Massages aren’t just a luxurious treat. They’re used alongside physiotherapy to help target areas of pain and tension while offering a wealth of benefits to the body. Whether you’re experiencing aches and pains or struggling with your mental wellbeing, if you’re looking for a massage in Twickenham, we offer a variety of styles and techniques depending on your needs and preferences. Read on to find out how massage can help to improve a number of conditions.
Over use injuries
Overuse injuries commonly occur when a group of muscles are repeatedly over worked, for example during high-intensity sports or working for long periods of time with bad or awkward posture. Overuse injuries can affect your tendons, nerves or muscles, causing tenderness, throbbing pain, tingling or loss of sensation in your hands, arms, shoulders, neck and wrists.
Overuse injuries can present as:
- carpal tunnel syndrome — compression of the nerve in your wrist
- shoulder tendinopathy — this affects the tendons which attach muscle to bone
- tennis or golfer’s elbow — pain around the tendons in your elbow
- plantar fasciitis — initially inflammation, followed by thickening of the tissue between your heel and foot, which is common among runners.
In certain cases, massage in and around the area affected by an RSI can help by boosting blood circulation, alleviating tension, reducing inflammation and encouraging cells to repair damage.
After an injury
Massage can speed up healing after an injury that causes acute pain, tight muscles and reduced range of movement. Stimulation to the area reduces muscle spasm and promotes blood circulation, which means more oxygen and nutrients reach your soft tissues and organs.
Massage, when prescribed at the appropriate time, can help heal sports injuries. We treat many sportspeople who have sustained injuries during training or a sports event. Massage therapy is often worked into rehabilitation programmes, including recovery from surgery.
Our sports massage involves a deep tissue massage with a variety of techniques to help treat soft tissue and muscle imbalances that can develop during physical activity.
Stress and anxiety
Massage therapy can help people struggling with their mental health. It is known to help reduce the amount of the stress hormone cortisol, which is often raised in individuals with anxiety.
Research has also found that increased blood flow triggers the autonomic nervous system, which in turn, releases hormones that make you feel better, including endorphins, serotonin and dopamine. These all promote relaxation and reduce stress.
Neurological disorders
Neurological disorders affect the brain, spine and spinal nerves. Conditions include Parkinson’s disease, stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.
Symptoms can range from stiffness and immobility to pain, muscle tightness and spasms. Massage therapy can be extremely effective for people living with a neurological disorder, especially those experiencing chronic pain.
Treatment can reduce pain significantly by influencing the pain gate mechanism. This is based on the idea that the spinal cord contains a neurological gate that allows signals, such as pain, to be passed through. When it detects a non-painful sensation, such as that produced by massage, it prioritises letting those signals through and temporarily blocks pain signals from reaching the brain.
Cancer
Massage can encourage the drainage of lymphatic fluid. This removes waste and toxins from tissue, which can sometimes build up in the body resulting in pain and swelling.
Some cancer treatments involve removing lymph nodes and consequently can cause a build-up of lymphatic fluid. This commonly affects individuals being treated for breast cancer.
Massage is also beneficial for people with cancer as it can help reduce depression, pain, fatigue, sleep problems and nausea.
If you’d like to know more about massage therapy, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 0208 898 1213 to discuss how we can help manage your symptoms and boost your mental and physical wellbeing.
Remember, for a specific diagnosis or treatment advice, you’ll need an assessment from a professional.