The Healing Touch: How Therapeutic Massage Aids Injury Rehabilitation
Healing from an injury can be a painful, frustrating, and stressful process.
Whether you're recovering from a fall while trekking across a glacier — or an Anchorage sidewalk, a car accident or sports injury in town, or a snowmachine accident from going a little too wild in the backcountry, the road to recovery can be full of twists and turns and create unwanted fear and anxiety.
First of all, let us reassure you. We've helped hundreds of Alaskans get back on the road to wellness. You're going to get through this – and therapeutic massage can help. We've got you.
Second, your body and mind need a lot of TLC during recovery until you return to feeling like you again. Therapeutic massage can play a pivotal role in your overall treatment plan, and our massage therapists at Anchorage Massage Therapies are highly trained to help you heal faster, breathe easier, and get you back on your feet again.
In this blog, we'll explore how therapeutic massage can aid the recovery process and why you should consider it an integral part of your recovery journey.
Understanding therapeutic massage
Therapeutic massage is tailored to treat various health issues that promote physical and mental wellness.
Unlike visiting a spa or a chain massage company, therapeutic massage therapists focus on the individual client and their unique needs and offer a holistic approach to healing and wellness – treating the mind and body.
Our therapeutic massage therapists have advanced training and implement it to help you heal faster.
Some of their techniques include:
Myofascial release therapy: This technique relieves pain and improves range of motion through releasing tension in the fascia, the connective tissue in your muscles.
Trigger point therapy: This method targets tight knots and tense muscles that may be causing direct pain or pain in other parts of your body, known as referred pain.
Deep tissue therapy: Deep tissue massage focuses on the deeper layers of muscle tissue, helping increase blood flow and relieve pain.
Our therapists at Anchorage Massage Therapies are skilled in these techniques and have worked with clients recovering from whip-lash, sports injuries, and surgery to help them get out of pain and heal faster.
The body’s circulatory system
The benefits of massage therapy in injury rehabilitation
Massage therapy can play a significant role in the process of injury rehabilitation.
You can add massage therapy to a broader plan that includes chiropractic work, acupuncture, dry needling, physical therapy, and visits to your doctor.
After all, adding as many supportive people to your team during a recovery phase in your life is always a great idea.
Massage therapy is especially beneficial for:
Pain relief and management
Massage therapy stimulates the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. Endorphins are the chemicals released by your body when you exercise, eat chocolate, or have a good laugh.
A study by the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork asked participants to rate their pain levels on a scale of 1 to 10 before and after a 30-minute massage.
Before the massage, the median pain level of the participants was 5.3. After the massage, participants rated their pain level at 2.3, demonstrating that therapeutic massage is a holistic and natural way to relieve pain.
Improving circulation and reducing inflammation
Therapeutic massage improves circulation and creates enhanced blood flow, which can help heal your injury.
Blood flowing to the injured areas provides nutrients, minerals, and oxygen to help the tissues heal faster.
Improved blood flow also aids the removal of toxins and excess fluids from your tissues, which can help decrease swelling and inflammation.
Flexibility and range of motion
Massage helps ease tight muscles, which can restrict your movement. By releasing tension, your muscles become more pliable and flexible.
Therapeutic massage also helps break up scar tissue, which can form after an injury and limit your range of motion.
By increasing blood flow, improving flexibility, and releasing endorphins, your recovery time is shorter, and you can regain a state of wellness in both your body… and mind.
Psychological advantages of therapeutic massage
Suffering an injury can impact your mental health. You may be concerned about when you will recover, feel stressed about financial and insurance matters, worry about missing work, and be concerned about burdening those around you.
Therapeutic massage helps to reduce the emotional stressors that come with an injury and helps to put your mind at ease.
Massage therapy helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, fostering peace and well-being.
It also releases all four of the brain's happy hormones, which regulate your mood and help you sleep.
Since sleep is critical in helping your muscle tissues recover from injury, we encourage you to do everything possible to ensure you fall asleep at night.
Your body is healing. Our Anchorage massage clinic is also where you can rest your mind.
Preventing re-injury and promoting overall wellness
Massage therapy can prevent re-injury and improve your overall health to avoid future injuries.
Increased flexibility: Therapeutic massage helps to lengthen muscles and improve joint flexibility. This can reduce the risk of strains and sprains, a common cause of re-injury.
Reduced muscle tension: By relieving your muscle tension and stiffness, therapeutic massage also helps to prevent muscle imbalances that can lead to re-injury, such as falling.
Breaking up scar tissue: The formation of scar tissue can prevent you from moving like you used to, which can impact your mobiility and raise the risk if re-injury. Breaking up scar tissue with therapeutic massage can reduce this risk.
These benefits help you recover in the short term and offer you long-term protection from future injuries by ensuring your body is in tip-shop shape.
Practical considerations and tips
You can incorporate massage therapy into your injury rehabilitation plan whenever you're ready.
Our therapeutic massage therapists often work with clients who are recovering from surgery and still healing.
We can work around any affected areas or areas that may still be bandaged. Our therapists are trained in treating clients with injuries, so we'll be happy to assist you no matter what shape you arrive in.
It's a good idea to check and see if your insurance provider covers therapeutic massage as part of your treatment plan.
You can ask your MD for a massage therapy referral and have it sent to us. We'll check your insurance benefits for you and handle the billing. For more information on this, please visit our contact/insurance page.
Using your insurance benefits can save you money and help relieve some of the financial pressure that often comes with healing from an injury.
Finding the right therapeutic massage therapist
It's essential to ensure your massage therapist is trained in treating people recovering from an injury to ensure you have a positive experience that gets you on the road to optimal health.
All our therapists at Anchorage Massage Therapies are trained to treat clients recovering from an injury. They have advanced knowledge of the muscular and lymphatic systems and always tailor your treatment to meet your individual needs and preferences.
When you book your appointment, you can request a massage therapist, or we can choose one. If you need help deciding who to book with, email us for more information, and we assist you in choosing the therapist who would best fit your needs.
Start your healing journey with therapeutic massage
Therapeutic massage can be a game-changer when it comes to injury recovery.
It can help manage stress, aid in tissue repair, and prevent re-injury so you can get back to living your best life.
Therapeutic massage is a safe and effective addition to an injury rehabilitation plan and a holistic way to help get you out of pain, optimize your recovery, and take a breath.
Anchorage Massage Therapies is here when you're ready to get started.
