Common Injuries That Benefit From Massage Techniques

Massage therapy and Chiropractic care has long been deemed a want more than a necessity, that is until one undergoes one or the other and realizes that they've missed out on many years of therapy that could have even prevented injury or allowed them to heal faster. Here are some of the most common injuries that benefit from therapeutic massage.

Whiplash

Whether in a car accident, which is the most common way whiplash is suffered, or perhaps another injury that jolts the body forward and creates pain in the neck and back, therapeutic massage therapy offers amazing benefits. Whiplash is a hyper extension injury and can cause chronic pain down the road if not properly addressed. Whether the injury was front to back or side to side, massage is the perfect combatant to allow the patient to feel "like normal" again.

Symptoms include headaches, shoulder pain, stiffness all throughout the back and neck, and even radiating pain into the arms. Headaches with whiplash are a result of poor circulation. Keep in mind that these symptoms sometimes don't rear their ugly heads until days after an accident. Proper therapeutic massage starts out gentle and slow, and carefully works the muscles opening them to receive more oxygen and nutrients. This, in turn, helps heal faster.

Tendonitis

Many would never consider therapeutic massage for tendonitis, but it may be the best way to set the symptoms to rest. Inflammation by repetitive motion or age causes the ailment, but massage can help reverse it. Customized therapy could include Swedish or sports massage to reduce inflammation and heal scar tissue which commonly leads to that "tight" feeling in tendons, ligaments and muscles. Sports massage will help increase endurance and flexibility and eliminate fatigue.

Sprained Ankles

Many are aware that a sprained ankle is sometimes worse than a broken ankle in regards to pain. Therapeutic massage is one way to lessen that pain and get the injured individual back up and moving sooner. Sports massage is perfect for ankle sprains, and can help reduce swelling in the early days after the injury. Then, over time range of motion can be restored with a bit of a deeper massage.

Many therapeutic massage therapists then recommend friction therapy. This type of massage prevents scar tissue from forming in the ligament. With intense knowledge of anatomy, the masseuse will massage across the ligament, not down its length to create heat via friction. They should only do it to the point where there is no pain involved so if the client feels pain they should let them know to ease up a bit.

Pulled Hamstring

Hamstring strain therapeutic massage can make a world of difference for the hurt individual. Scar tissue and strained muscles are easily loosened relieving much pain. It's usually conducted at least a week after the injury and includes methods such as stripping the muscle, circular frictions, effleurage and petrissage.

Knots are released, scar tissue is broken down and realigned, and blood flow is redirected to encourage faster healing and of course alleviate pain.

Try it Out

Most therapeutic massage facilities will offer a complimentary massage, even if it's only 5 - 10 minutes long it will give the client or patient a taste of how much better they can feel. The typical massage will last at least 60-minutes. There are places that offer memberships as well, and one can get a set amount or even unlimited massages each month. Others charge one base fee per hour. Regardless, it's worth it to find the relief deserved.