When you hear the word “massage” you might think of a spa or salon. And while you can certainly hit the resort for a relaxing massage, many people regularly use massage therapy to treat a variety of ailments.
The term ‘massage’ refers to the pressing, rubbing, and manipulation of your body’s soft tissue using hands, arms, elbows, or feet. Massage therapy is an increasingly popular method of combating pain, muscle tension, and promoting relaxation, in combination with other medical remedies.
What was once an ‘alternative’ therapy is now embraced as a mainstream complementary treatment to bodily pain and injuries. You can find an RMT in Coquitlam or an RMT in Port Moody—there are no shortages of massage therapy clinics in British Columbia.
Today, you can try a variety of massage therapy treatments depending on what pain you want to address, such as:
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Swedish Massage: This is the most popular massage treatment and the one you’ll most likely select at the spa. Swedish or ‘therapeutic’ massage is a relaxing and energizing massage that involves long strokes, kneading, circular movements, vibration, and tapping.
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Deep Massage: Deep massages target the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue using slower and more penetrative kneading. It’s an intense massage used to treat chronic pain, but it shouldn’t be a painful experience. This type of massage can treat conditions like Tennis Elbow by easing the strain and increasing recovery time.
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Sports Massage: As the name suggests, a sports massage treats muscle pain from repetitive muscle use, commonly seen with people who regularly play sports. Athletes of all levels can benefit from a sports massage before or after a game. It can improve blood flow and help prevent injury.
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Prenatal Massage: Pregnant women can seek a prenatal massage during their pregnancy for a safe way to relieve pregnancy body ache, stress, and muscle pain. Some women even use prenatal massages in hopes of shorter and unchallenging labor.
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Trigger Point Massage: A trigger point massage targets an area that causes pain elsewhere in the body, such as headaches or carpal tunnel syndrome. You can apply this type of massage on “knots” or areas of muscle tightness.
These are just a few examples of the many different types of massage therapies you can undergo. With all of these massage varieties come a plethora of health benefits. Massage therapy offers a host of benefits for muscle pain, soft-tissue injury, and improvement to overall wellness, to name a few.
For a better look at how massage therapy can help you, here are the top benefits of massage therapy:
Reduces stress
Massage therapy is said to reduce levels of stress over time and act as a stimulus that boosts energy and benefits physical and emotional wellbeing. When the body is under a lot of stress and tension, it overproduces the stress hormone, cortisol, which can lead to problems like weight gain, insomnia, and headaches. Massage therapy has shown to reduce levels of cortisol, alleviating stress, and anxiety, which is especially helpful for those with chronic illnesses like cancer or fibromyalgia.
Improves Circulation
Another long-term benefit of massage therapy is improved circulation. The motion of kneading and applying hands-on pressure onto the body helps move blood from congested and blocked areas to spots that need it most, like damaged and stiff muscles. Properly healing and recovering from stiffness and muscle tension requires adequate blood flow. Generally, good circulation is necessary to ensure that your brain, heart, and muscles receive the oxygen it needs to function adequately.
Alleviates Pain
The number one reason people turn to massage therapy is for the treatment of back, shoulder, and neck pain. Prolonged periods of sitting, a non-ergonomic office set-up, soft-tissue strain or injury, and muscle tension can all contribute to pain and stiffness in those areas of the body. The pressure applied from massage therapy can decrease stiffness and help temporarily alleviate muscle pain, or eliminate it completely.
Improved Mental Health
Most people don’t realize that massage therapy can actually help combat anxiety, depression, and fatigue. In the same way that it decreases cortisol levels, massage therapy also boosts the production of happy hormones like endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine. These hormones lead to increased feelings of happiness and overall well being.
Better Sleep
Massages can put you to sleep—literally. While many find themselves dozing off on the massage table, this feeling of relaxation also carries into bedtime. Many people report experiencing better and more restful sleep after a massage therapy appointment. In fact, massages can also help those who struggle with insomnia since the stress reduction you experience with massage therapy results in more enhanced sleep.
An understated benefit of massage therapy is the overall feeling of care and comfort resulting from the treatment.
It’s clear that massage therapy offers positive benefits for relieving several issues like muscle pain, soft-tissue injury, anxiety, and stress. Even if you don’t have a significant injury or chronic illness, you might want to seek out the occasional massage appointment to improve your overall wellness and quality of life.
Nowadays, you have plenty of options for where to receive your massage treatment. If you’re seeking treatment for an injury, you might want to consider receiving treatment from a registered massage therapist. In British Columbia, a registered massage therapist undergoes extensive training and uses evidence-based methods to treat specific injuries and achieve certain results.
You can use your extended health plan to cover the expense of receiving treatment from an RMT in B.C. Many clinics, like Inspine Therapy, offer direct billing to several insurance companies and ICBC, for those involved in a motor vehicle accident.
For massage therapy in Port Moody or an RMT in Coquitlam, consider a registered massage therapist from Inspine Therapy for quality care and comprehensive treatment. The RMTs at Inspine Therapy has a wide array of specialties and are committed to creating a tailored plan for each patient.
Inspine Therapy is a multi-disciplinary clinic offering a wide assortment of services from chiropractic treatment and massage therapy to acupuncture and clinical counselling. Inspine Therapy aims to help you at every stage of your recovery.
Start your healing journey with professionals who are eager to help.
