Massage therapy is an alternative form of medicine that has been gaining popularity in recent years. It is hands on treatment that can be used to relieve pain, reduce stress or anxiety, and improve overall wellness. There are many, many types of ailments that massage therapy can help. I am only going to “touch” on a few of them here.
How Does Massage Therapy Help People?
Massage therapy is still in many ways misunderstood and seen as something that is purely indulgent; something to splurge on here and there. The cost can vary greatly depending on the type of massage modality used and the practitioner you’re seeing. Most spa’s charge by pressure or by how much fluff they add in, which means you may find yourself trying to sacrifice pressure for cost. However, there are massage professionals out there that charge for their time and will use all their skills to find you results. Some common ailments massage therapists can treat that people experience commonly are: Frozen shoulder or rotator cuff tears that are healed but still causing pain and dysfunction and Chronic stress injuries to joints such as bursitis, carpel tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow etc.
Massages for Frozen Shoulder
When it comes to frozen shoulder there is a lack of knowledge on what it means and how to treat it. So, what is frozen shoulder? Frozen shoulder is also called adhesive capsulitis it involves stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint. A lot of time you find yourself with frozen shoulder after a surgery or injury that did not receive proper attention.
Stages of Frozen Shoulder
Frozen shoulder occurs in stages, the first is the Freezing stage. At this state any movement of the shoulder causes pain, and the shoulder's ability to move becomes limited. Next is the frozen stage where pain might be less during this stage, but it is stiffer to move. The last stage is the thawing stage, this stage usually starts to gain movement and improves mobility.
Your massage therapist should be able to help you get movement to the joint with the end goal of getting better mobility and less restrictions. If you don’t use it, you are going to lose it so even though it hurts to move your best bet is to make sure you keep moving it, so you don’t lose all your mobility. The healing time can be versed anywhere from immediate relief to no results for up to two years. We also treat rotator cuff injuries; your massage therapist should be versed in what muscles comprise of the rotator cuff.
Your massage therapist should be versed in how the rotator cuff muscles work together and what motions allow the shoulder to move the way it does. They should be able to loosen the tight muscles while also activating the muscles that are under active. They should also be working on the flexibility and mobility to get you where you should be.
Massage Treatment for Chronic Stress Injuries
The second common ailment massage therapist see often are chronic stress injuries. This can be to any joint it can also be carpel tunnel, tennis elbow, bursitis etc. These are things people experience at some point in life. Many athletes may experience it early on in life, others may experience it later in life.
Carpal Tunnel Massage
One of the many common ones I see people for are bursitis and carpel tunnel. Carpel tunnel affects us when the median nerve is compressed symptoms can include numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hand and arm and it can be painful and most importantly obnoxious. Symptoms include numbness and tingling in the hand, difficulty grasping or carrying objects and, sometimes, hand pain.
Some clients report the pain is worse in the evening and sleep can be interrupted. Often time massage therapist should be looking at the entirety of the medial nerve when doing a consultation for carpel tunnel. They should be looking for entrapments in the cervical region as well as the shoulder all the way down to the palm of the hand.
The healing time for these vary from one person to the next. I’ve seen people be completely good after one session, but I’ve also had people battling their Carpel tunnel for months if not years.
In conclusion, massage therapy is a powerful form of medicine that can help with various daily ailments such as frozen shoulder, rotator cuff injuries, carpel tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, and bursitis. It is important to find a massage therapist who is well-versed in the specific ailment you are looking to treat and who is willing to work with you and your budget.
The cost of massage therapy can vary greatly, but the investment in your health and wellness is worth it. Don't wait any longer to seek the benefits of massage therapy and improve your overall wellness. Act today by doing your research and finding a reputable massage therapist to help you with your specific daily ailment.
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