Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is an effective approach to pain management and rehabilitation with a broad number of applications. It is effective in treating and providing relief of pain in a number of medical disorders including arthritis, tendonitis, fibromyalgia, sports injuries, and many other common conditions related to soft tissue and joint dysfunction. Massage therapists are trained to accurately assess, diagnose and provide treatment with techniques which include massage, manual therapy, joint mobilization, hydrotherapy, and rehabilitation exercises such as stretching, strengthening, postural exercises and patient education.
The effectiveness of massage therapy in pain control is well recognized. It can act directly on pain receptors, either at a peripheral or central nervous system level. Therapeutic soft tissue manipulation is used to break the pain-tension cycle, thereby directly affecting the source of pain. Pain relief can also be obtained by the increase of circulation (decrease of congestion), the increase of range of motion (ROM) and the release of myofascial trigger points.
Pain management through massage therapy is useful for post-traumatic, post-surgical and palliative care. It may also help with pain associated with muscular lesions, arthritis, neuritis and other inflammatory conditions.
Soft tissue includes skin, fascia, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Soft tissue can be the source of a great deal of pain and dysfunction. This pain can be general, localized or can be referred to other areas of the body. Dysfunction can be the result of trauma, such as sports or motor vehicle accidents, illness, emotional stress and mechanical such as poor posture.
Registered Massage therapists (RMT’s) use techniques that are shown to improve muscle tone, strength and endurance and to produce relaxation of muscle. Muscle tissue does its work by contracting and relaxing. If the muscle remains shortened due to injury or overuse, it becomes dysfunctional and can no longer perform to its full potential. Muscle dysfunction is a common source of pain. RMT’s are trained to work directly with manual manipulation techniques or indirectly with exercise techniques to elongate (lengthen) the contracted muscles and restore the muscle to normal function. Benefits of massage therapy treatment are the reduction of spasm, the improvement of range of motion and strength, and the prevention of fibrosis (scar tissue).
Effective massage therapy techniques focus on shortened soft tissue and attempts to restore their natural, pain free function through hands-on manual techniques, activation (stretches) and patient education.