Chronic Pain – Part Three – Massage Therapy
Posted by Admin
When a person has an injury that is not treated properly in the beginning, or if overuse of an injured area continues, muscles around the original area begin to tighten and prevent the normal blood flow, which leads to even more pain. This vicious cycle can be extremely debilitating and can cause pain sufferers to become fatigued, depressed, and unable to partake in their normal routines.
Luckily, Massage Therapy, in combination with a healthy diet and exercise can be extremely beneficial in treating chronic pain.
Massage Therapy works by calming the body’s sympathetic nervous system to help to relax the contracted muscle tissues. Massage increases circulation, breaks down any adhesions or scar tissues that may have developed as a result of the injury, reduces inflammation, improves range of motion, and reduces stress and anxiety.
Generally clients will feel small improvements after the first treatment, but for lasting results, it is important to get frequent massage sessions once a week for about 4-8 weeks or until the client can last the entire week without having the pain reoccur.
Once this has occurred a client can then start spreading their treatments to every two weeks, then every three, and then eventually only have to come for monthly maintenance treatments.
Clients are always advised to drink lots of water before and after a massage to help to flush away the toxins released during the treatment, are advised to ice the area to help reduce any inflammation that may have been created with the breakdown of the muscle tissue, and to heat the area, stretch, and strengthen in between treatments to further the effects of the massage and to see the best results.
