Massage therapy helps to treat a multitude of injuries, conditions and health concerns. Of course, lots of people hear the word massage and dream of being pampered and imagine a light and fluffy means of relaxation.
While massage is definitely a way to self-care and can be done with light or deeper pressure, receiving a massage from a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) has so many benefits beyond that spa feeling. An RMT is trained to treat many conditions or injuries for patients of all ages and abilities.
Chris, an older patient at our clinic, endured knee pain that just became unbearable. The last straw came the day he slipped on a wet floor and tore the ligament in his ankle. This somehow exacerbated the pain in his knee even more. An x-ray taken at the hospital indicated that he would need surgery yet as his doctor delivered the news, Chris felt some serious hesitation about it. Naturally, surgery often comes with its own risks, and since Chris already had issues walking, he was willing to do anything to avoid it. Thankfully, he got great reports from people who had gone ahead with alternative treatment like receiving medical massage therapy at Courtenay Massage Therapy for this same kind of injury.
You too may be suffering from any number of conditions or painful injuries which might be alleviated with massage therapy. Read on to see if some of these tips on situations and their treatments might help you.
Five Injuries That Massage Therapy Can Help to Heal
1. Lower Back Muscle Pain
Over 80% of the population will suffer from lower back pain during their lives. Most cases of lower back pain can be linked to general causes such as:
Muscle strain
Injury
Being in the same position for too long without stretching regularly
Lifting heavy objects
Obesity
For everyday causes of lower back pain, standard at-home pain management is a reasonable approach. The timeline for healing depends on: the individual; the extent of the injury; age; overall health status. Home care helps facilitate healthier healing - resulting in a smaller risk of re-injury, chronic pain and dysfunction.
Our recovery kits combine popular therapy tools and pain management solutions in a more economical package for your home care treatment approach.
If your lower back pain does not resolve on its own, a registered massage therapy can provide substantial healing and pain relief for many lower back problems. Specifically, when the correct muscles are targeted, hands on by a massage therapist, your pain can be controlled at its source—for quicker and lasting relief.
2. Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis, also known as plantar heel pain syndrome (PHPS), is a common pathology characterized by pain in the sole of the foot. Often, the pain is worse in the morning and when coming up on the toes of the affected foot.
Massage therapy intervention is performed with patients lying prone with their feet off the end of the table. Deep massage therapy is performed on the painful areas of the posterior calf muscle group.
Registered massage therapists massage the medial and lateral aspects of the posterior calf from both a medial and lateral approach with the goal of reducing trigger points in the muscle bellies and releasing tension between the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles.
In the simplest terms, a knowledgeable massage therapist can locate the sources of pain, apply correct pressure at the right angles to cover the areas that most require tension release for you and pain relief going forward.
3. Rotator Cuff Injuries
The most common cause of shoulder pain is a problem with the rotator cuff muscles and tendons of the shoulder. You may have heard of these muscles before in conjunction with injuries to:
Baseball players
Tennis players
Poor posture
Wear and tear after years of sport;
Injuries sustained in car accidents
The truth is, these injuries affect most of us to one degree or another.
The most effective way to treat the rotator cuff is by treating adhesions and trigger points in the muscles and tendons. When these muscles and tendons are free of adhesions and trigger points, they will be stronger and function much better in their important job of stabilizing the shoulder joint. They also will not be a source of pain.
Your hands on treatment of massage therapy, will also pay attention to stretching the joint capsule and comprehensively strengthening the rotator cuff muscles and also the key scapular stabilizers such as the lower and middle trapezius, the rhomboids and the serratus anterior are effective treatments.
The timeline for healing depends on: the individual; the extent of the injury; age; overall health status. Home care helps facilitate healthier healing - resulting in a smaller risk of re-injury, chronic pain and dysfunction.
Our recovery kits combine popular therapy tools and pain management solutions in a more economical package for your home care treatment approach.
4. Neck Pain
Neck pain is a common problem that many of us experience. It can be caused by spending too much time staring at a computer, sleeping on your side with a pillow that is too soft, sleeping on your back, and even from overexertion.
Neck pain is most often caused due to:
Overuse or strain of the muscles, joints, or ligaments
Disc problems
Poor posture
Nerve compression
Dangerous sports, such as boxing and football
That all too common pain in the neck can be relieved by massage, and massage therapy is an incredibly beneficial treatment for all kinds of ailments and the pain they can cause you. Massage helps neck and back pain, can rejuvenate your skin or even just put you in an overall relaxed state.
The process and some of the terms your massage therapist addresses may be complicated yet it’s easy to understand the simple solution to a lot of problems you were hoping to find a solution to. If you have been suffering from neck or back pain for a long time, consider going to a registered massage therapist.
The timeline for healing depends on: the individual; the extent of the injury; age; overall health status. Home care helps facilitate healthier healing - resulting in a smaller risk of re-injury, chronic pain and dysfunction.
Our recovery kits combine popular therapy tools and pain management solutions in a more economical package for your home care treatment approach.
5. Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is a condition that can affect you far from an actual tennis court. It is usually caused by excessive use of the arm and shoulder muscles. This condition usually affects the tendons that line the outside of the elbow. An inflammation of this tendon is the main cause of tennis elbow. It is also known as lateral epicondylitis and is more common in athletes and tennis players. The inflammation and pain caused by this condition make it difficult to carry out everyday activities like work and sports
.
Activities that cause tennis elbow:
Playing tennis
Throwing punches
Typing or writing
Lifting weights
A registered massage therapist will be able to help ease the pain and treat your discomfort if you find yourself in pain and suffering from tennis elbow.
A lot of massage therapy sessions start off by using hot stones and coconut oil. A deep tissue massage will be beneficial for people that do a lot of activities that require them to use their arms and hands. They will also help to keep the muscles and tissues strong and healthy.
The timeline for healing depends on: the individual; the extent of the injury; age; overall health status. Home care helps facilitate healthier healing - resulting in a smaller risk of re-injury, chronic pain and dysfunction.
Our recovery kits combine popular therapy tools and pain management solutions in a more economical package for your home care treatment approach.
Patients sometimes ask: Is massage always beneficial?
No. Sometimes, when your injury is too acute, a massage is contraindicated. In the case, we recommend topical analgesics like Cryoderm. We have been using this product for years at CMT and find it fast acting and effective. Deep penetrating, long lasting cooling relief for muscle strains, joint pain, arthritic inflammation, and other pain disorders.
Although, for example, if you’ve been in a motor vehicle accident (MVA) and have broken your leg, you can still receive treatment on your neck and shoulders to help with whiplash or just to help you manage stress reduction.
If you’re experiencing pain or stress, call us at 250-897-0069 or BOOK ONLINE. Alternatively, please use the CONTACT US page to request help with services or booking.
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