Frequently Asked Questions

How can Massage Therapy Help You?

Many sports injuries, car accidents, repetitive actions on the job and tension from everyday stress can cause problems that will cause pain, headaches, decrease range of motion, lower your resistance to illnesses and compromise your lifestyle.  Massage can help you. Massage is a gentle, touch therapy that can relieve pain and bring balance to your life. Massage is not a substitute for medical care but it can reduce or eliminate the need for medication or surgery.

Massage therapy will calm your nervous system and gives you more energy. It will relieve many types of muscle tightness especially the back and neck area where most of us store the tension. Muscles can become so contracted that they press on nerves to the arms, hands and legs, causing pain, tingling and numbness. Massage can release muscle spasm and tightness in the shoulders or hip to bring relief. Massage will relieve headaches caused by trigger points, or eyestrain, a low back pain during pregnancy, or the protective tensing of healthy muscles around an injury. 

Many of today's health problems arise from stress. Because stress upsets the delicate integral balance of all your body's functions, regaining this balance requires a holistic approach.  Massage therapy is safe and effective if used for stress management but it is also widely used to help clients obtain relief from many specific problems, including the following:

- migraine
- post injury rehabilitation 
- whiplash 
- respiratory problems 
- frozen shoulder 
- neuritis/neuralgia 
- tendinitis/bursitis 
- neck and shoulder tension 
- arthritis 
- low back pain 
- digestive/lower bowel problems 
- muscle spasm 
- pseudo-sciatica (leg aches) 
- circulatory problems

Massage can benefit people of all ages and conditions - babies, children, pregnant women, the elderly, those in chronic care and those who need palliative consideration.

What to Expect During Your Massage Session?

First you will be asked to fill out a confidential general information sheet. Your massage therapist will then ask you some general questions since there are conditions for which massage is not appropriate. For a body massage, you can choose between undressing completely or wear your underwear. Your massage therapist will give you privacy to undress, and you will be fully draped through your session except for the area being worked on.

You will relax on a specially designed table that is designed for stability and comfort. Different pillows or bolsters can be used to make your position more comfortable. The room will be warm, quiet, and filled with gentle music. A professional lubricant will be used to ease the friction and will absorb well in case you have other commitments after the massage. The massage will start gently to calm your nervous system and begin to release superficial tension.

Gradually, your massage therapist works more deeply into the tissues and addresses specific areas. Massage therapy is the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body to gain a therapeutic response. Soft tissue includes muscles, skin and connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and membranes. Swedish massage is presently the most common form of therapy practiced; however, massage therapists may use a variety of therapies and techniques, depending on your needs and their specialties. 

Your therapist will help you understand that ultimately your body has the capacity to heal itself and will work with you to learn how you can become part of this process. 

What to do During a Massage Session?

Make yourself comfortable and relax. Your therapist may move or adjust your body at certain times or will tell you what is needed. You can change your position any time to make yourself more comfortable. Many people just close their eyes and relax, others prefer to talk. Do not hesitate to ask questions any time.

How Will a Massage Feel?

Massage on healthy tissue feels good. Some people are surprised that massage does not tickle. Working on an area of injury or chronic pain may cause some amount of pain or discomfort, which will usually lessen shortly. Always tell your therapist if you feel any discomfort or pain so he or she can adjust treatment.

Massage therapy usually last one hour. This gives enough time to relax the body and address specific problems. A half-hour can be used as an introduction to massage or address specific area only.

After massage you should feel relaxed. Give yourself time to slowly get up. Many people experience freedom from pain and aches that have built over months of tension. After an initial period of feeling slowed down, many people experience an increase in energy that can last for days.

How often Should I Get a Massage?

At the beginning, two to three sessions a week apart are the best to give us maximum benefits as every massage session accumulates the gains from previous sessions. After that about once a month seems to be the most beneficial for massage to keep its positive effects.

from: http://www.themassageclinic.com/index.asp?sys_command=therapy