Massage and Other Therapies
Massage feels great on its own, but I frequently find myself education clients on the importance of fitting it in with medical interventions or just healthier habits to really see results and feel improvement. There is no such thing as a cure all. There is no single therapy or habit that will solve every problem. A healthy, productive and pain free life is the result of piecing your own wellness puzzle together.
Ultimately, massage is not a very big piece. But it offers such great support for the things that can help you, and you can see results from it all much faster when they are used together.
Ultimately, massage is not a very big piece. But it offers such great support for the things that can help you, and you can see results from it all much faster when they are used together.
Massage and Physical Therapy:
Physical therapy can be challenging and even painful. For reasons that range from insurance limitations to just straight out not being able to handle it, many people do not follow through with their exercises. Their bodies don’t get the appropriate strength or movement and they fall into a lifestyle of chronic pain and never actually recover fully from an injury.
Massage therapy is a great addition to pretty much any and all physical therapy, because it often relieves pain and enhances your performance when doing the exercises. People who are feeling better and more adept are of course more likely to not only finish the course of PT, but continue it on their own to completely recover from their injuries.
It’s been my experience in my own massage practice that getting a massage treatment 2 to 3 days before going to the physical therapist yields the best possible results. Generally that 2 or 3 day mark is when you feel the greatest after a massage, especially a neuromuscular massage, and will perform better during your physical therapy. So not only are you more likely to finish your PT, you’ll be getting the most you can out of it as well.
Physical therapy can be challenging and even painful. For reasons that range from insurance limitations to just straight out not being able to handle it, many people do not follow through with their exercises. Their bodies don’t get the appropriate strength or movement and they fall into a lifestyle of chronic pain and never actually recover fully from an injury.
Massage therapy is a great addition to pretty much any and all physical therapy, because it often relieves pain and enhances your performance when doing the exercises. People who are feeling better and more adept are of course more likely to not only finish the course of PT, but continue it on their own to completely recover from their injuries.
It’s been my experience in my own massage practice that getting a massage treatment 2 to 3 days before going to the physical therapist yields the best possible results. Generally that 2 or 3 day mark is when you feel the greatest after a massage, especially a neuromuscular massage, and will perform better during your physical therapy. So not only are you more likely to finish your PT, you’ll be getting the most you can out of it as well.
Massage and Chiropractic Care
It’s really no secret or surprise that massage and chiro goes hand in hand. Both can relieve pain and maintain a pain free lifestyle. But unlike PT, where it’s best to get a massage a few days before going in, when getting an adjustment it’s a great benefit to the a massage right before. Have you ever noticed some chiropractors like to apply a hot pack to their patients before an adjustment? It’s to relax the muscle so it’s easier to adjust the back.
Massage goes above and beyond relaxing the muscles. It improves blood flow to the muscles, helps with muscle spasms and dysfunctions, and treats referring pain patterns. Getting a massage before an adjustment makes the adjustment ‘take’ better and last longer!
It’s really no secret or surprise that massage and chiro goes hand in hand. Both can relieve pain and maintain a pain free lifestyle. But unlike PT, where it’s best to get a massage a few days before going in, when getting an adjustment it’s a great benefit to the a massage right before. Have you ever noticed some chiropractors like to apply a hot pack to their patients before an adjustment? It’s to relax the muscle so it’s easier to adjust the back.
Massage goes above and beyond relaxing the muscles. It improves blood flow to the muscles, helps with muscle spasms and dysfunctions, and treats referring pain patterns. Getting a massage before an adjustment makes the adjustment ‘take’ better and last longer!
Massage and Surgery
Massage is a good “sandwich remedy” for someone who needs surgery. Surgery is often a stressing, or downright scary, experience. Massage can calm down someone and help improve their sleep and decrease anxiety leading to the procedure. Many clients have anecdotally reported that when they have gotten massage regularly before surgery they feel the surgery went smoother and felt much better during recovery compared to a time they had not been receiving massage.
After surgery, massage greatly aids in pain relief and recovery. It’s important to wait until you are cleared for normal physical activities like lifting light objects, walking, ect, before you can get a massage.
Massage is a good “sandwich remedy” for someone who needs surgery. Surgery is often a stressing, or downright scary, experience. Massage can calm down someone and help improve their sleep and decrease anxiety leading to the procedure. Many clients have anecdotally reported that when they have gotten massage regularly before surgery they feel the surgery went smoother and felt much better during recovery compared to a time they had not been receiving massage.
After surgery, massage greatly aids in pain relief and recovery. It’s important to wait until you are cleared for normal physical activities like lifting light objects, walking, ect, before you can get a massage.
Massage and Yoga
Yoga can be both therapy, healthy movement, and a hobby. For people using it as a therapy, say to improve their flexibility and decrease pain, massage can help with both the pain relief and improve results from the stretches. But with yoga, it’s better to get a massage afterwards. This is because the muscles will already have been stretched and warmed up. In fact, even mild exercise is better for muscle circulation than any massage!
When the muscles are already warm and stretched, it’s much easier for a massage to work and work fast. A massage therapist can get through tissue layers and find dysfunctions much more easily, and the feelings of relaxation will only get even better from there.
Yoga can be both therapy, healthy movement, and a hobby. For people using it as a therapy, say to improve their flexibility and decrease pain, massage can help with both the pain relief and improve results from the stretches. But with yoga, it’s better to get a massage afterwards. This is because the muscles will already have been stretched and warmed up. In fact, even mild exercise is better for muscle circulation than any massage!
When the muscles are already warm and stretched, it’s much easier for a massage to work and work fast. A massage therapist can get through tissue layers and find dysfunctions much more easily, and the feelings of relaxation will only get even better from there.
Massage and Insomnia Treatments
Insomnia treatments are numerous but they almost always involve taking control of a sleep schedule, reducing stimulant intake after a certain time of day, Stress management, and medication. Depending on the individual and medication, fitting massage in can be tricky but highly beneficial.
A common challenge is scheduling at the most appropriate time. Combining a massage treatment with a medication that is made to cause drowsiness (more or less) comes with some risks. Getting a massage when you are already feeling drowsy is not something you want to do when you need to drive yourself back home. So it’s important to get a massage before you take any sleep meds, and as far away as possible from your last dose. Of course, you also don’t want to get a massage in the morning when you want to be wide awake, or too early in the day at all. These are concerns I go over with for clients who are receiving insomnia treatment.
Massage can be tailored to be energizing too, and still provide the benefits of relaxation and decreased pain. When massage is supplementing insomnia treatment, a more energizing session during the day can potentially provide the most benefit.
Insomnia treatments are numerous but they almost always involve taking control of a sleep schedule, reducing stimulant intake after a certain time of day, Stress management, and medication. Depending on the individual and medication, fitting massage in can be tricky but highly beneficial.
A common challenge is scheduling at the most appropriate time. Combining a massage treatment with a medication that is made to cause drowsiness (more or less) comes with some risks. Getting a massage when you are already feeling drowsy is not something you want to do when you need to drive yourself back home. So it’s important to get a massage before you take any sleep meds, and as far away as possible from your last dose. Of course, you also don’t want to get a massage in the morning when you want to be wide awake, or too early in the day at all. These are concerns I go over with for clients who are receiving insomnia treatment.
Massage can be tailored to be energizing too, and still provide the benefits of relaxation and decreased pain. When massage is supplementing insomnia treatment, a more energizing session during the day can potentially provide the most benefit.
Massage and orthopedic shoes/inserts
Did you know that your gait and posture can change daily, and not effect anything at all? These discrepancies may not make a big difference in daily life, but they can greatly affect what kind of shoes or inserts you are going to get to treat a fallen arch, or plantar fasciitis. A massage that incorporates hip stretching and leg work can help treat the muscle dysfunctions and imbalances so your measurements are accurate.
This works best if you can get a few massage treatments before you get your feet assessed, and get a massage the day before or the day of your orthopedic fitting. After the fitting, pain relief is usually sufficient that massage is only necessary once a month, if at all. But keep in mind getting a round of massage treatments when it comes time to get fitted again.
Did you know that your gait and posture can change daily, and not effect anything at all? These discrepancies may not make a big difference in daily life, but they can greatly affect what kind of shoes or inserts you are going to get to treat a fallen arch, or plantar fasciitis. A massage that incorporates hip stretching and leg work can help treat the muscle dysfunctions and imbalances so your measurements are accurate.
This works best if you can get a few massage treatments before you get your feet assessed, and get a massage the day before or the day of your orthopedic fitting. After the fitting, pain relief is usually sufficient that massage is only necessary once a month, if at all. But keep in mind getting a round of massage treatments when it comes time to get fitted again.
Massage and Mental health
Mental health is rarely discussed in the context of how massage therapy can help, but there is promising evidence that regular massage can be a great treatment for depression and anxiety disorders.
While the evidence is there, it’s never okay to seek massage as a sole therapy if depression, anxiety, or other disorders are effecting your life. Before adding massage to your tool kit, make sure you have spoken with your doc about lining up some form of talk therapy and medication.
There are no recommendations for reaping the most out of massage therapy when used in conjunction for mental health because the only factor that may increase the effects and success is getting massage regularly and often. Plans like this are widely varied to the individual and their needs and concerns.
Mental health is rarely discussed in the context of how massage therapy can help, but there is promising evidence that regular massage can be a great treatment for depression and anxiety disorders.
While the evidence is there, it’s never okay to seek massage as a sole therapy if depression, anxiety, or other disorders are effecting your life. Before adding massage to your tool kit, make sure you have spoken with your doc about lining up some form of talk therapy and medication.
There are no recommendations for reaping the most out of massage therapy when used in conjunction for mental health because the only factor that may increase the effects and success is getting massage regularly and often. Plans like this are widely varied to the individual and their needs and concerns.
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