Discover why medical massage therapy may be
one of the most compelling forms of treatment out there!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this story:
“My friends heard I was coming for a massage and said, ‘Wow, that sounds nice!’ and I had to tell them it wasn’t going to be a relaxing massage!”
“Massage” seems to conjure up pictures of mud masks, neck rubs, and cucumbers plastered over someone’s eyes. When I first started massage therapy school, my thoughts were similar. I thought massage helped people relax and get the knots out of their backs. Maybe I didn’t imagine myself applying cucumbers to someone’s face, but I had no idea what I was really getting into.
Massage is a powerful tool to facilitate healing
What I didn’t know was that massage therapy is, in the right person’s hands, a powerful tool to facilitate injury healing and recovery. It effects the nervous system, the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the immune and lymphatic systems, not just the musculoskeletal system. It is extremely versatile, decidedly safe, intuitive and, at the same time, scientific. Simply put, massage therapy holds a gold mine of potential.
The Merriam-Webster definition of massage therapy is “the manipulation of the muscles and other soft tissues of the body (as by stroking, kneading, or rubbing with one or both hands or an instrument) by a massage therapist for therapeutic purposes (as to relieve pain, promote healing, or improve physical functioning).” (“Massage therapy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/massage%20therapy. Accessed 3 Feb. 2023.) While technically this is correct, it doesn’t paint a very descriptive picture of the massage therapy that I know, where we stretch nerves, adjust bones in their joints, and break up scar tissue.
Massage Therapists have the time and knowledge to assess you
Massage therapists study orthopaedic testing and learn diagnostic techniques. A trip to a well-trained massage therapist is an excellent way to start treating a problem, because they have the knowledge to either begin treatment directly or refer you to a healthcare professional who can. And not only are they trained to assess you, they have the time to spend with you. When you are in a treatment, that time is all about your body and what is going on with it. When is the last time you had an hour with your doctor to discuss all of your concerns and get their feedback?
Massage Therapy is less invasive than many conventional treatments
Massage therapy is minimally invasive. There are techniques that may be uncomfortable, and sometimes massage can cause inflammation. However, compared to surgery or taking a systemic medication, it is minimal indeed. Don’t get me wrong- there is definitely a place for medication and surgery! But most of us wouldn’t prefer these interventions if we had the choice. “An ounce of prevention” truly is “worth a pound of cure”, as they say. If you could choose an effective but less invasive treatment, wouldn’t you?
This leads me to another point. One of the blocks to people receiving massage therapy is that it seems expensive up front. And it definitely isn’t cheap. But quality care typically isn’t. And when you factor in the costs, financially, physically, and mentally, of dealing with preventable health issues that have turned chronic, not taking care of yourself starts to look like the costly option. It is much more pleasant to maintain your health and pay the price (in time, money, and diligent effort) up front than to neglect it and pay the price (in time, money, and pain) on the back end. This is a principle that applies not just to massage, but to exercise, nutrition, and other health practices, as well.
Massage Therapy pairs well with most other treatment forms
A powerhouse on its own, massage therapy is also a great supporting therapy either during or after other interventions. I have treated patients during and after rounds of cancer treatment. I’ve treated them during intensive regimens of physical therapy or chiropractic care. I’ve treated them while they underwent fertility treatments, or battled autoimmune diseases with their healthcare team. I am part of their healthcare team. Massage is part of their healthcare plan.
Due to the intricate and intimate connection between touch and the nervous system, massage therapy has a profound effect on it. Using different types of massage, one can excite or calm the nervous system. Stimulating massage for a runner before a race or for someone suffering lethargy activates the body’s stress response and can energize them. Soothing massage for someone who is chronically stressed or in pain triggers the body’s “rest and digest” response and can comfort them.
In addition, the importance of touch cannot be overestimated. Receiving healthy touch increases a sense of well-being. In a society where people have moved away from the communal living of past generations, and in the wake of a world wide pandemic, healthy touch is harder to come by. Massage therapy is a safe and professional way to address this need.
The Benefits of Medical Massage Therapy are inclusive
Medical Massage Therapy has benefits for almost everyone! Because massage therapy has so many styles of techniques that affect different body systems, massage therapy is directly applicable to most of the population. Even babies and children can receive it. Elderly people can tolerate, and even enjoy it. If massage therapy was a pill and was claiming this many advantages, I would write it off as a scam. But I have seen all of these effects in motion, in my own treatment room.
My fear is that massage therapy is thought of as little more than a treat to pamper oneself with. I don’t want the potential of massage to be missed. Massage therapy is used for so much more than muscle pain or soreness. It affects every body system and the results can be profound. Although not a magic potion, massage therapy is a legitimate and cutting edge modality that deserves to be taken seriously. It’s time that people learned what it’s capable of, so they can unlock it’s many benefits.
~Alanna
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