Massage Therapy Q&A
What is massage therapy?
Massage therapy uses hands-on techniques to address musculoskeletal problems. It has numerous benefits, including:
- Pain relief
- Reduced muscle tension
- Increased range of motion
- Enhanced motor skills
- Increased flexibility
- Improved healing
- Reduced stress and anxiety
Every patient’s body is different, so the experienced massage therapists at Back To You Osteopractic Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation adapt their treatments to suit your individual needs.
What can massage therapy treat?
Massage therapy can form part of your treatment program for many different conditions, including:
- Sports injuries
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Joint pain
- Headaches and migraines
- Fibromyalgia
- Leg pain
- Arthritis
Massage therapy is also great for boosting your mood. It’s relaxing and calming, and helps promote the release of feel-good endorphins in your body.
What are the available kinds of massage therapy?
Back To You Osteopractic Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation offers several kinds of massage therapy, including:
Medical massage
Medical massage could form part of your treatment program following a sports injury, auto accident, or surgery. It focuses on a specific problem area, like a muscle or joint. Medical massage therapy can reduce scar tissue and improve your range of motion.
Functional massage
Functional massage therapy works the muscles in a particular area, helping improve functionality and increase range of motion. The technique combines massage with joint motion to treat a wide range of painful conditions and injuries.
Deep tissue massage
During deep tissue massage, your therapist applies significant pressure to a pinpoint area of a muscle instead of the entire surface. Deep tissue massage or mobilization therapy is especially good for chronic aches and pains, repetitive strain injuries, and old injuries that haven’t healed well.
Deep tissue massage improves your circulation, reduces pain, eases inflammation, and increases your range of motion.
Trigger point release
Trigger points are tight, knotted areas in the muscles that can cause severe pain. Trigger point release eases the knots, reducing inflammation and pain in the muscle fibers and fascia — the network of connective tissue that surrounds the muscles.
Swedish massage
Massage therapists at Back To You Osteopractic Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation use several Swedish massage techniques, including effleurage and petrissage. Effleurage massage therapy involves making long strokes across your body with the palms, which helps you relax. Petrissage massage therapy uses hands-on manipulation to loosen and stretch your muscle fibers.
Other forms of massage therapy include myofascial release, soft tissue mobilization, and body tempering. All the massage therapists have completed professional training in a wide range of techniques to select the best type of massage for your condition.
To find out more about the benefits of massage therapy, call Back To You Osteopractic Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation today or book an appointment online.