Massage Therapy
Massage is a term describing a variety of techniques using either the hands or mechanical/electrical apparatus to stimulate and soothe soft tissues of the body for therapeutic purposes.
This is Massage Therapist Kim Payne. She is administering the Swedish Massage technique to patient Terri Clark who is a patient of the Center for both chiropractic adjustments and massage therapy.
Massage works by kneading and stroking muscles to relax them as well as friction to stimulate soft tissues. This therapy can increase blood and lymph circulation while breaking up scar tissue between muscle fibers. Also called therapeutic massage, it is the manipulation of soft tissue for therapeutic purposes. Massages can be for the full body, or a just a particular area such as the back or shoulders.
The benefits of massage are many. It relieves aching muscles and joints, increases your freedom of movement and helps you achieve a more balanced posture. Massage can also increase circulation and release tension around habitual postures such as protectively hunched shoulders or aggressively tightened jaws. The massage is a wonderfully natural, healthy and often recommended way of reducing stress and anxiety.
Massage can further boost your immune system by relieving stress and increasing lymph flow thereby making you less vulnerable to illness. It can help alleviate discomforts related to for instance PMS, menopause, pregnancy, sports injuries, back problems and illness rehabilitation. Massage can hasten the elimination of waste toxin debris stored in the muscles, increase the interchange of substances between the blood and tissue cells and heighten the oxygenation of the tissues.
Of the many types of techniques the Swedish massage is the most common type of therapeutic massage. It is generally a full-body massage used for relaxation and stress reduction involving manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. A session may also include techniques of cross-fiber, deep-muscle, polarity and trigger-point massage.
And below is Bret Gressmen, a second massage therapist with Oasis Chiropractic. He is explaining and illustrating the finer points of massage therapy to Carolyn Harris, a visitor from Skull Valley, Arizona. Sometimes visitors, road weary travelers or even out of town golf enthusiasts playing in Mesquite need a little attention too.
Fibromyalgia and Massage Therapy
Fibromyalgia – is a condition of extremely tense, small clusters of knotted muscle called tender points or trigger points that can be felt in the neck, shoulders and down the human trunk. Although a muscle sprain or direct injury can exacerbate this condition this is not the case. Diagnosis proves difficult because the symptoms are common to other conditions like fibrositis, myofascial pain or rheumatoid arthritis. Unlike other forms of inflammatory arthritis, Fibromyalgia cannot be verified through blood tests or x-rays, however, these tests are important in ruling out other causes or diseases.
Many fibromyalgia symptoms: pain, stiffness, fatigue, depression and trouble sleeping can be relieved with massage therapy. Now, researchers say they understand why. People with this condition often demonstrate a decreased amount of time in deep sleep that is necessary for muscular rebuilding and well-being. Massage is a very significant part of the treatment of Fibromyalgia as it alters the sleep pattern which reduces levels of the chemical messenger for pain and more importantly it assists in the removal of waste from muscles while increasing blood and nutrient flow. This results in a greater availability of oxygen to cells.