How Massage Helps With Pain

If you're one of the very few people on this earth that has never had to live with pain for a period of time, consider yourself lucky. Without having a solid number to go by, it seems like every other person I've come across has or has had an extended period of pain in their body at some point in time. This pain could be related to a trauma to the body from the inside or out. Also pain results from lack of physical activity. Being in fixed positions for long periods of time can cause pain when the person suddenly moves or they make a bigger physical effort than they had in a while.What is pain and how can massage therapy help? My definition of pain is inflammation caused by internal or external trauma to the body. In this article, I'll discuss how therapeutic massage helps with the pain and inflammation due to trauma to the outside of the body. Pain can show itself in many ways depending on the situation.

The first and most obvious sign of pain is disuse of a body part. This will manifest as a tight or swollen area that the client is protecting. Usually this presents compensation to another body part that is trying to protect the injured area. The other very palpable sign is inflammation. When you feel heat on an area of the body, you know the body is working hard to protect and heal the area of trauma. The third most common sign of pain is often tightness. Again, the body is doing its best to protect the injured area and in doing so, it often cuts it off to the rest of the body by putting that area into a time out!How does massage therapy help with pain, inflammation and tightness? When the body's protective mechanisms kick in, they are like an army that comes in to secure the area. The army is all the white blood cells that cause the inflammation to create a bubble of protection. This is great initially until its time to let the body get going again on its own. Sometimes the body gets stuck in this pattern and it needs to be guided to let the army of helpers go home. Without the right information, the painful condition can continue on and become chronic.

So how as massage therapists do we approach this? The best thing we can do is to educate our clients. Also, practice on them what you want them to practice at home. Below are the most effective ways I know to get inflammation under control.

Share with them the importance of hydration. Every cell in the body needs plain water to conduct business. No other liquid will work as great.

Get the inflammation under control ASAP. I'm always shocked at the number of people who use a heating pad on inflammation and then wonder why the problem never goes away. You never want to put heat on heat (inflammation).

Stretch to the point of comfortable soreness. Stretching will increase the flow of lymphatic fluid and improve circulation to the area.

Move and traction the area of pain to the comfort level of the client. Gentle range of motion can create a dramatic reduction in pain as the area is flooded with fresh blood and lymph.

If the area is very warm or hot to the touch, put ice on it. My favorite method that I share with my clients is to buy a jumbo family size bag of frozen peas or corn. Buy two so you can alternate when the other one is freezing again. Stick them in a pillow case and it'll cool down the area of inflammation in no time.

So these are the methods that I incorporate into my massage sessions when I'm helping persons with pain and inflammation. Always impress upon them the importance of drinking lots of water and continuing the self-care at home. Show them stretches that will help to open the area of pain and remind them to ice the area when it gets inflamed.