Massage is largely considered as an effective regimen to ease muscle tension and provide an overall relaxing effect. In some patients with chronic pain, massage has been known to provide some degree of pain relief. Although massage in itself does not make the core of a medical therapeutic regimen, it can, nonetheless maximize the effects of mainstream medical treatments. This is the core philosophy of our Prahran clinic in suburban Melbourne.
Targeted Massage
Physiotherapy and sports clinics now provide patients suffering from a host of musculoskeletal and mobility problems with a massage intervention known as remedial massage. This involves the deep manipulation of the different tissues of the body to elicit a desired specific outcome. This is largely different from a general massage in which the goal is to provide an overall sense of relaxation for the whole body. Remedial massage is also colloquially known as a targeted massage.
The Science Behind Remedial Massage
Because remedial massage is not your ordinary relaxing and soothing massage, the remedial massage therapist should have the necessary cognitive and psychomotor competencies to carry out the massage regimen in a manner that is consistent with treatment modalities. It is for this reason that education is required in order to achieve certification in this industry. This is what makes therapists efficient in carrying out their duties to their patients. Certification is essential because this is the basis for patients to trust their therapist.
Certified remedial massage therapists have to be knowledgeable about the different structures of the human body including the specific functions of each body part. Particular emphasis is on muscles, joints, and bones and can sometimes include the parts of the nervous system such as the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves. All of these are required to enable the remedial massage therapist to identify specific body parts that are not functioning normally.
Aside from anatomy and physiology of the human body, the remedial massage therapist should also be able to know how to effectively assess and diagnose what is wrong in a patient. This can be aided by his knowledge of some of the more common conditions that are directly related to mobility such as muscle aches, sprain, and strain among others.
Once a thorough assessment has been performed, this will be further confirmed by a series of tests that will determine the specific muscle that is giving pain to the patient. This way, accurate and muscle-specific manipulative treatments can be performed – right where it should be. Hence the term targeted massage or remedial massage.
Who Can Benefit from Remedial Massage?
As remedial massage provides both general relaxation and a targeted massage to provide remedy to the body part that is causing the muscle tension and / or pain, remedial massage is generally considered to be beneficial to patients who have may be suffering from muscle aches and pains, joint problems, as well as stress and tension headaches.
The general effect of remedial massage is the release of muscle tension and a reduction of muscle spasms and cramping. This is brought about by the careful manipulation of a group of muscles to stretch and relax them so that they return to their original tonicity. The range of motion of joints is also optimized for mobility.
The effects of remedial massage are greatly related to the improvement in the overall blood flow to the diseased body part. This enhances the recuperative body processes that are already on-going to hasten the speed of recovery. With an improvement in blood circulation, the elimination of body wastes is also improved through the lymphatic system, draining the toxic substances that can contribute to the pain perceived in that area of the body.
Remedial massage has also been known to be effective in lowering the cortisol levels in the body. This can contribute to a much lower pain experience. Massage can also increase the levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain to provide a countermeasure to the effects of stress as brought about by the pain experience.
Remedial Massage Sessions
Unlike relaxing massage that covers the entire body, remedial massage can only take at least 30 minutes of targeted session to provide relief to a specific problem. This is what makes remedial massage ideal for today’s urban professionals who are always on the go that they simply do not have the 90 minutes for a whole body massage. By focusing on what really is the problem, this targeted treatment can thus be finished in a shorter period of time.
Remedial massage is not really new. The concepts and principles have been applied ever since physiotherapists began understanding the need to focus more on the problem of patients and not necessarily the entire body. For as long as it is acquired from specialists and certified staff, recovery and wellness can certainly be achieved.
