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What is Trigger Point Therapy?

A trigger point is a tight area within muscle tissue that causes pain in other parts of the body. A trigger point in the back, for example, may reduce referral pain in the neck. The neck, now acting as a satellite trigger point, may then cause pain in the head. The pain may be sharp and intense or a dull ache.
Trigger point massage therapy is specifically designed to alleviate the source of the pain through cycles of isolated pressure and release.

In this type of massage for trigger point therapy, the recipient actively participates through deep breathing as well as identifying the exact location and intensity of the discomfort.

Benefits of Trigger Point Therapy

The results and benefits of trigger point massage are releasing constricted areas in the muscles thus alleviating pain. You can experience a significant decrease in pain after just one treatment.
Receiving massage with trigger point therapy on a regular basis can help naturally manage pain and stress from chronic injuries.

What is Swedish Massage Therapy?

Swedish massage therapy is the modality that comes to mind when most people think about massage. As the best-known type of bodywork performed today, one of the primary goals of the Swedish massage technique is to relax the entire body. This is accomplished by rubbing the muscles with long gliding strokes in the direction of blood returning to the heart. But Swedish massage therapy goes beyond relaxation. Swedish massage is exceptionally beneficial for increasing the level of oxygen in the blood, decreasing muscle toxins, improving circulation and flexibility while easing tension.

A study conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and published in The New York Times, found that volunteers who received a 45-minute Swedish massage experienced significant decreases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol, as well as arginine vasopressin-a hormone that can lead to increases in cortisol. Volunteers also had increases in the number of lymphocytes, white blood cells that are part of the immune system, and a boost in the immune cells that may help fight colds and the flu.

Swedish Massage Techniques

Additional Swedish massage techniques include circular pressure applied by the hands and palms, firm kneading, percussion-like tapping, bending and stretching. Before and during your Swedish massage session, communication is encouraged with your professional massage therapist so that your massage is customized to your specific needs.

The Benefits of Swedish Massage

Swedish massage promotes healing and blood flow. Traditional Swedish massage has a number of health benefits. A Swedish massage session is performed with the client lying on a massage table while the therapist stands above them and manipulates their muscle tissue with a variety of strokes. In addition to providing a general sense of relaxation, a Swedish massage session can help promote healing and reduce pain.

Overall Relaxation

As Bodybuilding.com points out, Swedish massage’s main benefit is the overall relaxation that it provides.
A standard Swedish session lasts for 30 or 60 minutes, and addresses most major muscle groups of the body.
The session is usually performed on a soft massage table, in an environment that is meant to relax the recipient.
The strokes of the massage relax individual muscles, while the overall experience eliminates mental stress.

Pain Relief

Massage therapy can be used to help manage pain. Swedish sessions can target specific areas of pain like a sprained ankle, or they can be used to help manage the chronic pain that comes with conditions like arthritis. By using strokes that improve circulation and increase body-wide relaxation, the massage therapist can help make many painful conditions more bearable.

The use of the word massage is perhaps misleading. As although you will feel relaxed and invigorated after a Sports Massage, it can be really quite uncomfortable at the time.

The definition of Sports Massage

“Sports massage is a form of bodywork geared toward participants in athletics. It is used to help prevent injuries, to prepare the body for athletic activity and maintain it in optimal condition, and to help athletes recover from workouts and injuries. “The scientific manipulation and assessment of soft tissue for the prevention of injuries and therapeutic purposes, involving the restoration to normal functional activity of the various structures of the body, while maintaining good physical condition and health, through mobilizing and improving muscle tone, promoting relaxation, stimulating circulation, and producing therapeutic effects on all systems of the body.

Sports massage has three basic forms:

1. PRE EVENT MASSAGE
2. POST EVENT MASSAGE
   
3. MAINTENANCE MASSAGE

Sports massage can also give valuable information about the athlete’s condition and the effects of their training program. Regular sports massage can help to avoid problems associated with overuse, so allowing for extra training sessions without the risk of injury or trauma.

Sports massage is not necessarily an hour, but is specific to a particular muscle group or for the speedier rehabilitation of a muscle injury. A person does not need to be a top flight athlete to gain from sports massage. Anyone who exercises or seeks to improve their general physical fitness may benefit from treatment – in particular those who do so less regularly.

Spots massage has 5 main benefits

• It helps to maintain the entire body in a better physical condition.
• It reduces the possibility of injury and the loss of mobility, especially in high-risk areas and potential trouble-spots.
• It can aid in the cure of injured muscle tissue and restore mobility.
• It can boost athletic performance and enhance endurance.
• It can extend both the good health and overall life of a sporting “career”.

Main effects to be drawn from a sports massage

Physically, the pressures of massage along the flow of the lymphatic and venous systems
encourages blood with oxygen and other substances (which are essential for repair and growth) to be pumped more effectively through the body. This aids the restoration of normal tissue condition. The process also facilitates the exchange of fluids and helps in the removal of waste products, such as lactic acid. Massage will also stretch muscle fibres and the fascia surrounding muscles, breaking down scar tissue and adhesions. Physiologically, massage aids in the reduction of muscle pain and enhances relaxation. Psychologically, the client will feel stimulated with a feeling of warmth and readiness to perform. Anxiety may also be relieved.

• Massage can help these conditions, but it should never be used to replace skilled medical care.
• Muscle pain and stiffness
• Muscle strain
• Edema (swelling)
• Muscle soreness
• Muscle sprains
• Muscle tension
• Sore spots
• Repetitive strain injuries
• Tendinitis

Precautions

Massage may be an appropriate technique for helping certain sports injuries, especially muscle injuries, to heal. When treating an injury, however, it is best to seek advice from a qualified sports therapist or a specialist in sports medicine before performing any massage. Certain ligament and joint injuries that need immobilization and expert attention may be aggravated by massage.
People who suffer from the following conditions or disorders should consult a physician before participating in a sports massage: acute infectious disease; aneurysm; heavy bruising;cancer; hernia; high blood pressure; inflammation due to tissue damage; osteoporosis; phlebitis;varicose veins; and certain skin conditions. Individuals who are intoxicated are not good candidates for sports massage.

Each type of sports massage uses different massage techniques

PRE EVENT MASSAGE : is given shortly before an athlete competes.
It consists mainly of brisk effleurage to stimulate and warm the muscles and petrissage to help muscles move fluidly and to reduce muscle tension. Effleurage is generally a relaxing stroke, but when done briskly it is stimulating. As the massage progresses, the pressure increases as the massage therapist uses percussive strokes and cupping to stimulate the muscles to contract and flex. The part of the body being massaged varies from sport to sport, although leg and back muscles are common targets for this type of massage.

POST EVENT MASSAGE: is usually given 1-2 hours after the competition is over in order to give dilated blood vessels a chance to return to heir normal condition. Post-event assage is light and gentle in order not to damage already stressed muscles. The goal is to speed up removal of toxic waste products and reduce swelling. Very light effleurage will decrease swelling while light petrissage will help clear away toxins and relieve tense, stiff muscles. Post-event massage can be self-administered on some parts of the body such as the legs.

MAINTENANCE MASSAGE: is performed at least once a week, or every other week
while the athlete is in training. It is frequently administered to the back and legs. Deep effleurage and petrissage are used to relax and tone knotted muscles.

Do you suffer with low back pain, neck pain or carpal tunnel?
Have you been told you need neck or back surgery?

Decompression Traction Therapy is an effective treatment for these conditions. It is very affordable and less expensive than surgery.

Decompression Traction Therapy is the hottest new therapeutic device for treatment of painful nerve compression and disc herniation syndromes!

The Decompression-Reduction-Stabilization therapy is an effective treatment for:

• Herniated disc
• Degenerative disc
• Facet syndrome
• Sciatica
• Post-surgical patients
• Spinal Stenosis

Do you have a herniated disc, multiple herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, facet syndrome, or any other type of spinal problem? Is your doctor suggesting surgery, Pain Management, or Physical Therapy? Have you tried Chiropractic and just could not get enough relief? Come to De Canha Physical Therapy and try out the Decompression Traction System.

Research indicates the disc is responsible for a significant number of lumbar/leg pain and neck/arm pain syndromes. Compression increases intradiscal pressure leading to annular compromise and possible extrusion of nuclear material.
Since the disc is an avascular structure, it doesn’t receive fresh blood and oxygen with every beat of the heart. It requires “diffusion” created by motion and ‘Decompression’ to restore nutrients and enhance healing.

Decompression is defined as reduction in pressure (intradiscal). Recumbent positions (both prone and supine) decrease intradiscal pressures in comparison to standing and sitting. However focused, axial mechanical+Y translation traction, (creating ‘Decompression’ i.e. unloading due to distraction and positioning) has been shown to reduce disc pressure and enhance the healing response even further.

Loss of local muscle control, abnormal posture and alterations in spinal curves are the probable underlying source of most spinal ‘compression’ and degeneration. Therefore a “passive” therapy has little effect in truly fixing the underlying problem.
However, that being said, Decompression Traction Therapy (done safely within established protocols and a clear understanding of it’s limitations) can often effectively enhance the healing process and render quick, effective and often amazing pain relief in a properly selected patient population (many who have previously failed other treatments).

Additionally it may also be very useful in determining the overall prognosis of passive care and expediting the phase-in of rehab protocols.

If you enjoy the therapeutic benefits of foot Reflexology massage, you should know that the benefits are compounded when utilized as a frequent therapy.

Benefits of Reflexology Massage

Foot Reflexology massage can be a deeply relaxing and therapeutic modality for those suffering from plantar fasciitis, ankle injuries or even everyday work and play. At De Canha Physical Therapy, your massage therapist will apply traditional Swedish and sports massage techniques to the foot, calf and upper leg.

This will not only help relieve toe pain, ankle pain, plantar fasciitis and common forms of arthritis, but can also decrease stress and anxiety in the entire body. In addition, a variety of stretches can be beneficial. With pain and sensitivity in the foot, heel and calf areas, be sure to communicate your pain levels with your massage therapist during your treatment. It is also a good idea to rest after receiving the reflexology massage.

Choose the Cosmetic Surgery that’s right for you

Post Surgical Massages
Cosmetic surgery is one of the most common procedures today, liposuction, tummy tuck, blepharoplasty or other plastic treatment. Many people forget that after any surgery of this magnitude is very important to take care and feeding, but the most important that you need to think is the postoperative massage.
Massage is simply the set of maneuvers or manipulations performed that with hands have on body parts a therapist purpose.

After plastic surgery the body is exposed to physical abuse in the joints, muscles and tissues, so post surgical or postoperative therapy massage speed recovery and reduce or eliminate pain or inflammation product that occur after surgery. DE CANHA PHYSICAL THERAPY, offers the best team of therapists for postoperative treatments, that you need for your body to recover completely and quickly as possible and your body can look beautiful and happy.
The most fundamental therapies are: ultrasound, massage and lymphatic drainage.

Postoperative therapies in general contribute to:

• Reduce pain and inflammation.
• Improve healing and prevent subcutaneous fibrosis liposuction.
• Preventing capsular contracture in breast augmentation.
• Accelerate the disappearance of bruising.

Lymph Drainage Massage

The lymph drainage massage is gaining more acceptance in patients that have been performed Liposuction or Tummy Tuck and are increasingly surgeons recommend. As we all know, in general the massages are used to: relax muscles and relieve stress, connect with your body and enjoy it, improve our health and mood. But there are different types of massage techniques and one of them is this just, the lymph drainage technique.

Lymph Drainage Massage is very necessary because recent surgery for liposuction patients typically experience hardness or lumps in the abdominal area, and even more if it is a surgery combined with other body contouring procedures. This situation of inflammation and trauma is caused by the cannula, which is nothing more than a device that is placed under the skin to suck out the fat. The channels formed by the displacement of the cannula are filled with fluid and the tissue swells.

This is where the massages after lipo are necessary and in this case the Lymphatic Drainage as the main type of post lipo massage the most suitable to move the liquid by gentle pumping maneuver into lymphatic vessels. Practice has shown that the massage for liposuction recovery and especially the manual lymph drainage massage after surgery gives excellent results, producing a reduction of discomfort and also prevent inflammation or fibrosis evolve into a keloid.
We emphasize that this kind of massage is not and should not be a deep massage, though many think otherwise. A strong massage would increase the circulation of the treated areas, and this would make more difficult the removal of the fluid.

What is Lymph Drainage Massage?
The lymph drainage massage is a particular type of massage, it is performed on the knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the lymphatic system. The maneuvers performed with this massage are very light and this is the most efficient way to reduce trauma.

Postoperative manual lymphatic drainage massages

After two or three weeks of a liposuction, Tummy Tuck, arms and thigh reduction or a breast lift, the patients can accumulate liquids that harden forming a fibrosis, so our surgeons recommend a massage for lymphatic drainage, is a treatment that by manual massage increases the lymph flow and activation of the lymph nodes throughout the body improving circulation, eliminating bruising caused healing and helping to scar.

DE CANHA PHYSICAL THERAPISTS have extensive experience and training in this therapy. Lymphatic drainage is the natural function of the lymphatic system, being an essential part of immunity. If this function is not working properly can cause more serious health problems so it is important this type of soft massage as it helps to release the inflamed tissues produced by the surgical work done in that area, facilitating the acceleration of accumulated liquid.

It is necessary that people know, how important it is to a massage therapist after an esthetic surgery for a final result. In our clinic you can find a team of medical professionals in massage post liposuction and specialist’s machines in this type of procedure.

Postoperative lymphatic drainage massages can start after the first week of surgery performed, with 12 sessions of one hour to one and a half hour accompanied ultrasound deep heat waves whose graduates by type of therapy to be performed in each session depending of the patient’s condition, which is always going to be pretty good, if you meet all the pre-surgical and post-surgical follow their doctor recommendations. These sessions can also vary from 30 to 45 min depending on the patient’s condition. The recovery and shaping the body of the patient after lymphatic drainage are extremely surprising.

Advantages of postoperative lymphatic drainage massage

With postoperative healing massage will take place in half the average time and avoid subcutaneous fibrosis liposuction.

• It bruising disappears in three or four days.
• The patient’s recovery occurs much faster, giving a normal and beautiful appearance.
• The pain disappears quickly and tissues are put back in a little time.
• Provides more moisture to the skin of the patient.
• Venous patient environment is improved.
• Inflammation is highly reduced.
• Supports the immune system as it acts directly on the central nervous system by releasing endorphins, substances that generate relaxation and pain relief.

The lymphatic drainage with postoperative massage belts and a healthy diet will provide a desired result plastic surgery.

Recommendations

Postoperative massage cannot be done by any person, it has to be a certificate lymphatic drainage specialized.

• It is important not to smoke because it slows healing.
• We recommend start to drainage from 6 or 7 days after surgery. Manipulation can occur early serous fluid accumulation.
• We recommend massage with belts, which put pressure on the treated areas. The use of belt should be regularly monitored by the surgeon who will recommend the necessary adjustments.
• Recommended a balanced nutrition and follow all instructions in your massage postoperative.
• Lymphatic drainage cannot use for patients men and women who suffer from low blood pressure, acute infections, phlebitis, thrombosis, cardiac failure, bronchial asthma, hyperthyroidism, carotid sinus syndrome and people suffering from malignant tumors.
• We recommend that the patient under postoperative massage to relax after this relaxed both knees and hips so that the abdominal muscles to relax and breathe deeply the subject can flex, this will encourage the lymphatic return working hydraulic diaphragm and also improve venous return.

Whether a muscle is damaged due to an accident, surgically cut or injured during use, you would expect that the body would repair the injury site with new muscle. In reality, this doesn’t happen; the injury is repaired with scar tissue.  Scar tissue is made from a very brittle, inflexible collagen fibrous material. This material binds itself to the damaged soft tissue fibers in an effort to draw the damaged fibers back together. What results is a bulky mass of fibrous scar tissue completely surrounding the injury site. In some cases it’s even possible to see and feel this bulky mass under the skin.

When scar tissue forms around an injury site, it is never as strong as the tissue it replaces. It also has a tendency to contract and deform the surrounding tissues, so not only is the strength of the tissue diminished, but flexibility of the tissue is also compromised.

Scar tissue can adhere to muscle fibers, preventing them from sliding back and forth properly. It can adhere to connective tissues, limiting the flexibility of a muscle or joint. And it can adhere to nerve cells, leading to chronic pain and other conditions.

Research has proven scar tissue to be weaker, less elastic, more prone to future
re-injury and as much as 1000 times more pain sensitive than normal, healthy tissue. Chronic pain is the result, pain that could remain for years after the initial injury.  Untreated scar tissue is the major cause of re-injury, usually months after you thought that injury had fully healed.

Ways to remove scar tissue

Massage therapy is one of the best treatments for scar tissue. While ultrasound therapy, chiropractic treatments, cold and heat will help the injured area, they will not remove the scar tissue. Only massage will do that.

In order for the body to heal and for muscles to function properly, all of their fibers need to be aligned in the same direction. A massage therapist will use deep tissue massage, neuromuscular re-education, cross fiber friction, active release techniques, my official release and contrast therapies to assist the body in healing the injuries, realigning the muscle tissue, breaking up excess scar tissue and improving nerve response.

What is Deep Tissue Massage Therapy?

Deep tissue massage therapy is similar to Swedish massage, but the deeper pressure is beneficial in releasing chronic muscle tension. The focus is on the deepest layers of muscle tissue, tendons and fascia (the protective layer surrounding muscles, bones and joints).

A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that people’s blood pressure fell after a single 45 to 60 minute deep tissue massage.

Massage modalities like deep tissue reduce stress hormone levels and heart rate while boosting mood and relaxation by triggering the release of oxytocin and serotonin.
Please talk with your professional massage therapist to see if a deep tissue massage therapy would be beneficial for you.