If you are like most, you have probably experienced some form of pain at some point in your life that may have limited your mobility, decreased your range of motion, and interfered with your ability to function. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), pain affects more Americans than heart disease, diabetes, and cancer combined. Maybe you are able to manage pain and instead, find that struggling with stress and anxiety interrupts your daily routine, sleep patterns, and ability to focus. Whether you suffer from pain, discomfort, stress, anxiety, or other conditions that may affect your ability to live happily and perform at your best in all you do, massage therapy can help.
As your Top Rated Local® wellness center in Overland Park, we believe in the holistic, or “whole body,” approach to treating a variety of health and pain conditions. We also feel strongly that approaching these conditions by working hand-in-hand with our chiropractor and massage therapist, we can better diagnose, treat, and care for each and every chiropractic patient and massage client we see. At Adjust Your Health, we don’t take the “one size fits all” approach to our massage treatments and chiropractic care; rather, we work together to determine the best individualized treatment plan for each patient according to their needs, health conditions, comfort levels, and health goals. Our comprehensive approach to natural health care allows us to effectively and efficiently address the cause and symptoms of different pain and health conditions. We would like to mention that, while we take a comprehensive approach to health and wellness, those clients who only wish to receive massage treatments will never be expected or pressured to try chiropractic care. The choice to receive these therapies separately or combined is completely up to you. Please continue reading below to learn more about massage therapy, our approach to massage treatments, and so much more, or give us call to schedule an appointment for massage therapy in Overland Park.
If you watched our short video above, you have probably gained a sense of how we view massage therapy here at Adjust Your Health, but let us expand on our approach a bit. As we mentioned, we approach every massage as a medical massage, meaning we treat specific and extended conditions in order to facilitate a positive result. Additionally, we seek to manage and maintain your resolved condition and encourage overall wellness to help you achieve your healthiest self.
Our medical massage therapy approach is different from those massage treatments you may find at day spa. Here are the different (and specific) types of massage choices you may be used to seeing when you schedule a massage at a day spa:
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While our medical massage is based on the same techniques and principles as those massage techniques applied at day spas, we don’t offer one specific type of massage, and we don’t just focus on providing one specific type of massage during a session; rather, we determine the most effective treatment plan for each client which is based on their individual health conditions, requirements, and health and wellness goals they wish to achieve.
Essentially, we will use and combine whichever massage therapy technique(s) that we feel will most appropriately and most effectively address a client’s specific or expanded conditions, which may help encourage and yield the intended results. We address a variety of health conditions and injuries based on three levels of massage therapy sessions, which allow us to address both specific and expanded conditions much more efficiently.
Receiving massage therapy in Overland Park has many benefits that not only address specific health conditions and injuries, but which may also restore muscle function and improve overall wellness. Here are some of the advantages of receiving regular massage treatments:
Massage therapy can be used in combination with a variety of healing methods such as chiropractic care, acupuncture, and physical therapy to treat pain and other conditions. We feel strongly about combining chiropractic and massage therapies because these go hand-in-hand. Chiropractic care is a hands-on approach to health care which focuses on restoring and maintaining a healthy functioning musculoskeletal system and central nervous system. Chiropractic adjustments involve the application of controlled pressure to the joints of the spine and other joints in the body, which realigns the spine, improves proper nerve function, and reduces pain and discomfort. Massage addresses the soft tissues such as muscles, tendons, fascia, and ligaments via a variety of focused manual therapy techniques. Applying muscle work to injured, sore, stiff, or tense areas throughout the body encourages circulation which rejuvenates these areas by transferring oxygen and removing toxins. Getting the muscles to warm and loosen prior to a chiropractic adjustment can encourage smoother adjustments, allowing bones and joints to realign. Chiropractic treatments and massage therapy benefit the other, which may help improve the body’s natural ability to heal.
For many, finding a way to relax on their own can be challenging. Massage therapy involves healing touch by way of gliding, percussion, kneading, and rhythmic compression hand and arm techniques, to name a few. Using various pressure levels, these movements promote relaxation, allowing a client to focus on their breathing, thoughts, and emotions in order to decompress and focus their energy on healing.
Massage therapy is wonderful and effective treatment for injury recovery and rehabilitation. Medical massage can not only speed up the recovery time after suffering an injury, but can also help prevent re-injury in the future. Massage relaxes the body, relieves tension in the muscles, and improves circulation, all of which can relieve pain, alleviate inflammation, and replenish damage tissues with much needed nutrients. Whether you have been injured in an auto accident, are an athlete, have experienced an injury while on the job, or have simply injured yourself in a personal injury such as a slip and fall, you will want to consider medical massage as a beneficial recovery therapy.
Muscle spasms - When a soft tissue injury occurs, muscle spasms are the most common form of muscle dysfunction. A muscle spasm is the sudden involuntary contraction of an individual muscle or a group of muscles as a result of nerve irritation.
Muscle strains - Muscles that have been torn or pulled are the most common soft tissue injury as a result of auto accidents, work-related injuries, and sports injuries. The severity of a muscle strain can often be determined by a three-part grading system, classifying these injuries as a minor (overstretched muscle fibers with minimal tearing); moderate (partially torn muscle that causes considerable pain and limited function); and, severe (half or complete muscle tearing with excruciating pain and near or total loss of function).
Ligament sprains - Contrary to the common use of the word “sprain,” this actually refers to an injured joint that results in overstretching or tearing of ligaments, yet does not cause a complete dislocation.
Whiplash - Perhaps one of the most common auto injuries affecting hundreds of thousands Americans each year, whiplash is a soft tissue injury to the neck, which can also affect the upper back, and shoulders. This common injury is a series of soft tissue strains that causes pain, limited motion, and muscle weakness in the shoulders and arms.
Headaches (usually starting at the base of the skull), numbness and tingling, and dizziness, and muscle and joint stiffness are some of the most common symptoms associated with this type of injury. Massage and gentle chiropractic treatments provide effective whiplash pain relief.
Upper back injuries - Upper back injuries are highly common and are typically associated with whiplash. The same sudden forward-and-backward or side-to-side movement impacts the soft tissues in the upper back, along the spine, in the shoulder blades, and between the ribs. Upper back injuries are also common among athletes and work-related injuries.
Headaches and migraines - Headaches and migraines are another common condition which can be triggered by a number of injuries, including head injuries, concussion, and whiplash.
Mid-back muscle strains - Soft tissue injuries often occur in the mid-back, especially in the deeper muscles that run the length of the spine, and in the intercostal muscles between the ribs. These soft tissue injuries can occur from a sudden forceful movement to the body, or as the result of overuse and repetitive motions.
Lower back muscle strains - Aside from neck injuries, injuries to the lower back account for a significant percentage of auto-related and work-related injuries. Soft tissue injuries in the lower back can be debilitating because the lower back is responsible for stabilizing and supporting numerous movements and functions.
Sciatica - Sciatica is one of the most common injuries that affects the lower back, pelvis, and legs. When an injury causes a muscle spasm, the damaged or over-worked muscle presses against the sciatic nerve (the largest nerve in the body), resulting in mild to excruciating pain, numbness, and muscle weakness that travels behind the glutes, down into the back of the leg, and into the foot.
Many people who work desk jobs and drive vehicles for a living develop sciatica as a result.
Shoulder injuries - Soft tissue sprains and strains in the shoulder can result in pain, numbness and tingling, and weakness. Shoulder injuries can occur in auto accidents and work accidents, but are especially prevalent among athletes. Rotator cuff injuries are among the most common sports-related injuries.
Arm, wrist, and hand injuries - Often the result of gripping the steering wheel when an auto accident occurs, arm, wrist, and hand injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis (inflammation of a tendon) can cause mild to severe pain and discomfort, muscle weakness, and limited function and range of motion.
These injuries are incredible common work injuries resulting from repetitive motions like typing, lifting objects, rotating the arm and wrist, and carrying heavy trays above the shoulders. Athletes also experience carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis as a result of overuse without properly stretching before and after a physical activity, injuries from falls, and repetitive motions.
The most common symptoms associated with soft tissue injuries may include:
Massage for Auto InjuriesMassage therapy is beneficial for auto injury recovery in a number of ways. Because an auto collision causes the body to jar in sudden and unusual movements, this can overextend muscles and soft tissues in the neck, back, and extremities, leading to painful injuries. In fact, the most common injuries people suffer in car accidents are muscle and soft tissue injuries of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
The trouble with soft tissue injuries is they often place additional pressure on nerves in the body, which causes pain and discomfort. There are many other symptoms (listed above) associated with soft tissue injuries, too, which can limit range of motion and movement, and impair proper nerve function.
Sports injuries are varied and can be caused by a number of movements, actions, and person-to-person, person-to-object, and person-to-surface collisions. Massage therapy is essential for athletes healing from an injury because the different healing techniques your Overland Park massage therapist uses can stimulate circulation and lymphatic flow, relieve pain, and alleviate muscle tensions, all of which can reduce the added pressure on nerves in your body. Improved circulation can help an athlete heal from an injury quicker because oxygen and nutrients can be transported to damaged tissues in order repair tissue cells.
Additionally, better circulation helps the body dispose of toxins and lactic acid that cling to muscles and soft tissues. Massage for sports injury recovery can condition the muscles in conjunction with rehabilitative exercises and stretches, gentle chiropractic care, acupuncture, and other treatments to aid in injury healing and recovery.
Soft tissues are among the most common type of work-related injuries, accounting for about 33 percent of all workers comp injuries. Whether these injuries are caused by overuse, repetitive motions, heavy lifting, typing, sitting or standing for extended periods of time, slip and falls, or falling objects, workers are at risk from a variety of injuries. Some of the most common soft tissue injuries include carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, muscle strains, lower back injuries, neck injuries, epicondylitis, and rotator cuff injuries.
Your Overland Park massage therapist can apply different forms of muscle work and at different pressure levels to help you manage pain, improve range of motion, and improve and/or restore function.
If you are experiencing pain caused by an auto accident, sports injury, or work-related injury, massage therapy can help your heal and recover so that you can get back to living your life to the fullest. Whether you are seeking pain relief from whiplash, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, or any other injury, call Adjust Your Health Chiropractic to schedule an appointment for medical massage. We are here to assist our residents living in Overland Park, Leawood, Shawnee, Olathe, Lenexa, and the surrounding areas with effective massage therapy treatments and gentle chiropractic care. Give us a call today and begin your journey to healing.
