Massage is a great way to get relief from any stress you had during the day. It may take care of your anxiety, and help you to improve healthy sleep during the night. Moreover, massage is widely used in medicine when it comes to chronic pains and arthritis. To be able to receive all the benefits you need from massage, you have to properly pick the massager, like an electric massager for runners if you need to massage specific parts of your body, and find out which massage suits you the best.
About Arthritis
Arthritis is the common term for joints disorder with symptoms like stiffness and joint pain. There are more than 100 different medical conditions that are connected with this disease. The major target of the illness is the joints. Arthritis is widely spread around the world. This disease happens rarely among young and active people. However, it can turn the life of an elderly into a real nightmare. People who sit in front of the computer during the working day suffer from the same disease frequently.
Benefits Massage Provide Against Arthritis
There are numerous ways to improve your health if you begin to feel pain in your joints. Massage is one of them. You need to consider its benefits in order to pick the most suitable type for you:
- You increase the mobility of your joints with a proper massage. Sitting the whole day in one position can significantly damage your health. A wide range of massages can help you to restore it. Think about Esalen or Thai massage. You need to stimulate the blood flow into your body;
- You reduce the pain in your body. This is one of the main advantages of massage. It immediately stops the pain after the session. To get rid of it completely you may need more than one session and a healthy lifestyle. Yet, you will feel the effect immediately;
- The sleep is better and deeper. If you suffer from insomnia, try to sign up for a regular massage. It will take away the pain and help you to relax numb joints and the whole body. Massage will restore your sleep;
- You can get rid of anxiety. Massage helps you to relax physically and mentally. It offers you to concentrate on your own body and forget about daily stress. It relieves the symptoms of arthritis so you can come back to life without chronic pain. Regular sessions may restore even your daily productivity.
Types of Massage You Need
Arthritis is a tricky disease that can’t be cured with one or two visits. Moreover, to receive relief from the pain you may need to sign up for regular sessions. However, not all techniques are equally helpful against arthritis. You have to pick the right one before you will be able to restore your health. Read the basic information on popular massage techniques and how they can help against your problem.
Therapeutic massage
Therapeutic is also known as relaxation massage. It is well-known around the world and widely practiced in healing arthritis symptoms. During this type of massage, the client feels the circular movements, kneading, and long strokes to relieve the tension in the muscles and restore the right blood circulation. The pressure can be either deep or light, based on the situation.
Restored blood circulation stops headaches, and restores healthy sleep. It is widely used after the gym session. It is a perfect way to finish your busy day.
Deep tissue massage
This massage is also known as remedial. It concentrates on the most problematic areas and aims to stop the chronic pain in your body. It may not work after one session. You need to receive regular deep tissue massage to be able to feel all the benefits.
It is called deep tissue mainly because of the technique that gets to the muscle tissue and the deep layers of muscles inside the body. If you experience constant pain, you may search for a specialist in this massage. Yet, pay attention to reviews and the quality of massage. If the masseur you found is not professional, you will feel only lingering soreness. Make sure you have found the right person for this massage. You can’t provide it on your own.
Lymphatic massage
Lymphatic or, as it is also called, detox massage is simple and helpful. Masseur provides light strokes around the places in pain. They are patterned and made specifically to restore proper circulation. It helps to drain the fluid inside the bloodstream. It drains fluid from the most painful places. Lymphatic massage is widely used in beauty salons as well.
Shiatsu massage
Shiatsu is not just one of the most popular types of massage around the world, it does not even require a masseur. You can provide it by yourself with the right massager. Shiatsu is known for its technique of “figure pressure”. The person or the tool creates the pressure on the area that suffers from chronic pain equal to the fingers pressure of different intensity.
Shiatsu is usually applied on the knees and elbows. It helps to loosen the pressure in the joints, forcing them to stretch and rotate. Each area of pain requires a different intensity of the massage. While you can use Shiatsu massage at home, it is recommended to attend several sessions in a professional massage salon to learn the technique.
Reflexology
This massage has similar roots to Shiatsu. They both came from Asian health practices and have one major philosophy in common. It says that creating pressure on one area of the body will help other body parts to heal. Reflexology uses the pressure on the toe of your right foot, for example, to get rid of headaches. Apart from easing the pain, it helps to lower the level of anxiety and stress.
Swedish massage
Swedish massage works miracles against the pain of a different kind. It provides help to a patient who suffers degenerative joint illness, rheumatism, and chronic pain. It gets rid of the stiffness of joints and relieves the muscles that are tensed. Its major focus is the top layer of tissue.
This technique is based on gliding and sliding movements for relaxation. It uses kneading to reach the muscles above tissue. The tapping motions can restore healthy blood flow. Apart from that, a professional massage therapist can offer you shaking movements to loosen the muscles. Normally, all these techniques can be offered during the session.
Wide-Spread Types of Arthritis
You can pick the type of massage based on your type of arthritis. You have to find out which arthritis you have in the first place. To do it, you need to visit your doctor. Consult a doctor about your plans to go through massage therapy. Check out the most popular types:
- Osteoarthritis is widely spread around the country. It is known for stiff muscles and the damage the disease provides to the nervous system, causing chronic pains. The most popular way out is to order deep tissue massage on the regular basis. After some time, the joint will get to the norm, and you can limit massage procedures;
- Rheumatoid arthritis is a disorder of the autoimmune system and it needs constant attention and treatment. The body attacks its own joints, mistaking it for the enemy. You will have to use medication to stop the process and massage to get rid of the pain. Yet, not every massage suits this situation. Moreover, deep tissue massage can worsen the situation. You have to receive a light massage with strokes from Alexander or Tragger techniques;
- Psoriatic arthritis is also an autoimmune disorder slightly similar to rheumatoid arthritis. It is still new to medicine. It responds greatly to the deep tissue massage. This is one of the major differences between the two types;
- Gout creates crystals from the uric acids inside the joint. You may notice it on feet or big toes. The pain caused by gout is intense and lasts longer. The joints may turn red and swollen. This disease occurs from a kidney problem, which can’t process uric acid in time. You need not only to receive the proper massage nearby the pain areas but to get on a healthy diet too. Gout can’t be stopped for good, but you can decrease the pain. You will need a deep tissue massage. Shiatsu massage may also bring relief to the pain once you notice the new wave of pain coming.
Treat Arthritis With Massage
Hopefully, these recommendations will help you to understand which massage you need the most. Before you start treatment, make sure that you found the right professional too. If you prefer to use a massager at home, you have to consult your doctor in advance. Make sure that you pick the right type of treatment to avoid making the situation worse. Although you have to provide extra measures to stay healthy and get rid of pain, massage is a good start. Don’t forget about more physical exercises, diet, and medication that your therapist prescribed you. Make an effort to decrease the pain for good.
