How Massage for Back Pain Can Improve Your Well-Being

What Is Chronic Back Pain?

Back pain is chronic if it lasts for three months or more. Chronic back pain can go away for a while, but it often comes back unless the cause of the pain is identified and treated. It's believed that 8 percent of all adults in the United States - 16 million people - suffer from chronic back pain. 

What Causes Chronic Back Pain?

There are many reasons people experience chronic back pain. Here are some examples of the causes:

• Degenerative disk disease: The disks in our back absorb shocks from our movements throughout the day. Unfortunately, those disks lose their ability to retain fluid over time, making them less able to absorb movements and protect you from pain.
• Herniated disk: The disks between your vertebrae are tire-shaped and tough on the outside with a soft gel center. If a tear occurs in the disk, the gel-like center may erupt from the disc. This puts pressure on the nerve, which leads to ongoing pain. 
• Osteoarthritis: If you have osteoarthritis, the cartilage in your back will deteriorate, causing back pain. 

If you're experiencing chronic back pain, get a diagnosis from your doctor. Knowing the cause can help your massage therapist at Highland Ranch Therapeutic Massage choose the right form of massage therapy for you.

Benefits of Massage for Back Pain

Many people turn to massage for back pain because it is a natural, medication-free method of relieving pain in the back and other parts of the body. There are many benefits of massage for back pain. 

• Alleviate chronic pain. Massage alleviates chronic pain by improving muscle flexibility and easing muscle tension. 
• Reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Massage often feels good, and if you're experiencing a lot of stress, massage can give you time to relax. 
• Improve mood. Back massage releases endorphins that can help with anxiety, stress, and chronic depression. 
• Improved recovery time. Massage can help speed recovery after an injury. 
• Improved range of motion. If you have a limited range of motion due to an injury, back massage can improve your mobility. Over time, getting massage can help you regain mobility you haven't enjoyed for years. 

What Type of Massage For Back Pain Is Best?

There are several different types of massage for back pain. Choose a massage therapist that offers evidence-based massage therapy, backed by scientific research, to treat your back pain. 

Swedish Massage

Swedish massage is one of the most popular types of massage that patients choose for their chronic back pain. During a Swedish massage, the therapist provides light to medium pressure to help loosen back muscles and increase blood flow in your back.

Swedish massage can be called "relaxation massage" or "classic massage" because it combines long, smooth strokes to relax the muscles in your back. Swedish massage helps improve circulation and relieve stress. Your massage therapist may recommend this treatment if you're experiencing pain due to poor posture, stress, and inflammation in the back. 

Benefits of Swedish Massage:

• Stress relief
• Improved circulation
• Muscle relaxation

Deep Tissue Massage

Deep tissue massage uses medium to strong pressure to alleviate deep muscle pain. Deep tissue massage can provide long-lasting relief to patients experiencing pain due to injuries like sports injuries and occupational injuries. 

Deep tissue massage reaches the scar tissue in the muscles as well as the connective tissue deep in the back. If you're experiencing pain due to tight muscles deep in the fascia, deep-tissue massage can help. 

Benefits of Deep Tissue Massage:

• Improved mobility Lasting pain relief Enhanced circulation Reduced muscle tension

Myofascial Release 

Myofascial release alleviates stiffness and pain through massage that focuses on the myofascial tissue (the connective tissues surrounding the muscles). Using light pressure, the massage therapist searches for tight spots in the back and then uses gentle massage to release the pressure. 

Myofascial release helps people suffering from myofascial release syndrome, a chronic pain disorder caused by muscle tightness. This type of massage can also help people who suffer from chronic lower back pain and people who have fibromyalgia.

Benefits of Myofascial Release:

• Alleviate stress
• Improve circulation
• Relax muscles
• Improve mobility

Other Methods to Combine With Back Massage to Treat Back Pain

Therapeutic back massage is an excellent natural treatment to help alleviate your back pain. By addressing the physiological problems that cause back pain, back massage can do more than treat your symptoms: it can lessen the effects of back pain over time, or help stop back pain from recurring.

In addition to back massage, there are other methods you can use to treat back pain. Below are some natural methods.

1. Meditation. Stress can be a big contributor to back pain. Engaging in meditation regularly can help improve your back pain by reducing muscle tension, irritability, frustration, depression, and more. Meditation may not be the only method to alleviate back pain. Your doctor may also recommend yoga, tai chi, or other methods to alleviate back pain.
2. Change in diet. Some diets are high in inflammatory foods and contribute to back pain by contributing to weight gain. Eating right can help you lose weight, which gradually reduces pressure on the spine. 
3. Lifestyle changes. Some activities contribute to back pain. Notice when back pain occurs and which activities are greater contributors to back pain. Small adjustments to your regular activities can reduce your back pain over time. 

Do You Need Massage for Back Pain?

At Highlands Ranch Therapeutic Massage, we provide massage for back pain to help patients improve their quality of life and reduce their overall pain. We offer different types of massage to meet the needs of our patients. Every patient is different, so we can customize your massage to your needs. 

Want to know more about massage for back pain? Make an appointment with our massage therapist. Call today to make an appointment.