Being in shape should feel great, but often, the sports and activities that get us in shape also tax our bodies and cause pain. Learn how massage therapy can enhance your performance and when to schedule it for maximum benefits.
Stiff, tired muscles melt like wax under the skillful hands of a massage therapist. Whether you’ve ever instinctively rubbed a sore spot with your own hands or luxuriated at a day spa, you’ve likely experienced the relaxing results of a massage.
Beyond the obvious perks of relaxation and general contentment, massage therapy affects your deep tissues, internal organs, and vital biological systems. Dr. Dana Robinson at Peninsula RSI Chiropractic Wellness Center in Redwood City, California, specializes in therapeutic massage that not only relaxes you but promotes healing and improves mobility and function. Here’s what you can expect.
Chronic pain can be debilitating and drastically reduce your quality of life. Often, this type of ongoing pain is due to overactive nerves that send erratic signals to your brain. Therapeutic massage stimulates your nerves, which essentially resets them and stops the constant pain signals. This may help you if you have myofascial pain syndrome or chronic back pain.
Inflammation occurs immediately after an injury as blood rushes to the scene delivering healing properties. But when inflammation sticks around, it becomes the source of pain rather than the remedy. Unseen inflammation in your joints and muscles leads to chronic pain, but massage therapy greatly reduces inflammation by decreasing your body’s production of inflammatory cytokines — the same function performed by ibuprofen.
Your circulation system delivers essential nutrients, oxygen, and blood throughout your body. If it’s sluggish, you may experience cramps, pain, tingling, or numbness. Massage therapy improves your blood flow, relieves the related symptoms, and restores your body’s optimal functionality.
Your lymph system helps regulate the amount of fluid in your body, your blood flow, and your immune system. It's a complex network of nodes and vessels that filters out lymph, which is a mixture of proteins, waste products, and water. Dr. Robinson uses strategic manual movements, such as gliding, stretching, and compressing to release any trapped lymph and restore a free-flowing system. This is especially beneficial if you have lymphedema or fibromyalgia.
More than half of the American population over the age of 40 has high blood pressure, also called hypertension. Whether caused by sustained elevated stress levels, obesity, or diet and lifestyle choices, hypertension puts you at risk for stroke, heart disease, and heart attack. Massage therapy dramatically relieves stress and lowers your blood pressure and the risks that come with hypertension.
As your blood pressure decreases and your circulation increases, your heart thrives. Massage therapy promotes healthy blood flow throughout your body, which means your heart doesn’t have to work overtime — it can slow down and work more efficiently, preserving its muscle fibers so it can function well for years to come.
Whether you have a sports injury, chronic disease, ongoing headaches or migraines, osteoarthritis, or other painful conditions, chances are good that you can benefit from massage therapy. Dr. Robinson thoroughly evaluates your current and past health, your symptoms, and other relevant factors before suggesting massage therapy.
If you’re a good candidate, she applies various techniques to target your specific issues, such as sport massage, deep tissue massage, trigger point massage, or Swedish massage. To find out if massage therapy can help you and possibly reduce your need for medications, call us at 650-599-9868 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Robinson or request an appointment online today.
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