Hi! I’m Karin Meacham, Licensed Massage Therapist in the state of Oregon (#12233).
Welcome to part two of my four-part series on the whys and hows of massage therapy as an integral part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
In Part 1 ("Before There Was Aspirin, There Was Massage"), we learned why massage lessens the symptom of pain. But it doesn’t just address symptoms; it treats the cause, too!
#2. No More Band-Aids!
If, instead of breaking out the IcyHot, you go get a massage for that sore back-knee-or-whatever, you’re not just putting a Band-Aid on the problem. Not only are you relieving the pain itself by applying other sensation to the area, you're also treating the imbalance that's causing the pain. Pain can be caused by any number of things, not all of which massage is not useful for treating. But it IS useful for three of the most common ones: postural imbalance, minor to moderate trauma, and stress-related tightness.
An example of a very common postural imbalance (see if this sounds like you…): When you sit or stand with your hands out in front of you—the position you're most likely in if you do computer work, paperwork, deskwork, cooking, driving, reading, writing, filing, sorting, or any number of other common activities—the muscles across your upper back between your shoulderblades are chronically lengthened, weakened, and sore. The muscles across your chest, on the other hand, are chronically shortened (often also tender), and actually lose some ability to stretch and lengthen over time—which makes the back muscles even more abnormally long. The body responds to this imbalance by creating "knots," trigger points, and adhesions (tissue stuck together) in the over-lengthened back muscles, in an attempt to counterfeit the normal muscle tone that naturally corrects your posture. Well-intentioned, but the problem is…knots, trigger points, and adhesions aren't healthy—and they hurt! Massage decreases knots, treats trigger points, and gets stuck tissue moving again. A massage therapist can also offer suggestions for hydrotherapy, stretching, and basic exercise that will help decrease postural imbalances like this.
Trauma, as treatable by massage, comes in two flavors: overwork (tired muscles) and injury. In both cases, massage helps to turn over circulation, flushing fatigue toxins and cellular wastes out of the affected area and increasing the supply of fresh, oxygenated, and nutrient-rich blood to aid in healing. Massage after a workout can decrease or prevent delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). One note: Acute trauma can be a contraindication to massage. Just like returning to your workouts too soon, getting massage too soon after an injury can make the problem worse. It’s important to listen to your body and to your doctor if you’re under the care of one. (Common sense.) Your massage therapist should work with you to determine when massage will be of best value to you, and to remain within your pain and pressure tolerances while treatment work is going on.
Muscle tightness is something we’re all familiar with. It can have effects ranging from low-grade discomfort (feeling the need to roll your neck around, for instance) to tension headaches and even pulling bones out of alignment. A second note: Massage therapists are not chiropractors! They do not perform adjustments to hard tissue—bones and joints—the way chiropractors do. However, they can and do treat the body's soft tissues, especially muscles. When a tight muscle that has been pulling a vertebra or rib joint slightly out-of-whack relaxes, the body adjusts itself. Massage is an excellent adjunct to chiropractic treatment.
So many people seem to think that massage belongs in spas with the pedicures and the mud wraps—that it’s an indulgence, mostly for relaxation purposes with perhaps a few minor healthy side-effects. But don’t we all get tight muscles? Don’t we all get hurt, sometimes have poor posture, or overwork during our workouts? Massage therapy belongs in chiropractic clinics and gyms and doctor’s offices as much as it belongs in spas, because it really is therapy, a powerful tool for achieving and maintaining optimum wellness.
Next Time…
Part 3: Yes, It’s Relaxing
What relaxation really means, and why it’s a necessity, not a luxury.