All prepared to spend the planned holidays with your family by having a trip via road in your car. But are you hesitating to join them? That nagging pain in your back is trying to be the spoilsport once again. Over the counter medications provide you only temporary relief and you don’t want to intoxicate your body with more of them.
To overcome this predicament, you should consider massage for back pain and participate in fun activities once again without hesitations. Back pain impairs you in several ways. Performing small operations like getting up from the bed, picking up things, reaching out to the top shelf, etc. seem to be daunting tasks to its sufferers.
Several studies reveal that back pain is the most common cause and 50% of Americans experience the symptoms of back pain each year.
The American College of Physicians, considering several trials and observational research, cite massage as one of the best options for back pain treatment.
Why Massage for Back Pain?
Your back consists of the spinal cord and the vertebral column. The spinal cord constitutes with the brain to form the central nervous system, and the vertebral column has 24 number of vertebrae attached one on the other by ligaments and discs.
Back problems often generate from the poor sitting posture, lack of proper exercising and strains or sprains in muscles. Irregular exercising can cause stiffness of muscles and other body parts. Spondylosis, sciatica, and spinal stenosis are some of the disorders that have consistent back pain(1) as a symptom.
[Also Read: Natural Remedies for Back Pain]
Reasons to adapt massage therapies
- Massage helps in circulating the blood flow through various muscles and vessels across the organization. It helps in treating the soreness of any part of the body due to some physical activity or influence.
- Tight muscles create stiffness that restricts the flexibility of the body. Massage decreases the stress on the muscles and provides them relaxation. Relaxation of muscles indeed helps in getting better sleep.
- Massage increases the levels of endorphins in the body, which are also known as the ‘feel good’ hormones secreted by the brain. The release of these hormones enhances the mood of the individual, which automatically reduces the pain and generates recovery. Due to this ability, massage provides a great sense of relief from long term neck and back problems.
Benefits of Massage Therapy for Back
Massage for back pain problems(2) efficiently helps in treating various issues related to neck and back pain. The different treatments of massage prove that they can show effectiveness up to some extent, even in the cases of some severe and chronic disorders. Many physiotherapists claim it to be a useful technique with almost no side effects and consider it better than other conventional methods of treatment. The various problems that massage can treat are –
Massage for Muscle Strain in the Lower Back or the Upper Back
Muscle strain can occur at the lower end of your body when you lift some heavy object suddenly. The stress at the lower back is very painful and severe. It tends to last from hours to weeks. The area around the strain gives a feel of inflammation as the muscle under pressure gets torn. It produces a difficulty of movement in the individual. Similarly, in the case of the upper back, the strain on the muscles causes irritability. Massage can help in removing the irritation and inflammation from the strain area and improvises the painless movements.
[Also Read: Exercises for Back Pain Relief]
Massage for Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis or spinal arthritis occurs due to the displacement or tearing of cartilage present between the facets of the spine. The rubbing of the two bones together creates friction between them, that causes severe pain.
Massage therapy is a useful procedure to cure the illness because of osteoarthritis. It does so by creating a passage for proper blood circulation causing the decline of stress and tension on the muscle. In this case, it is necessary to consult a professional for further treatment of arthritis.
Massage for Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia shows different symptoms in different individuals, but its common symptoms are stiffness, fatigue, and pain in the body that leads to non-restorative sleep. The patient suffers from two kinds of pain – one is the widespread pain across the body, and the other one is the pain in some specific tender locations on the body. Massage has the capability of curing the pain in fibromyalgia. It tends to give the patient relief from the distributed pain all over the body and the stiffness caused due to it.
Types of Massage Therapies for Back Pain
There are a total of five types of massages(3) that will help you to get relief from the back pain. These are –
1. Deep Tissue Therapy
This type of massage is not for treating everyone. In this procedure, the therapist will enter the deeper parts of the muscle and up to the bone, which is a bit painful. The therapist will adjust the pain as per your tolerance. Though it is a bit sore, it surely provides deep relaxation from the stiffness of the inner muscles.
2. Myofascial Release Massage
This massage therapy has certain trigger points over the fascia all over the body. The use of these trigger points causes relief from pain. The therapist initiates the massage gently but later puts more stress on these points to increase the tension. Myofascial release is known to treat fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
3. Swedish Therapy
Swedish therapy is always best known for its stress relieving features. The treatment includes gentle massage over the essential parts of the body. Its role is to provide the patient with complete relaxation through stress and anxiety. It is generally used to fix the muscles which have cramps. The deep and gentle movements are useful for the release of mental stress.
[Also Read: Natural Supplements for Back Pain Relief]
4. Craniosacral Massage Therapy
In this therapy, the therapist uses very tender touches over the brain and neck region. It helps in stimulating the adequate movement of the cerebrospinal matrix, present around the spinal area. It helps in the release of physical blockages across the region to provide, relief from the pain in muscles and the connective tissues. Due to its gentle and light touch of relaxation, it is the best measure to treat fibromyalgia.
5. Trigger Point Therapy
The trigger point is a tight portion centered in a deep tight muscle. The main aim of the therapist is to find this point in a tight muscle. These trigger points, if pressed cause pain at some other part of the body. This therapy does not provide any benefit to the rest of the body but is a particular trigger point. It is beneficial in cases of chronic tension and muscle pain.
Precautions
Anyone can go for a massage for back pain therapy. It is better to have some precautions before moving up to a session.
- The therapist should be a professional, as a wrong technique can fluctuate the chances of having a deep muscle injury.
- The inappropriate procedure of massage can also damage nerve endings, and a painful massage can cause injuries related to sensitive parts too.
- The massage of the neck is a crucial part throughout the therapy, and the therapist should take care of that.
- The therapist should make the patient lie down inappropriate postures to perform massage for back pain treatment.
- Patients should always consult their doctor regarding have a proper massage for back pain issue. Still go for the session, after the agreement of the doctor.
The conclusion says that massage for back pain can be a very efficient and effective therapy. Since its main aim is to provide relief from terrible pain and to focus on the relaxation of the upper back and lower back muscles. Suffering from back pain is one of the major issues out of other problems such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. Massage offers an excellent way to deal with these and cures the conditions of the patient.
