Posts Tagged ‘pain’
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Massage therapists often gush about the therapeutic properties of massage therapy, saying it can lower levels of anxiety and stress, improve wellness, and even reduce pain. And for the most part, they’re right.
Indeed, many academic studies have demonstrated the therapeutic properties of massage therapy, but these studies are usually small in their number of participants, and often massage therapy is indicated as a complementary treatment, for example, as a non-invasive pain reliever for cancer patients. A study in the July 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine is therefore a breakthrough for massage therapists as it concludes that massage therapy isn’t just a good complementary therapy, rather, it is the best choice for treating lower back pain. (more…)
Tags: health, lower back pain, massage, massage therapist, massage therapy, medical massage therapy, muscle pain, pain
Posted in Health & Wellness, Pain Management, massage | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
In our previous entry we described myofascial release, how it compares to structural integration, and the need to be highly trained in the modality in order to know how to manipulate fascia in the correct way so it creates an optimal pattern, allowing for natural, effortless movement. This week we’ll look at some of the unique properties of myofascial release. (more…)
Tags: fascia, health, massage, massage therapist, massage therapy, medical massage therapy, muscle pain, myofascial release, pain, tension
Posted in Health & Wellness, Pain Management, massage | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
On the more therapeutic side of massage therapy, many modalities exist that focus on specific health benefits. We have written before, for example, about acupressure, structural integration, and the effectiveness of massage therapy as a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) treatment. The modality we’re looking at this week, myofascial release, is another massage therapy technique designed for a specific health benefit. In this way it is much more a therapeutic modality than one designed for relaxation. (more…)
Tags: fascia, health, massage, massage therapy, medical massage therapy, muscle pain, myofascial release, pain, tension
Posted in Health & Wellness, Pain Management, massage | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
Another week, yet another really great article and conclusion to reference from the Massage Therapy Journal. From page 97 of its Winter, 2010 edition, there is an excellent article demonstrating massage therapy’s proven effectiveness in relieving chronic neck and lower back pain, and its possible effectiveness in relieving a slew of other ailments as well. (more…)
Tags: back pain, health, massage, massage therapy, medical massage therapy, neck pain, pain, therapy
Posted in Health & Wellness, Pain Management, massage | No Comments »
Monday, April 25th, 2011
Last week we wrote generally about how sports massage therapy can help football players, stating that regular massage can help keep players fresh during long periods of training, as well as help players avoid or manage their injuries. Yet another way massage therapy can help all athletes – and especially football players – is in its ability to treat pain associated with scars. (more…)
Tags: health, massage, massage therapy, medical massage therapy, muscle pain, pain, scar, scars
Posted in Health & Wellness, Pain Management, massage | No Comments »
Friday, February 18th, 2011
Last week we looked at Rolfing, explaining that it focuses on fascia manipulation that can be somewhat painful, and that some claim it can relieve pain and improve wellness.
Indeed, the creator of Rolfing, Ida Rolf, was a biochemist who believed that proper alignment of the body’s soft tissues (fascia, muscles, ligaments and tendons) would allow the body to function better and lead to an improved general wellness. (more…)
Tags: deep tissue, health, history, massage, massage therapy, medical massage therapy, pain, Rolfing, structural integration
Posted in Health & Wellness, Pain Management, massage | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
National Public Radio recently reported on Rolfing as a type of massage therapy that was becoming more popular among the “yoga-Pilates-acupuncture crowd.” While we’re big fans of NPR any way, we’ve linked the story to this post because it does a good job of explaining the ideas behind fascia manipulation and why some people think Rolfing has therapeutic properties while others remain unconvinced.
The story also does a good job right at the beginning of explaining that Rolfing isn’t an average sort of massage. (more…)
Tags: deep tissue, health, massage, massage therapy, medical massage therapy, pain, Rolfing, structural integration
Posted in Health & Wellness, Pain Management, massage | 1 Comment »
Friday, January 28th, 2011
As we’ve written in past entries, sports massage can be extremely beneficial to all athletes as massage therapy targeted to key areas of the body can help improve an athlete’s range of motion and flexibility, helping to reduce the chance of serious injury.
This would make its application to baseball seem obvious, as improved flexibility and range of motion would help fielders, batters and pitchers in their performance. But a little more research into the subject of baseball and sports massage shows just how helpful the modality is for the sport. (more…)
Tags: baseball, health, massage, massage therapy, medical massage therapy, pain, sports, Sports Massage
Posted in Health & Wellness, Pain Management, Sports Massage, massage | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
CAM therapies are Complementary and Alternative Medicine treatments that help alleviate symptoms without relying on pharmaceuticals or more invasive medical treatments like surgery. While there are many CAM therapies out there, I wonder if any have as many potential diagnoses as does massage therapy.
Consider that:
o Massage therapy has been demonstrated to help treat symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, lowering levels of pain, anxiety and depression while improving physical sensation and muscle movements. (more…)
Tags: acupressure, arthritis, CAM Therapy, cancer, depression, health, massage, massage therapy, medical massage therapy, muscle pain, neck pain, pain, stress
Posted in Health & Wellness, Pain Management, massage | No Comments »
Thursday, January 13th, 2011
Last week we wrote about how office massage therapy can help reverse postural problems and the pain associated with them. While there is research that has been done showing that massage therapy can help in many different areas (relieving stress, reducing pain, etc.) it’s always nice to read up on studies that show effective massage therapy in action.
MassageMag has published two such articles demonstrating the effectiveness of office massage in improving employee health. (more…)
Tags: chair massage, health, massage, massage therapy, muscle pain, office massage, pain, stress, workplace massage
Posted in Corporate Massage, Health & Wellness, Pain Management, Stress Reduction, massage | No Comments »