What is Medical Massage?
Medical massage helps you achieve:
Freedom from pain, freedom of movement, and freedom to be who you really are!
Medical Massage and You
Many people experience a permanent lessening of chronic muscle and joint pain when under the care of a qualified medical massage therapist.
Finding a Qualified Medical Massage Professional
A qualified medical massage therapist has earned advanced certification in orthopedic and medical massage. It is a good idea to ask to see the certificates of education before you consult a new therapist. Ask for the therapist to give you names of physicians who refer patients to them. It is also a good idea to get a referral from someone you know who highly recommends the therapist’s ability to alleviate and cure chronic muscle and joint pain. Also, look for testimonials on the therapist’s website.
A skilled medical massage therapist will:
- take a complete health history
- give you a physical evaluation
- give you a treatment plan to alleviate pain and to improve musculoskeletal function
- communicate and send reports in standard medical language to your physicians and other health care providers
Medical massage therapists are qualified to treat chronic musculoskeletal pain, pre- and post- surgical pain, injuries and inflammatory soft tissue conditions. Medical massage therapists can safely address soft tissue and muscle pain problems for persons who need special care due to diagnosed illnesses like fibromyalgia, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases and other conditions. Medical massage therapists are also trained to help pain caused by nerve compression.
Medical Massage treats all Soft Tissue Groups
Most of your body’s tissues are indeed soft tissues. The only exception is bone. In addition to muscle tissue, a qualified medical massage therapist can treat connective tissue, nerve tissue, and organs. Connective tissue is the most abundant tissue in your body.
Connective tissues:
- form compartments
- bind muscles to bones
- protect all organs
- give structural support to all vascular and nerve bodies
- provide for the distribution of extra-cellular fluids
Chronic pain in older adults is often caused by connective tissue problems. Myofascial release and other special soft tissue release techniques safely and quickly restore connective tissue to healthy condition and this reduces pain and improves movement.
Health Problems Most Often Alleviated or Cured by Medical Massage
- Muscle spasm
- Painful movement with loss of range of motion
- Peripheral nerve pain caused by nerve compression
- Poor circulation and edema
- Soft tissue inflammation (like tendonitis, bursitis, fasciitis)
- Frequent infections linked to sluggish immune system
- Pre-and post-op massage to speed recovery and healing of soft tissues after surgery
- Massage to assist your body to remove toxic overload
Medical Massage and Insurance Reimbursement
Patients pay out of pocket whenever using medical massage for prevention and maintenance of soft tissue health. Some Worker’s Compensation physicians order medical massage. Some insurance plans pay for medical massage when a licensed physician writes a prescription for these services. Check with your insurance carrier to ascertain whether your insurance policy covers medically necessary massage. Medical massage is almost always invoiced as out-of-network health services.
Medical Massage and Muscle Spasm
A certified medical massage therapist is trained to assess and identify muscle problems like spasm, along with muscle tone and muscle length abnormalities. Muscle spasm can be very painful and debilitating. Spasm can keep you from sleeping, exercising, even working. Spasm can last for months and even years when proper treatment is not given directly to the muscle tissue. Prescription drugs like pain killers, muscle relaxants and even steroids may relieve pain temporarily, but seldom eliminate the neuro-muscular condition that is directly causing the spasm. Spasm can be caused by
- injuries and falls
- operating heavy equipment
- handling or moving heavy weights or large objects
- chronic poor posture
- overusing muscles
- sports
- long-distance driving
Muscle spasm often causes abnormal tension and force loads on the joints, and spasm can actually pull a joint our of its perfect alignment. If you are suffering severe pain, and your doctor has not solved the problem, the problem may likely be muscle spasm.
Muscle Tension and Medical Massage
Muscles behave in a way similar to a guitar string. A guitar string is attached to a tuning peg. When you tighten the tuning peg, the tension on the string increases and the pitch rises. When the tension on a skeletal muscle increases too much, (a condition called hypertonicity), you will likely feel discomfort. The muscle may ache, throb, stab, or send shooting pains. The condition is commonly called “muscle tension.” Nerve activity and chemical activity affect, control and change the tonicity of a muscle. A qualified medical massage therapist knows how to work with your body to improve neurological and physiological dysfunctions that directly cause muscle spasm. Medical massage helps keep muscle tone in the normal range so that muscles work well without pain. A skilled medical massage therapist knows how to help the muscle tone become normal by applying safe, effective manual techniques .
Medical Massage Improves Range of Motion
Skeletal muscles have an origin on one bone and an insertion on a second bone. When a muscle shortens, the origin and the insertion are brought closer together and movement of a joint occurs. A muscle contracts (works) more forcefully when it is slightly stretched. Shortened muscles can cause both a loss of power and a loss or range of motion. Medical massage helps restore your muscles to normal length (called the “resting length”). Medical massage increases your flexibility, making it easier to bend, reach, twist and perform everyday movements.
Medical Massage Increases Blood Supply to Muscles
Skeletal muscles are made of three fiber types. These fibers enable the muscle to perform a variety of actions. Actions vary from slow to fast, from light force to heavy force, and from brief to prolonged activity. Oxygen is supplied to the muscle fibers via capillary beds. Muscles require plenty of oxygen to maintain posture and to perform everyday activities. Muscle fatigue is directly related to lack of oxygen supply. Obesity is one common cause of oxygen deprivation to muscles. Lack of whole body activity (exercise) is a second cause. Occupations that require sitting all day also impede good circulation of oxygen-carrying blood.
Medical Massage and Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries include:
- strains
- sprains
- stress injuries
- contusions (bruises)
- tendonitis
- bursitis
Soft tissue injuries commonly occur during fitness and sports activities, but can also occur from everyday mishaps. A strain occurs when you injure a muscle or its tendon. Properly applied, gentle medical massage techniques can help heal strains at record speed. Medical massage also speeds the healing of sprains. Sprains are injuries to the ligaments that support joints. Stress injuries occur from lack of muscle balance, lack of flexibility, or problems with soft tissues. A skilled medical massage therapist can help your body heal stress injuries by improving muscle balance.
A contusion is a deep bruise to a muscle, tendon or ligament caused by a blow. Properly applied lymphatic massage techniques speed the healing of contusions. Tendonitis is caused by repeated stresses that inflame the tendon. When a muscle is too tight and too short for the stresses of vigorous movement, inflammation of the tendon may occur. This type of tendonitis is easily cured by medical massage. Medical massage also helps cure bursitis (inflammation of the bursa). A bursa is a fluid-filled sac located between a bone and a tendon or muscle. Repeated small stresses can cause the bursa to swell. When chronic muscle tension puts constant compressive force against the bursa (causing inflammation), medical massage can quickly heal the condition.
Healing Unleashed promises that you will receive the highest quality medical massage available in the state of Colorado. Many of our patients are referred by appreciative clients who have been healed by our therapist. Most of our patients decided to try medical massage after prescription drugs and other therapies failed to cure their joint and soft tissue pain. Patients are also referred to our clinic by family doctors, orthopedic docs, chiropractors and workers’ comp doctors. Please view our videos, read the testimonies, read the articles in the pain clinic section of this website, and see the bio page on our therapist.
Our advanced medical massage can help you become pain-free
At Healing Unleashed, our first goal is to help you become pain-free as quickly as possible and achieve greater freedom of movement. And because you deserve the very best in life, we have a second goal for you: Freedom from pain will allow you to be the person you really are – happy, vibrantly alive, and full of potential.
Unleash your body’s healing potential to begin fulfilling your life’s purpose
As you achieve higher levels of health and well-being, you’ll tap into your body’s incredible energy reserve and discover deeper levels of self-love and self-responsibility. You’ll have the freedom and ability to be the person you really are. And soon you’ll be on the extraordinary path to fulfill your life’s purpose.
Joe talks about effects of treatment
Our invitation for you …
Take a few moments to learn more about our medical massage services and how medical massage may be able to quickly heal your chronic or serious pain.
Are you in pain?
Call for a free 10-minute phone consultation.
(303) 986-0492