Back pain comprises about 40% of work absences. Since your back carries the most weight and physical stress, it can cause strain on the back muscles and ligaments supporting the spine. Back pain, tension, and stiffness can limit mobility and affect the quality of your life. Symptoms may last up to 6 weeks or less (acute) or as long as 3 months (chronic). In some cases, back pain can be described as “insufferable,” interfering with your daily social roles and activities as it can increase pain or cause further injury.
Although bed rest and application of heat or ice can help improve the symptoms, massage for back pain offers a better solution that helps relax your tired and sore muscles and relieve back pain effectively.
Do massages help back pain?
Recovery from a flare-up of lower back pain can take several weeks or months. While many people rely on conventional care, such as taking anti-inflammatory painkillers, receiving physical therapy treatment, and staying physically active, massage therapy for back pain offers relief and relaxation to relieve back pain.
In recent decades, massage has gained popularity as an alternative treatment for people with back pain. When added to the mix of conventional back pain treatment, the magical and soothing touch of a professional massage therapist can promote substantial healing and relieve back pain.
By targeting the right muscles, pain, discomfort, and tension can be controlled at their source. Healthcare professionals recognize massage treatment for back pain as a safe and natural way to relieve back pain and an effective aid for various pain treatments. Furthermore, healthcare providers even encourage patients with back pain to seek massage therapy in addition to medical treatment.
Various evidence supports the effectiveness of massage in the non-specific chronic lumbar area, showing its benefits in terms of improvement of symptoms and function.
Below are some other amazing health benefits of massage therapy:
- Counteracts the effects of prolonged sitting: Postural stress is a common problem for many people who work in the office. Most often, it manifests itself in the neck and shoulders. Desk workers who spend a lot of time sitting are more likely to suffer from advanced forms of postural stress, characterized by pain and weakness in the lower back and gluteal muscles. Getting regular massage therapy can prevent imbalance caused by prolonged sitting and relieve back pain.
- Relief from sore muscles: Regular massage can effectively stimulate blood circulation. Blood flow helps deliver adequate oxygen and nutrients to the affected area and relieve back pain.
- Improves mental health: Safe, kind, professional human contact provides therapeutic and relaxing effects. Breast cancer patients who receive massage therapy three times a week have been reported to feel less depressed and less angry. Depressed and anxious patients also experience more relaxation and happiness, as well as reduced stress levels.
- Improves sleep: Getting a massage not only promotes a restful night’s sleep but also helps those who are unable to rest comfortably. It helps people undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy feel more relaxed and rested each night.
- Boosts Immunity: Massage is an effective way to increase the white blood cell count, which is crucial in protecting the body from harmful diseases.
Finding the Right Massage Therapy to Relieve Back Pain:
Choosing the right massage therapy not only helps relieve back pain but also alleviates other painful musculoskeletal problems that contribute to body pain. By focusing on the problem areas, you can control the pain at its source and effectively relieve back pain.
Here are 5 different massage techniques to relieve back pain:
1. Swedish
When you think of getting a massage, the first thing that comes to mind is Swedish massage. This type of massage promotes relaxation and relief from cramped muscles, helping to relieve back pain. Swedish massage involves a variety of techniques, including:
- Effleurage: Characterized by long, sweeping movements from the top to the bottom of the muscle.
- Petrissage: This involves kneading and rolling movements on the muscle. The pressure usually depends on the client’s sensitivity. This technique focuses more on the tense area of the back. The masseuse begins the Swedish massage with a gentle petrissage and, over time, increases the pressure to release the muscle tension.
- Tapotement: This technique involves gentle, rhythmic tapping or percussion. The pressure and speed can be relaxing or energizing.
- Friction: The massage therapist may apply deep pressure to the affected muscle to release tension.Using gentle, skilled movements, Swedish massage therapists can relieve stress and sore, tense muscles to help patients feel rested and relaxed.
2. Deep tissue massage
Deep tissue massage is not for people looking to relax. This type of massage therapy involves applying strong pressure to sore muscles, pressing deep through the muscles down to the bone as far as possible. It allows for the release of scar tissue and helps relax tense muscles that cause chronic neck and upper back pain, effectively relieving back pain.
Be sure to talk to your massage therapist before getting a deep tissue massage. While it doesn’t promote relaxation, you shouldn’t experience extreme pain during the release of tense muscles. However, professional deep tissue therapists can adjust the level of pressure based on your request.
It usually starts with gentle strokes and eventually gets deeper over the course of the massage. After the session, you’ll experience muscle soreness for several days. Enjoying a warm bath with Epsom salts can help relieve pain and relieve back pain.
3. Trigger point
The techniques used in trigger point massage are similar to those used in deep tissue massage. The goal is to locate and release a tight spot within the tense muscles or trigger point. Trigger points can cause pain in other parts of the body. For example, if you have a trigger point in your back and neck, it can cause a migraine or pain that radiates down your legs.
Although this technique does not work the entire length of the muscle, it focuses on releasing the specific trigger point to relieve pain and muscle tension. The therapist will apply deep pressure strokes to the trigger point and then release it repeatedly until it loosens, helping to relieve back pain.
4. Myofascial Massage
Similar to trigger point massage, but the massage therapist focuses on fascial trigger points to help relieve muscle pain throughout the body, including the back. Since fascia are thin layers of connective tissue that connect and cover all of the muscles in the body, myofascial massage focuses on a broader expanse of muscles throughout the body.
This technique will begin with gentle strokes all over the body, feeling for points of muscle tension in the fascia. After identifying the tight spots, therapists will increase pressure to slowly release the trigger points in the fascia. Myofascial massage can also effectively relieve fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, and relieve back pain.
5. Sports Massage
Sports massage therapy provides relief to people suffering from sports-related injuries. In addition to relieving pain, anxiety, and muscle tension, sports massage also helps improve flexibility and athletic performance.
Sports massage can be a full-body massage or focus on specific parts of the body. The therapist may use deep pressure or relaxing strokes depending on your needs or preferences to help relieve back pain.
If you have suffered from chronic back pain for too long, look for a professional massage therapist in Maryland. Don’t suffer any more pain! Call us today for Rockville or Springfield at any clinic nearest to you to make an appointment.