It’s no secret that chiropractic care and massages go hand in hand. Both are focused on eliminating pain, widening the range of motion, and providing much-desired relief. So if you think that your back or neck is ready for a chiropractic adjustment make sure to choose reputable chiropractic care, like Walk in that offers massage therapy to patients.
If you’re not sure what kind of massage would benefit you the most here you’ll find out everything you need to know about the most common massage treatments. Depending on your needs and the issues you want to address you can choose between relaxing and massages aiming to provide pain relief.
Deep Tissue Massage
As the name says, massage therapists want to reach deeper layers of your muscle tissue, applying pressure and firm strokes to specified muscles. They will specifically target so-called muscle knots or myofascial trigger points-areas of tension within the muscle fiber. These knots may indicate muscle overuse, resulting from poor posture or excessive sports activity.
Deep tissue massage is proven to be effective in relieving pain caused by muscle knots.
Sports Massage
All athletes, recreational and professional, know that practicing sports can put an excessive strain on muscles and soft tissues. Sports massage therapists will help you keep your soft tissue healthy by manipulating soft tissues like skin, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and fascia.
Sports massage is an effective way to battle repetitive injuries and even improve muscle performance.
Swedish Massage
This is the most widespread type of massage that can be beneficial for you in many ways. Contrary to deep tissue massage which focuses on reaching deeper layers of tissue, Swedish massage combines shorter tapping strokes and longer deeper strokes applying light to moderate pressure.
If you want to reduce muscle or lower back pain, or feel less stressed, Swedish massage is what you’re looking for.
Hot Stone Massage
The hot stone massage is the right choice if you’re looking for relaxation rather than pain relief. Here therapists use hot basalt stones during the treatment. Basalt is a volcanic rock that can retain heat and this heat will help your muscles relax and the blood flow to increase in treated areas and reduce stiffness and tension.
The therapist will take the stones from hot water and place them on specific areas of your body. They may also hold hot stones while performing other massage techniques.
Reflexology
Here therapists apply pressure to specific spots on clients’ hands and feet aiming to benefit other parts of the body. This massage is supposed to relax you and reduce pain.
While there were some claims that reflexology is effective in reducing pain in multiple sclerosis patients, there isn’t enough scientific evidence. On the other hand, reflexology has proven to be beneficial in reducing anxiety in cardiovascular patients.
Final Words
Whatever your aim may be relaxation or pain relief, massages are an efficient way to take care of your body, fitness, and overall well-being. This is especially true if you combine massages with chiropractic care.
