How Can Sports Massage and Therapy Help My Back Pain?
Posted on 31st July 2020 at 10:00
Lower back pain (LBP) is probably the most common complaint we see and treat. In the majority of cases, it resolves itself over time. Your back pain may be caused for a number of reasons; some which are not always easy to explain and some which may need more than massage therapy. However, your therapist is trained to identify appropriate times to treat you, as well as times when you need to be referred to your doctor. In the most instances, massage therapy can be a useful adjunct in helping you with your symptoms. Here are some reasons why…
Thixotropic effect
Some of the properties that make up our body’s tissues are prone to changing shape when put under stress. Tissue that are hardened will become softened when under manual stress.
Muscle stretching
Some of the muscles of your low back are difficult to stretch by yourself, and so you will most definitely see greater benefit having manual input from your therapist.
Joint mobilisation
The small joints either side of your spine, which allow one vertebra to sit on top of another, may sometimes become stiff at certain levels and on one or both sides of the spine. These small joints move together, and not independently, to create the larger movement at the spine that we see when we bend over or sit up tall. Physical mobilisations at specific joint levels can help move these smaller stiff joints that otherwise would not be able to move independent of the whole spine.
Dampen the nervous system
Muscle tone and muscle stiffness are two separate entities. Muscle stiffness is predominantly due to properties that make up the muscle itself, whereas muscle tone is due to the nerves that make them work. However, you will probably perceive the feeling of ‘tightness’ regardless. One benefit of massage therapy is to help dampen the nervous system down, reduce muscle tone, and relieve you of that feeling of tightness. (And that feels SO much better!)
Movement
A large proportion of patients experiencing back pain will often unknowingly avoid using their low back and find alternative ways of completing tasks. Failure to incorporate movements at this level can and will lead to more problems further down the line. A key part of your treatment is to ensure that you’re aware of the movements and bring them back into your daily routine. Your therapist will have knowledge of these specific movements and can provide you with some exercises to compliment your massage treatment.
Are you suffering with low back pain?
We’d suggest booking a sports massage and/or therapy to help. Just get in touch and we’ll do our best to get you on the way to recovery.
Tagged as: sports massage, sports therapy
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