Tension-type headaches are common and can be greatly relieved by massage. Headaches can be caused by referral pain from trigger points in the muscles of the neck and head. Often, the symptoms are pain that runs up through the temple, or around the eye, or across the forehead. These are classic signs of trigger points that can be treated with neuromuscular massage.
Long-distance runners often complain of knee pain due to the structure of the knee and the way it gets used while running. Often pain caused by the soft-tissue structures around the knee can be the source of pain that feels like it’s coming from within the knee. Strains in the hamstring or quadriceps can mimic intra-joint pain as can strains in the iliotibial band. Muscular sources of knee pain can be relieved by neuromuscular massage.
People with plantar fasciitis often complain about pain in the heel that is most painful with the first few steps in the morning. The pain then subsides with movement. Massage can treat the musculature that places stress on the plantar fascia—the thick connective tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot from the heel to the toes.
Massage can also treat soft tissue injuries that mimic plantar fasciitis. Pain in the foot that results from a long day of walking but never occurs in the morning is more likely to be pain referred from trigger points in the calf muscle that is felt in the foot. Either way, neuromuscular massage can help relieve the symptoms.
Sciatica is an inflammation of the sciatic nerve that causes pain that runs down the back of the leg from the three gluteal muscles to the hamstrings, the calf muscles and even to bottom of the foot. Pain can also be accompanied by numbness in the leg. Most often, sciatica is caused by a disk that has slipped or herniated. Typically, sciatica only affects only side of the body.
There is another condition that mimics sciatic pain: piriformis syndrome (also called pseudo sciatica). Piriformis syndrome causes the same pain pattern as sciatica. The piriformis, a muscle in the gluteal area that sits on top of the sciatic nerve allows us to walk, shift our weight from one foot to the other and maintain balance. When this muscle gets tight and contracts, it pushes onto the sciatic nerve causing pain.
Unfortunately, many doctors will prescribe pain killers which only mask the pain, physical therapy which can decrease the pressure on the nerve, injections of cortisone-like-anti-inflammatory drugs which can have side effects, or surgery which can be difficult to recover from and doesn’t always work.
Neuromuscular massage can fix piriformis syndrome, and the symptoms do not usually come back. Neuromuscular massage can also relieve the pain of sciatica, but may require a combination of therapies to eliminate any underlying structural problems.
Fighter pilots face the same body stresses that hunters do when they have to remain still for long periods of time. Exercising your large muscles will help reduce stiffness and help keep you warm. Here are a few exercises you can do without any sudden motion.
Spinal twist – Inhale and sit up tall. Twist as far as you can comfortably to the left, exhale, and remain in that position for 5 gentle breaths, then switch sides.
Shoulder shrugs – Inhale and lift your shoulders up toward your ears, then squeeze them straight back. Exhale and squeeze your shoulder blades together and let your shoulders come back down. Inhale and squeeze your elbows toward each other in back. Exhale, and relax.
Back release – cross one ankle over the other thigh, exhale and lean forward over your legs. Hold for five breaths, exhale and put your foot back down. Repeat with the other leg.
Shin splints is a catch-all term for pain in the lower leg. Shin splints often occur when you increase the amount of running or walking you’re doing by a measurable amount or if you’re trying to improve your time. Shin splints can be caused by soft tissue injury to either the front of the shin or the back of the shin. In some cases, because your calf muscle is so much stronger than the muscles that run along the front of your leg, there’s an imbalance that causes strain on the front, the shin.
Shin splints can also be caused from injury to a muscle underneath the big calf muscle. This is a more rare form of shin splints and the pain is often described as spreading from one area to another.
Neuromuscular massage techniques can help stretch and loosen the muscle and fascia causing the pain of shin splints.
One common cause of chronic pain is the distortion or deterioration of joints which compresses nerves and impairs circulation. If muscle or other soft tissue is deprived of nutrients, chronic pain is often the result.
Neuromuscular massage therapy helps to restore the natural function of joints by relaxing the muscle structure that supports the bones. If the muscles are unbalanced, joint distortion occurs. Neuromuscular massage techniques selectively loosen tight muscles and connective tissues to restore muscular balance and improve range of motion.
Chronic pain is often the source of body-wide stress. The inability to relieve pain adequately results in a cascade of stress hormones. In the case of chronic pain, neuromuscular massage can enhance the effect of the body’s natural endorphins which help to soften the perception of pain. Massage also lowers blood pressure and heart rate which may be elevated as a result of pain.
Neuromuscular massage can help in some of the most common causes of chronic pain including postural distortion, nerve compression or entrapment, restricted joint movement and fibromyalgia .
Plantar Fasciitis is a painful and persistent injury that strikes athletes and weekend warriors alike. Nearly anyone who stands for a living, like retail workers, is also susceptible.
In most people the pain is in the heel or in the arch. The most classic symptom is pain in the morning with the first few steps out of bed. The fascia, the connective tissue, runs from your heel to your toes, acting like an arch support. If the fascia is too stretchy, the foot flattens out. If it’s too tight, the fascia carries too much weight before it can stretch.
While massage therapy cannot relieve all causes of plantar fasciitis, in most people, it can by targeting the muscles of the calves, the calcaneal tendon as well as the fascia and muscles in the arch. Plantar Fasciitis can be a stubborn and recurring problem and may require several treatments before the pain is relieved. Thankfully, most patients report complete relief within a couple of weeks.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome happens when the median nerve becomes entrapped at the wrist resulting in pain or numbness which can be relieved with neuromuscular massage.
People who have jobs that involve repetitive motion tasks such as typing or using a hammer are susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome can also be the result of inflammation or swelling in the area from other causes.
A specialist in neuromuscular massage can evaluate whether the compression is taking place at the wrist or whether it is occurring higher up. Compression can occur anywhere along the path the nerve takes from the base of the neck through the shoulder and down through the arm. Neuromuscular massage will address the muscles from the neck to the wrist to relieve compression and promote circulation to the median nerve which will help relieve pain and numbness.
The body is composed of nearly 90% water. Your heart, lungs, and brain can’t function without it. Neither can your muscles, or your skin, or your joints.
Adequate hydration is important to keep your muscles functioning without cramps and pain. It’s also critical if you’re trying to build muscle. In order to flex or contract muscles, water is the key to keeping nutrients flowing into the muscle and waste products flowing out.
A mere two percent drop in body water can cause changes in coordination, concentration and it’s one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue.
The average person loses 16 ounces of water just by breathing, another 16 ounces if you are visibly sweating, and another 48 ounces through elimination.
Healthy hydration means drinking approximately 8 ounces of water for every hour that you’re awake. For people who exercise, your needs may be greater. In warm weather, everyone may need to replace lost electrolytes, the potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium that create the electrical charge that keep your muscles working properly. A pinch of good ocean sea salt dissolved in your water a few times a day should do the trick.
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