As a massage therapist, I see clients who have all kinds of pain and limited mobility issues. Sometimes they are nothing more than a nuisance and other times they affect a person’s daily life. Going to your doctor, getting injections or even physical therapy is an option, but massage therapy is often a better first choice. It’s certainly the least invasive, no side effects, most feel good form of treatment.
Three common conditions that clients come to me suffering from are: Carpal Tunnel, Plantarfasciitis and Rotator Cuff.
Carpal Tunnel
Abby, age forty-two, suffered with chronic pain in her shoulders, arms and hands. In addition, her fingers felt numb, stiff and swollen. When she went out walking on her lunch hour, the swelling in her hands became so uncomfortable that she often held them up in the air for relief. Her doctor had urgently recommended carpal tunnel surgery to arrest the condition before it got worse. He didn’t know whether it would help her shoulder pain but said it was worth a try. She felt like she was in a corner and didn’t know what else to do but go through with it.
On the recommendation of a friend, Libby decided to try massage therapy before committing to surgery. Massage immediately decreased the pain in her shoulders and arms and the numbness and swelling in her hands. After three massage sessions, and some coaching, she was able to continue the massage herself. In six weeks, most of her symptoms were gone.
Rotator Cuff
Charlie, age fifty eight, experienced pain in both shoulders after trying to catch himself during a fall on the stairs where he worked. Doctors offered only two options: cortisone shots or exploratory surgery, both of which he declined. He went through two ineffective courses of physical therapy and then settled into getting professional massage once a month. The “feel good” massage was relaxing but did little to relieve his chronic shoulder pain. He lived with his shoulder trouble for the next fifteen years. In a class on the self-treatment of pain, Charlie discovered trigger points in all of his rotator cuff muscles. The massage techniques he learned in class brought more relief from his shoulder pain than he’d had from any previous treatment. It took several weeks to unload all of he muscles harboring trigger points, but in the end he had full range of motion and no more pain.
Plantar fasciitis
Debra, age twenty-eight, was an assistant manager in a supermarket and was on her feet with hardly a break all day long. It didn’t help at all to stop and rest. The bottoms of her feet hurt even when she was sitting down. Betty, her boss, showed her how to massage her feet by rolling them across a little rubber ball. It hurt so bad the first time she tried it that she didn’t think she’d be able to stand it. But she kept the ball in her pocket and worked on her feet whenever she had a chance. A couple of days later when Betty asked how her feet were doing, she suddenly realized they didn’t hurt anymore.
If you are experiencing pain or limited movement, consider the least invasive route first with trigger point massage therapy. I’d love to help you feel better in your body without complications or side effects. Schedule your treatment online @ www.massageishealingforeveryone.com
