Massage Techniques For Injury Recovery

In our last article we covered the ways that sports stretching and massage can help prevent injuries for athletes and people that live an active lifestyle. Unfortunately though injuries can happen regardless, even though you may have done everything to prevent an injury. However, just with prevention, massage can be used to help facilitate the injury recovery and in many cases speed up the recovery process for most injuries. Some of the most popular modalities used for injury recovery are cupping therapy and deep tissue massage. Another favorite for many massage therapists to incorporate recently is Forearm Fusion which can be combined with just about any modality. Forearm Fusion helps deliver a high quality massage experience for the client and no strain for the therapist due to the focus on body mechanics.

Now that the weather will soon begin to cool down, many of us will begin to resume outdoor activities such as running, sports, hiking, and more. This sudden burst of activity after a relaxing summer can be hard on your body, and you could find yourself with an injury. Pulled muscles, strains, bruises, and other minor injuries are common as you begin to increase activity. Massage therapy will help you recover from these minor setbacks quicker that just letting them heal on their own.

Massage therapy is an ideal treatment for any injuries involving the soft tissue of muscles and tendons and is very successful at stretching muscles and releasing tightness. If you have been experiencing ongoing pain from an old injury such as chronic back, knee, or shoulder pain, there may be something you can do to start feeling better. Massage just might be the answer to alleviating such painful issues.

Unsure of which modality to choose for a specific injury or benefit? Let’s take a look at a few and help you decide.

Deep tissue massage is a technique that’s mainly used to treat musculoskeletal issues, such as strains and sports injuries. Deep tissue applies sustained pressure using slow, deep strokes to target the inner layers of the muscles and connective tissues. This helps to break up scar tissue that forms following an injury and reduces tension in muscle and tissue. Unlike other massage techniques that focus on relaxation, deep tissue massage helps to treat muscle pain and improve stiffness. Some of the conditions deep tissue is helpful with include:

• sports injuries
• fibromyalgia
• plantar fasciitis
• high blood pressure
• sciatica
• tennis elbow

Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a therapist puts special cups on your skin for a few minutes to create suction. The suction and negative pressure provided by cupping can loosen muscles, encourage blood flow, and sedate the nervous system (which makes it an excellent treatment for high blood pressure). Some of the conditions people find cupping therapy helps with are:

• Pain
• High blood pressure
• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Stiff muscles
• Migraines
• Rheumatism
• Inflammation
• Increased blood flow

Forearm Fusion is a blend of multiple modalities in itself and can be combined with other forms of treatment that has multiple benefits for both client and therapist. This course will help the therapist focus on proper techniques, bodywork, and mechanics making the massage less stressful on their body while still allowing the client to receive a high quality massage that is tailored to their specific needs.

As you can see there are a variety of massage techniques and styles for every situation. We’ve only scratched the surface by covering these 3 techniques out of the hundreds we teach ourselves at our school. By using these specific techniques alone or in combination with one another, you can be sure that your client is on the road to recovery from nearly any injury they may be suffering from. 

For the massage therapist it is important to not only learn multiple modalities but to become proficient in each of them. Regular instructional and refresher courses should be taken each year that focus on modalities such as deep tissue, swedish massage, Forearm Fusion, and cupping therapy among others. Not only is regular course work required for license renewal, but learning and perfecting your craft is just good business. We offer regular courses such as these at The Academy of Massage Therapy and Bodyworks in Pottstown, PA throughout the year. For more information on these courses and any of our upcoming courses please visit us at our continuing education section online or by calling us at (610) 705- 4401 to speak with one of our staff members.