How massage therapy helps back pain

Have you ever suffered from agonizing pain in your lower back? how massage can help you to treat pain? Then, you probably know how unsettling and hurtful it can get when you want to do even the easiest activities of everyday life, such as sitting in a chair, lying down on the bed, or taking the stairs instead of an elevator. If so, then you are not alone.

More than two-thirds of adults have suffered from a type of back problem and pain, from moderate to severe, at a certain point in their lives. Overweight and older people are most exposed to the risk of suffering from a type of back pain. Sedentary and desk-bound lifestyles can make the condition even worse. Half of the people who experience such a pain in their lower back spend most of their days sitting at their desks, a typical side effect of our indolent modern lives.

However, even if you are not overweight or do not sit at your desk for a long time every day, you might anyway suffer from back pain. Professional athletes, such as weight lifters, and people with manual and physically hard labors may suffer from a type of pain in their lower back due to strains, muscle tension, and inappropriate movements.

Although in our impulsive and fast-paced modern societies, analgesic and sedative medicines are overly and incautiously taken to reduce pain, back pain and tension still cannot be easily controlled. Every day, a large number of people miss their workdays as they are unable to move due to back pain. Moreover, billions of dollars are spent each year to cure back issues through various dangerous and complicated medical treatments and surgeries. Is there a more economical way to deal with this problem? Probably yes!

1-Massage therapy has been proved to have considerable impacts on reducing acute back pain. It is a non-invasive and low-risk solution to reduce physical and psychological pain. It helps the body to produce natural chemicals (such as endorphins) in the brain. Endorphin promotes the sense of happiness and satisfaction and, therefore, helps the body feel good and relaxed, eases distressing moods, and lessens depression symptoms. These improvements generally accelerate recovery and diminish pain.

2-Massage therapy can increase blood flow and circulation by manipulating back muscles, which leads to the delivery of the required nutrition to your affected muscles and tissues. Enhanced blood flow will lead to better recovery and healing of the muscle soreness and soft tissue injuries which have possibly been caused due to improper physical activities and muscle strains. Studies have recently defined special effects of massage therapies which boost long term vascular functions, inactive patients.

3-Extreme muscle tension can cause tremendous pain and, as a result, substantially limit one’s power to move. This can be even more tormenting if the tense muscle is around the neck or lower back. Massage therapy is an effective way to reduce muscle tension and associated pain. Relaxing the injured muscle from tension can decrease the pain in the tight muscles and enhance their flexibility.

Massage therapists can use different techniques to treat upper and lower back pain. These are some techniques that the massage therapist can use in his/her practice to help clients with upper and lower back pain.

Deep tissue massage on back muscles can reduce upper back pain significantly. Levator scapulae, rhomboids major and minor, rotator cuffs( teres minor, infraspinatus, and supraspinatus), teres major, subscapularis, serratus anterior, and serratus posterior inferior are the muscles needs to pay attention to them.

This muscle attached to the top of the scapula and the fourth vertebra.
Working on this muscle is really important because on most clients this muscle feels tight. It is one of the muscles most abused by the carrying of heavy backpacks and shoulder bags.

At one end this muscle attached to Lower Side of the scapula and at the other end it’s attached to the bicipital groove of the humerus. Press along the lower lateral border of the scapula. Follow the muscle from the lowest side of the scapula to the bicipital groove.

The infraspinatus is one of the other rotator cuffs. This muscle is at the top of the scapula and it covers most of the scapula. At one end this muscle attached to infraspinatus fossa of the scapula and at the other end it’s attached to the greater tubercle of the humerus. You can massage this muscle with constant petrissage from greater tubercle of the humerus toward the spine on the scapula.

At one end this muscle attached to sacrum and Ilium and the other end they attached to the inferior border of the lowest sex ribs.
Because these muscles attached to aponeurosis massaging these muscles can reduce lower back pain significantly. Because these are a bundle of muscles massage therapist needs to remember that he/ she can massage these muscles with larger tools like forearm or knuckles. Iliocostalis thoracis
Iliocostalis thoracis is the bundle of muscles that cover midback. Poor posture can increase pain in these muscles. At one end these muscles attached to lower six ribs and at the other end these muscles attached to Upper six ribs of the back. You can massage these muscles from upper six ribs down toward the lower back.

These muscles start from sacrum and goes up along the spine up to cervical vertebras. You can massage these muscles with thumbs starting from neck besides the spine and go down to the sacrum. The main muscle of lower back is quadratus lumborum or Q L. At one end this muscle attached to the transverse process of the lower lumbar vertebra and at the other end this muscle attached to the twelfth rib and transverse process of the upper lumbar vertebra.
Massaging this muscle is a huge help to reduce lower back pain, hip pain, glutes muscles pain, and sciatic pain.

At one end these muscles attached to the cervical and thoracic vertebra and the other end they attached to scapula the rhomboids are major sources of upper back pain. Therefore, massaging these muscles is a major help to reduce upper back pains.

Supraspinatus is a small muscle that is one of the rotator cuffs. This muscle assists with abducting the arm. You can massage this muscle moving your thumb horizontal from top of the scapula toward the spine.

This is a very tiny muscle that one end of that attached to the lowest side of the scapula and the other end of that attach to the greater tubercle of the humerus. To massage this muscle you should start from the lowest side of the scapula and slowly massage toward humorous.

The subscapularis is a muscle under the scapula. Reaching to this muscle for massaging that is hard. To massage this muscle you should hold(cup) medial side of the scapula with one hand, with other hands fingers you should reach into this muscle from the axilla (armpit).
From one end this muscle attached to subscapular fossa and the other end it’s attached to the lesser tubercle of the humerus.
Back muscles along the spine that needs to work on the upper and lower back pain are erector spinae( iliocostalis lumborum, iliocostalis thoracic, iliocostalis cervicis, longissimus thoracis, spinalis thoracis, and semispinalis thoracis), and multifidus.

Pressure points are another approach for treating upper and lower back pain. You can get more information about pressure points with visiting the blog about pressure points on this website.

Essential oils can provide wonderful relief from back pain they work deeply into the tense muscles and provide the relief.

Rosemary, ginger, camphor, lavender, cypress, peppermint, basil, eucalyptus, marjoram, black pepper.
You can make a blend with some of these essential oils. Remember to dilute essential oils with a carrier oil before you apply it on the body
For more information about the essential oils and how to use them. Visit aromatherapy blog on our website

Eliminating muscle tension and pain can improve the patient’s daily functioning. It can reduce consumptions of over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as the renowned ibuprofen, for the lower back pain. Manipulation of the body muscles is considered to be relatively safe; however, it is strongly recommended that you visit your doctor first and ask for his/her advice on massage therapy and the special therapist you pick.
Similar to any other ailment treatments, massage therapy can have its own side effects if conducted by an incompetent therapist or if applied on muscles, skin, or bones which are too vulnerable to endure any type of pressure even as gentle as a massage. A number of these conditions after which the patient is forbidden to have any type of massage therapy are varicose veins, any type of recent surgery in the area, unhealed wounds, infectious skin diseases, severe rash conditions, osteoporosis, etc. It is also essential that you pick an expert as your massage therapist, someone who performs in a professional healthcare center which is constantly monitored by specialists who can perfectly treat your back pain.