The Popular Therapy - Therapeutic Massage

Back pain sufferers find relief by having their backs massaged. Besides back pain therapeutic massage can also help with any type of aches, inflammation, muscle tension, pain, spasms, or stiffness. Massage is the art of using your hands or specialized tools to knead, stroke or rub the affected body area with the goal of increasing blood flow to that and other body parts. How does this relieve the above-mentioned symptoms?

Massage works because the increased blood flow or circulation as medical personnel refer to it as, helps to deliver oxygen and nutrients to muscles and in turn they eliminate and acids or other waste products that have been accumulating there. When this accumulated material is eliminated the massaged person feels relief from pain.

There are many types of therapeutic massage. They each accomplish a different set of tasks that in turn bring different relief.

Deep Tissue Massage targets what is called "chronic muscle tension" by using slower strokes and the application of a more direct pressure and creating frictions in the hand motions.

Myofascial Release is a type of massage that releases tension that has been stored in the fibrous tissue that encases support muscles. This type of massage is often used after a muscle injury such as suffered by sports players.

Reiki is a Japanese form of massage in which the goal is to adjust the body's energy.

Shiatsu massage is an old oriental therapy, which finds its base in the art of acupressure.

Swedish massage is a combination of both light stroking that is done in one direction and the deep pressure placed in another direction that relaxes muscles.

Trigger Point massage is when direct pressure is placed on "trigger points" with the purpose of causing their release. At the same time as the massage therapist is releasing the trigger point s/he is stretching the muscle while using a spray that is a cooling agent sprayed onto the skin.

You can find massage therapist that practice the above massage methods by word of mouth, through referral by your medical care personnel or doctor, a clinical nurse, through looking for American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and they can help you locate a massage therapist in your local area.

When looking for a massage therapist you may wish to ask the following questions that will help you find the quality you are looking for in a therapist:

Did you graduate from a massage program that is accredited or approved by the Commission on Massage Training Accreditation (COMTA) or the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork?

How many hours of therapeutic massage have you completed for your training? Was it at least a minimum of 500 hours of training?

Do you have a therapeutic massage license or certification? If they belong to AMTA they will because the organization requires all members to have this as a qualification for membership.

If you feel that you would like to have the benefits of therapeutic massage but do not have the money or time to go to a professional massage therapist, there are ways to "do-it-yourself". There are many hand-held massage tools that you can purchase on the Internet or in health stores that can help you to duplicate what a professional does, just not on the same level as they would (training). As with any therapy, you should check with your physician or healthcare professional to be sure that what you plan to do is healthy for any other medical condition that you may have. Follow all instructions carefully for any massage tool that you purchase, before using.