Massage Therapy Q & A

What is Massage Therapy?

There is a major difference between relaxation and professional therapeutic massage. In a relaxation massage session, sometimes also called a Swedish massage, techniques of pressure are applied to help the client alleviate basic tension and achieve relaxation. The pressure applied is usually based on client preference and a feeling of euphoria is the end goal.

Therapeutic massage, on the other hand, has more of a healing and body repair focus. While the services provided by an LMP are certainly relaxing, they are much more thorough and target deep areas of pain and chronic injuries. They stimulate healing and help to alleviate pain and injuries. It is therapeutic massage that is used by athletes to help with muscle strains and other soft tissue ailments. They are designed specifically to treat health issues and stimulate healing.

What Can Therapeutic Massage Help?

Therapeutic massages are administered by LMPs, or licensed massage practitioners. These specially trained professionals know how to target deep layers of connective tissue and muscle groups. They can loosen tight muscles, help to restore function in strains, and target trigger points that cause muscles to bunch and group as a result of damage or overuse.

When a person suffers a back injury, the pain they experience as a result of nerve damage often radiates into their muscles, creating secondary points of injury from stiffness, sprains, and even tears. A massage can stimulate healing of these areas while spinal adjustment corrects the nervous system injuries at the root of the problem.

What Other Benefits does Massage Therapy Offer?

Therapeutic massage offers a wide variety of benefits that extend far beyond healing soft tissue injuries. In addition to stimulating the body’s natural healing processes, therapeutic massage can help with issues as diverse as anxiety, digestive disorders, headaches, fibromyalgia, insomnia and more.

What Causes Lower Back Pain?

Back pain can be caused by a range of ailments and injury, by overuse resulting in soft tissue injuries, sprains, and strains, or bone fractures. It can be caused by herniated discs, by osteoarthritis in the spine, or by rare conditions like spondylitis, bacterial infections, and tumors.

Understanding the cause of lower back pain requires a thorough examination which may include CT, MRI, or other scans. Only when the cause of the ailment is clear can treatment begin.
What Symptoms Should Patients Not Ignore?

Any pain is a sign that something is wrong but some symptoms are certainly indicators of a more severe condition than others. Those who experience weakness in their extremities, whether it’s the legs, arms, or face, should see a doctor immediately. If the back pain radiates into the chest, the patient should immediately seek medical assistance.

Tenderness and pain in the rear lower leg could mean a potentially fatal blood clot. If back pain is causing respiratory troubles, the patient should seek medical assistance right away. All of these could be related to back problems or could indicate serious ailments like stroke or heart attack.
How Can a Chiropractor Help?

Chiropractors specialize in injuries to the back, spine, and nervous system. They engage in highly effective non-invasive treatments of musculoskeletal and nervous disorders. By treating the areas where the pain originates (which may not be where the patient feels the pain), they alleviate the injury, allowing patients to improve strength and mobility, and restore their health and wellness.

Treatment by a chiropractor will usually involve spinal manipulation, but can also involve specialized physical therapy and exercise routines custom-tailored to the individual needs of the patient. By setting goals for recovery and preventative efforts, a chiropractor can not only restore the health of a patient but can help to avoid further illness and injury in the future.