Why Massage Therapy Is So Effective At Treating Back Pain

16 December 2022
 Categories: , Blog


If you are experiencing chronic back pain, this might be because your body is not healing properly. This is most likely because you very badly need a massage. A massage therapist can perform careful movements that are designed to induce cellular changes that are meant to promote healing. 

Massage Therapy Techniques

There are various methods that a massage therapist can use to manipulate a back to promote healing. This includes:

  • Kneading
  • Stretching
  • Light stroking
  • Deep pressure

When you have undergone massage therapy, you will feel as if your muscles and tendons are not as stiff. Your tissues might begin to feel more elastic and you might feel improvements in your range of motion. All of this can lead to less pain. You might not even realize that you were experiencing pain until you received a massage.

The Source of Back Pain

When your back is injured, it will begin to experience inflammation and this can cause you to experience pain. Scar tissue might also form. A massage can assist you when breaking up the scar tissue so that you can recover more easily and experience less pain. 

Another interesting aspect of massage therapy is the impact it has on blood flow. Improved blood flow helps deliver nutrients to areas of the body that are struggling to heal and also helps remove toxins.

Advanced Techniques

While simply having your back rubbed can feel good, you will need something more substantial to experience long-term pain relief such as neuromuscular massages or trigger point therapy. 

The purpose of trigger point therapy is to target points found throughout your body that are considered to be a source of pain. The trigger points are basically bands of muscle tissue that are very sensitive and can become very tight, which can cause pain. Applying the right pressure can cause these bands of muscle tissue to relax more and will alleviate pain as a result.

Swedish Massages

A Swedish massage is another type of massage that is used to treat back pain. It involves long strokes and elongation techniques. When done properly, it can help eliminate stiffness and smooth tissues. It can also increase blood circulation and can promote healing.

Massage therapy is not always seen as a medical treatment and is instead seen as a non-essential service. However, it is very useful when treating back pain and is definitely something you should consider.

To learn more, contact a massage therapy clinic in your area such as Canopy Clinic PDX.


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