Therapeutic Massage Treatment
Therapeutic Massage
Therapeutic massage means any type of soft tissue treatment for the relief of pain and spasm, stress, tension, and/or to work on a specific problem area. The amount of pressure used during the therapy is dependent on patient tolerance and not by the form of massage. If a massage treatment is causing too much pain and discomfort it no longer is therapeutic. In our offices, our patient's healing is maximized through therapeutic massage via improved results and decreases in pain and disability.
Therapeutic Massage Types
Our massage therapists are trained in many various massage techniques including light touch, sports massage, deep tissue therapy, manual therapy, neuromuscular reeducation, stretching, myofascial release and trigger point therapy.
Sports massage is typically more related to injuries that occur during recreational or competitive sporting activities. This leads to more focus on certain areas, muscles, or ranges of motion that are more prominently used during the actions that may have led to the injury. Deeper tissue work, focused stretching, and sometimes even instruments to are used to help achieve a deeper release level.
Manual therapy is different than massage therapy due to the types of applied pressure and strokes that are used. While massage therapy typically involves a more smooth stroking of the muscles, manual therapy can better be used to target certain pressure points with deeper and more sustained contact. Another difference is that Manual therapy may involve more stretching, soft tissue manipulation, and increased joint mobilization.
Therapeutic Massage Types Continued
Myofascial release typically increases both range of motion and flexibility through targeted positional muscle stretching. The muscle group being attended to is relaxed by putting the patient into a comfortable position so that it can be worked on. Trigger point work is then applied directly to the target areas, which maximizes muscle tolerance to the point that the brain starts relaxing your muscles. Some discomfort may be experienced initially, but once the myofascial is released, pain and stiffness begins to subside quickly.
Trigger points often occur in myofascial structures due to trauma or overuse. These pockets of inflammation can be a result of excessive muscular contractions and hypertonicity. Typically tender to the touch in the center of the muscle or at tendon attachment locations, Trigger points usually have recognizable patterns of pain when they are stretched or have direct pressure applied. Deeper pressure is often used to help treat these areas and increase the blood flow.
Following Treatment
Anytime after you have soft tissue therapy you may need to rest, apply ice or heat to the areas and drink plenty of water to flush the toxins from the body. You may feel some soreness following the treatment, but this is natural in the beginning. If your soreness becomes more painful than just some soreness, please let one of our doctors know about this response so they can evaluate your situation.
For the vast majority of patients, therapeutic massage soft tissue treatment helps relieve pain, stress, and tension and helps get you back to the activities you enjoy.
Patient Feedback:
Therapeutic Massage Treatment Steps
2. Get Adjusted
Based on your circumstances, a specific treatment plan will be implemented to correct your spine.