Massage Therapy for Health Problems

Massage can be described as one of the oldest healing arts in the world. The massage therapy has undergone tremendous transformation with the evolution of time and today, the modern therapy takes the basic principles of ancient massage and evolves it into a science. You may come across different types of massage therapy and many people with health problem concerns rely on this therapy for to find relief. A few of those conditions are back pain, scoliosis, scar tissue, sciatica and tension headaches.  Here are some of the commonly asked questions that one should be aware of about these common health problems.

How does an experienced massage therapist address your back pain?

Back pain has become an alarming concern for many people. More than 80% of the working population experience pain on the back at some point during their lifetime. The most common cause of back pain is poor body posture and, strain and sprain of the muscles, tendons or ligaments around the spine can lead to this condition as well.

With the help of an experienced therapist, you can eliminate the debilitating pain involved with back pain. Massage therapy increases blood circulation to help you recover from muscle soreness and it relaxes muscles for an improved range of motion. Since massage increases the endorphin levels in your body, managing pain becomes a hassle free process. In order to help you achieve all these benefits, skilled practitioners apply pressure on the affected area and nearby places using fingers knuckles and elbow.  

Is massage an effective option to relieve the effects of scoliosis?

The natural S-shaped curve of your spine provides the much needed balance to your body and scoliosis occurs when your spine curves in an unnatural manner. This condition can lead to pain, fatigue, arthritis and breathing issues, depending on the severity of the problem. Basically, scoliosis can be classified into two categories and they include functional scoliosis and structural scoliosis.

People, who suffer from both these conditions, can depend on massage to relieve pain, improve sleep and increase the ability of the body to conduct daily activities. Everybody knows that massage relaxes your body in the best possible manner and it also improves your flexibility.

A skilled therapist makes use of a combination of massage strokes, sustained pressure, positioning and stretching to bring the much needed balance to your muscles so that relieving or eliminating scoliosis becomes a reality. Since massage offers increased body awareness, you can change your movement habits that contribute to scoliosis. 

Can scar tissues be treated with the help of massage?

Scar tissue is formed is formed from a fragile and inflexible collagen fibrous material and in order to draw the damaged fibers back together, it binds itself to the damaged soft tissue fibers. This process leads to the formation of a bulky mass of fibrous scar tissue that surrounds the injury area. A skilled massage therapist will make use of deep tissue massage, cross fiber friction, myofascial release, active release techniques and contrast therapies to help your body improve the healing process and these techniques also help the body realign the muscle tissues, improve the nerve response and breakup the excess scar tissue.   

Can you treat sciatica with massage therapy?

When you suffer from irritations to sciatic nerve, you experience shooting pain, tingling sensation and numbness in lower back, legs and foot as well. A competent massage therapist will work on all muscles that support the area of the back surrounding and affected by the sciatic nerve and he/she will also advocate specialized stretching exercises to eliminate the pain and discomforts associated with sciatica. 

Is massage therapy effective for tension headaches?

Tension has become an inevitable aspect of this fast paced world and many people suffer from headache due to prolonged tension. Muscles become contracted when you get tense and massage therapy relaxes the contracted muscles to help you relieve the tension. The therapist works on the muscles of scalp, jaw, neck and other related areas to relax the muscles and eventually, the headache involved with the tension disappears.