Therapeutic massage involves manipulating the soft tissues of the body to prevent and alleviate pain, discomfort, muscle spasm, and stress. As in many kinds of therapy, therapeutic massage is one part of your overall chiropractic treatment plan.
Massage therapy:
- Alleviates headache-associated pain.
- Helps improve your ability to walk with a normal and balanced gait.
- Helps lower your blood pressure.
- Improves your breathing as a result of a more relaxed diaphragm.
- Improves your range of motion, muscle tone, and flexibility.
- Increases your blood flow, which aids in the healing process and allows muscles to work more efficiently.
- Reduces stiffness, pain and muscle tension.
- Stimulates the body to release helpful chemicals such as endorphins.
Massage has been shown to be an effective treatment for a wide variety of health problems, including:
- Stress.
- Sleep apnea and insomnia.
- Sinusitis.
- Range of motion.
- Pain (chronic and temporary).
- Myofascial pain.
- Jaw disorders.
- Injuries such as pulled or strained muscles and ligaments.
- Headache.
- Digestive disorders, including spastic colon and constipation.
- Circulatory problems.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Asthma and bronchitis.
- Arthritis.
- Allergies.
In some cases, devices may be used to perform massage. Traction massage entails lying on your back on a special table with a pillow under your knees. The table has small rollers that glide up and down your spine. Traction massage helps stretch and massage the muscles in your back, and is not a form of spinal adjustment. In fact, traction massage may sometimes be used to make an adjustment go more smoothly.