The Power of Massage Therapy

Massage therapy has been utilized, in various forms and cultures, over countless millennia as a method of restoring health and relieving discomfort. But what exactly can soft tissue manipulation for your overall well-being? Massage actually conveys a variety of benefits, starting with stress reduction. Stress has been identified as a factor in up to 90 percent of all diseases, either as part of the cause or as a destructive side effect. Emotional stress manifests itself as muscle tension, with chronically tight muscles going into spasm to produce such common problems as tension headaches and trigger points (painful knots that relay pain signals to other parts of the body). Chronic tension can even have a negative effect on your musculoskeletal alignment and systemic function (including immune function) over time.

By working the tension out of your major muscles groups, massage therapy can improve your range of motion, improve sleep quality, reduce chronic pain, and boost your overall wellness level. It also works beautifully as a complement to chiropractic care. By scheduling massage sessions in anticipation of your chiropractic adjustments, you can prime your muscles to accept those adjustments more fully and easily, helping you get the most out of every treatment.

Different Techniques for Different Health and Wellness Challenges

Just as there is more than one chiropractic technique to address different conditions and situations, the world of massage therapy includes multiple disciplines and techniques, each of which has its own particular strengths. Depending on your individual health challenge, you may benefit from:

• Swedish Massage – Swedish massage is the technique most familiar to spa-goers. This gentle form of massage makes use of light strokes that increase blood flow and lymphatic drainage in the superficial tissue layers. It does an excellent job of relieving muscle tension, enhancing the healing of soft tissue injuries, relieving inflammatory muscle pain and boosting your immune response.
• Deep Tissue Massage – Deep tissue massage is a more forceful technique than Swedish massage. This massage concentrates on manipulating tissues closer to the bone. It is extremely useful for releasing internal scarring from old injuries or tissue pain related to chronic conditions that impair your mobility.
• Trigger Point Massage – Trigger point massage aims its treatments squarely at those muscle knots that are causing recurring or constant pain. A combination of pressure and release cycles with deep breathing exercises can produce remarkable results even after the very first session — and since it’s non-invasive and drug-free, it’s safe enough to be repeated whenever you need it.
• Sports Massage – Sports massage is a must for many athletes who are either working through a current injury or trying to prevent the next one. This form of massage pays special attention to the muscle groups that your particular sport works hardest. We can use it to speed the healing process while removing pain and inflammation, or we can use it to loosen and relax the muscles before your next big event.
• Pregnancy Massage – Massage therapy can take a lot of the aches and pains out of pregnancy. This form of massage uses specialized tables to position you safely and carefully. We can relieve strained, tight muscles, reduce the swelling in your extremities, and help you minimize prenatal headaches, neck pain, and backaches. It also helps optimize your health, and what’s good for you is good for your baby!

Schedule an Appointment with Your Manhattan Chiropractor

The tremendous benefits of massage therapy await you at NuView Health Medical of Manhattan. Call (212) 588-0707 and schedule a visit to our facility (right in front of Rockefeller Center). We want to be your massage therapy resource in NYC!