Injuries and Surgeries
Injury
We all know the enormous benefits of exercise and moving the body. Anyone who routinely pushes their physical limits through any movement, sports, strength training and aerobics can benefit from a massage. Whether you are a weekend warrior that fits in workouts between work and family or a serious athlete, massage in an important part of any sports regimen. Sports medicine clinics and both professional and college athletic teams use massage to heal and prevent the wear-and-tear and minor injuries that naturally occur with strenuous movement. Heavily exercised muscles may also lose their capacity to relax, causing chronically tight (hypertonic) muscles, and loss of flexibility. Lack of flexibility is often linked to muscle soreness, and predisposes you to injuries, especially muscle pulls and tears.
With regular massage for maintenance the therapist can zero in on particular muscle groups and work specific tissues, they can help maintain or improve range of motion and muscle flexibility. The overall objective of a maintenance program is to help you reach optimal performance through injury-free training. Regular massage also gives a therapist a chance to find your unique trouble spots, perhaps from past injuries. They can pay special attention to these areas, monitor them for developing problems, and help keep them in good condition. An experienced massage therapist can also compliment treatment received from other health care professionals for various injuries. Massage for injuries can speed healing and reduce discomfort during the rehabilitation process. Deep tissue and trigger point massage breaks up the tissues in the muscle to speed recovery.
So to sum it up, make massage part of your wellness and fitness routine. You’ll get all the benefits of relaxation and if you’re that more intense personality, remember, you can push yourself a little harder with less injuries and get in shape a little faster.
Surgery
Any kind of back surgery, even minimally invasive surgery, is hard on your body. After a successful surgery, you want to heal and get back to your normal life as quickly as possible.
the medical community is touting the health benefits of massage therapy as one piece of your back surgery recovery. Massage stimulates your blood flow, which speeds the healing process. Besides, it makes you feel good, even if you get a massage on your extremities like your head, hands, arms, legs and feet.
The Benefits of Massage
Massage in general has many health benefits, making it an especially helpful therapy for back surgery recovery. A therapeutic massage, which is gentler and more health-conscious than other forms of massage, can help relieve pain. Massage has many other benefits too, including:
- Boosts your immune system
- Encourages oxygen and nutrients to move in your body
- Helps repair muscles affected by your surgery
- Increases the production of endorphins
- Eliminates muscle spasms
- Helps your skin recuperate from the surgery
- Improves your mood.
You may find that a massage feels so good that you continue getting them even after your back surgery recovery is complete. While a weekly massage can do wonders for your health, you can enjoy the above benefits even from a monthly massage.
Talk to your doctor. Ask your surgeon. Discuss it with your physical therapist. Each may have a different perspective, but all will agree that therapeutic massage is good for you in many different ways. So make massage part of your back surgery recovery.
Modalities to use:
Deep Tissue Massage: Deep tissue massage is designed to relieve severe tension in the muscle and the connective tissue or fascia. This type of massage focuses on the muscles located below the surface of the top muscles. The term "deep tissue” is often misused to identify a massage that is performed with sustained deep pressure. Deep tissue massage is a separate category of massage therapy, used to treat particular musculoskeletal disorders and complaints and employs a dedicated set of techniques and strokes to achieve a measure of relief. It should not be confused with "deep pressure” massage, which is one that is performed with sustained strong, occasionally intense pressure throughout an entire full-body session. Deep tissue massage is applied to both the superficial and deep layers of muscles, fascia, and other structures.
Lymph System Massage: Lymphatic massage is very light massage, is very relaxing and is used to promote healthy flow of lymph, the clear fluid that flows throughout our bodies. The body system responsible for our immunity is lymphatic system. Since the lymphatic system is the "garbage collector” of our body, this type of massage helps locate any imbalance/blockage in the system and re-establish healthy flow moving metabolic wastes out of the body. This work is a wonderful tool for general health maintenance but is not appropriate for people with infections, tumors, undiagnosed lumps and people with heart problems.
Myofascial Release Therapy: All muscles, arteries, bones, organs, etc. are held together by a Saran wrap kind of tissue called fascia. Developed in the late 1960's by John Barnes, Myofascial Release works by the manipulation of the fascia that connects and surrounds muscles. Because the fascia is body-wide, a tension or trauma in one part of the body can affect another part. The fascia responds to the trained touch to release the adverse effects of inflammation, tensions and trauma.
Neuromuscular Therapy: Is a program of recovery from acute and chronic pain syndromes by utilizing specific massage therapy, including the pressure of trigger points, to eliminate the causes of pain patterns. This approach brings about balance between the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system. It enhances the function of joints, muscles, and movement, and it releases endorphins, the body's own natural pain killers.
Shiatsu: The most widely known form of acupressure, literally meaning "finger pressure" in Japanese, and has been practiced for more than a thousand years in Japan. Shiatsu uses rhythmic pressure from 3 to 10 seconds on specific points along the body's meridians by using the fingers, hands, elbows, knees, and sometimes feet to unblock and stimulate the flow of energy. A session my also include gentle stretching and range-of-motions manipulations. Shiatsu is used to treat pain and illness, to relax the body, and to maintain general health.
Aromatherapy: Is the use of essential oils for curative and rejuvenating effects. Dating back to ancient Egypt, India, and the Far East, this simple therapy has been used for centuries to reduce stress and tension, refresh and invigorate the body, soothe emotions, and clear the mind. After an initial discussion with the client, specific essential oils are used in conjunction with other appropriate techniques, such as massage, acupressure, or reflexology. Used in oils, the essential oil is absorbed through the skin and into the body to affect physiological change. When inhaled the aroma directly affects the limbic area of the brain that is related to emotions and memories.