Massage is generally considered to be one of the most ancient arts of wellness. In 2700 BCE, usually the first mentions of massage occurred in China but shortly it spread to Greece,the Middle East, and India.
What Is Massage?
Massage is basically the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. So, the major goal of this manipulation is to promote stress relief and relaxation while promoting an overall feeling of wellness and easing the pain.
Again physically speaking, massage helps to increase blood flow and oxygen to the muscles. In turn, this helps to promote the release of serotonin from the brain. This serotonin is considered to be a relaxation chemical.
Most of the people also suffer from pain in their neck, back and shoulders due to today’s working conditions. This section looks at the best massage for the back pain. It can also help with other pain conditions.
Does Massage For Back Pain Work?
The tissues of the body bind and adhere to other specific tissues such as nerves when the muscles are overused. In order to function properly, these particular tissues need to move freely. Instead, this also creates adhesions which cause tendonitis, shorter and weaker muscles or entrapped nerves.
Apart from that, there are also some specific causes which can lead to weak or tense muscles including:
- Improper posture
- Compensation for earlier injuries
- Faulty biomechanics
- Ligament Sprain
- Muscle strain
There is the presence of strong evidence which is considered to be effective for nonspecific chronic low back pain. In terms of improving function and symptoms, massage is considered to be beneficial for the patients. Specifically, high-quality regular massage can:
- Loosen adherent connective tissue
- Improve flexibility of muscle
- Increase your pain threshold through the release of serotonin and endorphins
- Increase the local flow of blood and oxygenation in muscles
- Relieve pain through mental and physical relaxation
Massage therapy may appear to be very much costly but, it may contribute to saving money by reducing health care provider visits, costs of treatments and use of pain medications. When it is combined with a good diet and exercise, usually the effects of massage improve. All you need is to ensure that the massage is done by a licensed therapist.
Best Types Of Massage For Pain
In order to treat chronic pain, more and more people are preferably turning to massage therapy. Muscles which are mainly overused or used incorrectly can become shortened and bound to other tissues in the body.
These adhesions can again cause tendinitis, weak muscles and trapped or compressed nerves. So, massage is considered to be the best way to address all of these consequences but not all style of massage is considered to be good for all types of pain.
Here are given five types of massage which can prove to be helpful with different types of pain including neck pain and back pain.
- Swedish
Swedish massage may be considered to be the first thing which comes to mind when you think about massage.
This kind of massage mainly focuses on deep and complete relaxation but apart from that, it also works to release the cramped muscles. Usually, a number of different techniques are used in Swedish massage which includes Petrissage, Effleurage, Friction, Tapotement, etc.
- Deep Tissue
Deep tissue massage is a kind of massage which features a massage therapist who goes deeply into each sore muscle. This can contribute to release scar tissue and also assist in relaxing tightly knotted muscles. It can preferably cause chronic neck and upper back pain. Many of the same techniques as Swedish massage are also used in deep tissue massage.
- Trigger Point
Trigger point massage is considered to be more or less similar to the deep tissues. It also goes very deeply into the muscle than the Swedish massage.
To identify and release a tight point within a tight muscle is considered to be the major goal of trigger point massage. This kind of massage is best for chronic muscle pain and tension. It also is very effective for migraines which are brought on by muscle tension.
- Myofascial Release
Myofascial release generally targets the trigger points in the fascia for the purpose of relieving pain throughout the body. This massage specifically focuses on a broad expanse of muscle all over the body.
- Craniosacral Therapy
A very light touch is used by the craniosacral massage therapists which use a very light touch for the purpose of encouraging the proper movement of the cerebrospinal fluid around the spinal cord and brain. The major goal is to help the release of the physical imbalances and restrictions in the body muscles and connective tissues which helps to relieve pain in a gentle manner.
Conclusion
In recent years, massage has gained enough popularity as there are increasing numbers of people who are seeking alternative care. Also, the health benefits of massage therapy can be used as part of a multidisciplinary treatment plan. Most of the physicians are generally recommending massage to their patients these days.