The art of giving and receiving a massage is thousands of years old. But this kind of therapy isn’t something that just feels good. Massage is truly beneficial. While many think of massage as a treat or an indulgence (which it can be), massage therapy offers many health benefits that can improve how you feel, both physically and mentally.
What is Massage Therapy?
You may have heard of massage therapy — utilizing massage to help relieve pain and encourage recovery. Therapeutic massage provides pain relief from injuries of all kinds and promotes healing by adding pressure, movement and other techniques to afflicted areas.
There are many kind of massage available, but when it comes to massage therapy, deep tissue massage is a common pairing with chiropractic care. Deep tissue massage is great at isolating stiff, painful areas of your body. A massage therapist can apply focused pressure to your “deep tissue” — that is muscles, tendons and other areas below the skin — to as a way to relax injured areas and speed recovery. Deep tissue massage is also beneficial at relieving stressed and tense areas that contribute to pain.
Massage therapy offers many benefits, including:
Relaxed muscles. Aching or stiff muscles don’t feel good. But massage can help relieve pain, relaxing both your muscles and your mind. Doing so can help prevent future or further injury or discomfort.
Improved flexibility. Because massage relaxes muscles, a massage therapist can stretch muscles, tendons and ligaments to increase your range of motion. This can also benefit you by helping to prevent future injuries
Natural pain relief. Massage targets inflamed muscles or areas, it can provide pain relief without the use of painkillers. Studies have shown that massage therapy and deep tissue massage can be just as beneficial — if not more — at fighting back pain that acupuncture or some kinds of spinal modifications.
How Massage Therapy Complements Your Chiropractic Care
While massage therapy isn’t a form of chiropractic care, both are natural forms of health care that complement one another. While massage feels great and can temporarily relieve pain, chiropractics can address underlying issues that cause discomfort in the first place.
When the benefits of massage are paired with the healing skills of chiropractics, there are even more advantages:
Improved posture. Massage can alleviate aches and tension that cause you to have poor posture. By soothing irritated or sore muscles, your body can naturally position itself to a better posture in a pain-free manner. Even if you require an adjustment to help return to a normal posture, massage can lead the way to feeling better.
Easier adjustments: Because massage relaxes the muscles and inflamed areas, adjustments can go a bit more smoothly. If you feel nervous or tense, an adjustment may not feel so great. But with deep tissue massage prior to an adjustment, your relaxed body can better undergo the process and be well on the way to feeling better.
Faster recovery from injury. Many people seek out massage therapy as a way to help recovery along. In many cases, chiropractic care and adjustments are needed after an injury or because of a health issue. When combined with massage, which increases blood flow to injured areas, healing can be sped up.
Not to mention, massage therapy and chiropractics can work together to reduce fatigue, help you sleep better at night and have more energetic days, and eliminate pain. If you think that massage therapy could benefit your chiropractic care, let us know. At Butler Family Health Center, our goal is to provide natural healing that benefits you for life.