Many sufferers of chronic pain believe they’ve exhausted their search for relief, but much of the time, they’ve only exhausted their search within the medical system. Relief from chronic pain and restriction of movement in certain joints IS possible within the realms of massage therapy.

Massage for Chronic Pain

Unless someone has a congenital condition or a severe medical condition that causes a limitation or pain, there are answers for sufferers available in a place they aren’t accustomed to looking: massage therapy.

Why is Massage for Chronic Pain a Secret?

It’s not a secret, but just like a massage therapist would never diagnose a condition or prescribe medicine for it, doctors are rarely aware of the solutions that can be found in massage therapy. On the bright side, this is less and less the case as integrative medicine gains traction with the public, but for now, it is still rare that a doctor who’s run out of answers for patients refers them to a massage therapist. Sadly, it’s the patient who loses in this disconnect.

Who Can Be Helped by Massage for Chronic Pain

Unless there is a congenital condition or a severe medical condition present that are causing the movement limitations or pain, most chronic pain is coming from ligaments or from vertebral disc compression.

Strains, sprains and inflammations account for 90% of the most common athletic and everyday injuries that people live with. They are in most cases affecting the soft tissues (muscles, tendons and ligaments). Pain distinctly tells us that something is wrong. If pain is present, there is most likely inflammation, and that can many times point to the presence of adhesive scar tissue. The activities of our life often create torn fibers that we’re not even aware of. And while the body is smart enough to put itself back together, it doesn’t know to lay fibers down in a parallel pattern – any other direction and elasticity is affected.

Who Can Help Relieve Your Chronic Pain for Good?

While people are quite familiar with massage therapy in its modalities related to relaxation (Swedish massage, deep tissue massage), people are much less aware of orthopedic massage. There are massage therapists who are specially trained in orthopedic massage. They know the tendons and ligaments of the human body and the location within them where adhesive scare tissue forms.

A certified orthopedic massage therapist performs certain tests to identify the precise location of an injury. S/he then uses specific techniques to break up the scar tissue, working to the level of the client’s comfort. Based on the amount of scar tissue and the client’s level of comfort, the therapist can give an accurate estimate of the number of visits that will be required to resolve the issue.

There is a life beyond physician visits and prescriptions for analgesics and cortisone injections which are just bandages that mask the pain. Sometimes injuries will refer pain to other parts of the bodies, and quite often physicians are treating the pain in the referred location. Clients with referred pain often are being treated for sciatica or piriformis syndrome.

Consider making an appointment with an orthopedic massage therapist and look at a life without chronic pain or restricted movement.