Living with chronic pain is not uncommon.
If you live with chronic pain, you know how difficult it can be to perform daily tasks. If your like millions of americans you’ve likely tried to alleviate your suffering with many different treatments. It’s a known thing that many people turn to massage for relaxation, but did you also know that it can help in managing chronic pain?
Therapeutic massage can be extremely effective at relieving pain by way of several mechanisms, including relaxing painful muscles, tendons, and joints; reducing chronic stress and anxiety.
Be proactive, not reactive.
Pain is the last thing you feel in the injury process, not the first. Don’t wait until pain is present to start seeing a professional massage therapist. A proactive approach to preventing pain and injury should include a full assessment to determine your body’s limitations by looking at your movement patterns. Determining your joints limitations will help you identify the root cause of your pain.
What is a way to prevent chronic pain in the first place?
I think that massage and mobility training are most effective when used as a preventive measure rather than an approach to treating pain and trauma. This is often a challenge in a society that tends to be more reactive than proactive in their behavior. Many times, we don’t get serious about things until we cannot ignore them anymore and sometimes it’s already too late.
By changing that thought process and understanding massage is an important preventive health strategy, you’re less likely to find yourself in a situation where you are debilitated by a stress-related or stress-induced condition.
How often should I receive massage therapy?
One of the commonalities of the successful treatment of chronic pain is frequency. Like many health practices, massage is all about active results that keep getting you closer to your goal of living a pain free life. Think about it like a fitness routine. If you go to the gym once a month, you will see minimal results in your strength. However, if you go to the gym three times a week for the next three months, you are more likely to see the results you are looking for. This principal also applies to massage therapy.
When dealing with chronic pain, I recommend seeing a therapist at least once a week for the first 4-6 weeks. This level of consistency will make sure that your condition is improving and will allow your therapist to gauge your progress.
