great benefits, many people don’t understand the full scope of what massage therapy is and all of the benefits it provides. In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know regarding massage therapy, along with why it’s a great combination with chiropractic care.
What is massage therapy?
Some people only experience the benefits of a massage during vacation or from a willing partner when they have sore muscles. However, professional massage therapy goes way beyond the traditional relaxing massage.
In addition to relieving sore muscles, massage therapy can help people with injuries like whiplash after an auto accident, in addition to insomnia, fibromyalgia, headaches, and more.
Massage therapy, or therapeutic massage, is the manipulation of soft tissues in the body using hands-on techniques that can treat stress, pain, and injury. Massage therapy can be conducted by a professional like a masseuse, physical therapist, or chiropractor. It is very common for people to receive massage therapy in combination with chiropractic care.
What are the benefits of therapeutic massage?
The list of benefits you can get from therapeutic massage is practically endless. Although we can’t include all of them, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most important and common benefits:
Healing. Therapeutic massages can promote healing. It can increase oxygen to injured areas by opening up blood flow and circulation in the body to make recovery faster and more effective.
Pain management. Massage therapy is also revered for its effectiveness in pain management. If you experience muscle pain or aches in the body, then massage therapy can help to alleviate those problems. It can help with acute pain and chronic pain, so if you’re experiencing any physical pain, massage therapy can help.
Increased nutrient-rich blood flow and circulation. As mentioned above, massage therapy targets specific areas and opens them up to nutrient-rich blood flow and circulation. Reduced blood flow can create problems in the body and stifle the healing process. Opening up areas to more blood flow promotes healing and well being in the body.
Relieve stress and tension. Therapeutic massage is great for reducing stress and tension in the body. If you’ve ever gotten a massage and felt more fluid and loose, this is because it releases muscle tension. Massage therapy targets physically stressed and tenses muscles and myofascia in the body and loosens them up.
Increase the range of motion. Stiffness, aches, and tension can all contribute to a reduced range of motion. Massage therapy can address these problems to improve overall mobility and range of motion in the body.
Enhance exercise benefits. Because massage therapy can improve mobility, range of motion, blood flow, and relieve tension, many people find that exercise is easier and they get better results.
Improve mental health. Massage therapy isn’t just great for relieving stress in the body, but they are great at relieving emotional and mental stress too. Massage therapy helps people to relax and reach a more peaceful state and leave the therapy session feeling better overall.
Improve posture. Poor posture is at the root of many common physical problems. For example, having a hunched-over posture while working over a computer for many hours in the day can result in neck pain and back pain. Massage therapy can help to relieve that stress and pain and improve overall posture.
What are the types of therapeutic massage?
Here are a few of the most common types of therapeutic massage:
Deep tissue: Deep tissue massages use sustained pressure on targeted areas and slow, deep strokes to treat issues in the inner layers of connective tissues and muscles. It promotes circulation and blood flow to the area, which can reduce soreness and promote healing. It is particularly effective for sports-related injuries.
Trigger point therapy: Trigger point therapy involves finding specific parts of the body where hard knots have formed and breaking up these knots under acute pressure. Trigger point pressure can release tension and stiffness, and result in pain reduction.
Myofascial release: Myofascial massage targets pain from myofascial tissue. Myofascial tissue is the membrane that covers, supports, and connects muscles. Myofascial massage involves applying light pressure to the myofascia in order to reduce tension and pain.
Swedish: Swedish massage is one of the most popular types of massage techniques. Swedish massage is used to alleviate muscle tension and pain and eliminate stress in the body. Swedish massage can also improve energy throughout the body and improve overall health.
Hot stone: This type of massage most commonly uses river rocks on various parts of the body. The rocks, which are flat from the river’s currents, are heated before being placed on your body. The rocks help the therapist to apply deeper pressure to areas of focus without causing any discomfort.
Sports: Sports massages are specifically designed for athletes. They can be done before or after sporting events to loosen muscles and improve their range of motion or after a sports-related injury to promote healing.
Combining Chiropractic Care with Massage Therapy
Chiropractic care and massage therapy are complementary practices. They go hand in hand to give patients the best results and aid them in their journey towards wellness. Chiropractors and massage therapists can work together to improve overall treatment. Patients are often more satisfied with the combination of chiropractic care with massage therapy than just having massage therapy alone.
Chiropractic care focuses on problems related to the nervous system and musculoskeletal system, which greatly affect a patient’s help. Massage therapy focuses on deep tissue, soft tissue, and the muscles of the body, so both practices used in conjunction can provide synergistic benefits. In other words, chiropractic care paired with massage therapy can provide massive emotional and physical health benefits to patients.
What to Expect from Therapeutic Massage therapy at Accident Care Chiropractic
As we mentioned, massage therapy is best if combined with chiropractic care. Also, massage therapy can be done by a chiropractor, meaning that in many cases, you can get both treatments from one professional.
At Accident Care Chiropractic, we offer the highest-quality massage therapy and chiropractic care. Whether you are recovering from an injury, experiencing chronic pain, back pain, or simply want to relieve soreness and tension in your body, we can help you. At Accident Care Chiropractic we will give you the best treatment available with expertly trained professional chiropractors.
Visit Accident Care Chiropractic for Massage Therapy
If you think you can benefit from massage therapy, get it from the best and schedule a massage appointment with Accident Care Chiropractic today!
