18/04/2022
Chronic Pain - How can soft tissue therapy help?
Pain is your body detecting that something isn’t right. Messages are passed back and forth between your pain receptors and the brain via the nerves, producing the sensation of pain.
We say pain is chronic when it lasts 12 weeks or more and is generally caused by injury, trauma, muscle overuse or long term illness. Massage is used to disrupt the pain cycle and prevent reoccurrence.
During a therapeutic massage, the friction between the therapist's hands and the skin increases blood flow and raises the temperature of the area. This encourages oxygen and nutrients which aid repair, while removing the waste products caused by tissue damage, stress hormones and inflammation. Lymphatic Drainage can be incorporated to further encourage waste products away from the area.
Damaged, inflamed or injured tissue will often be protected by the surrounding muscles contracting or going into spasm. This reduced movement disrupts function which often leads to increased or additional pain. Well targeted soft tissue therapy will increase the elasticity and flexibility of the soft tissues and fascia (a type of connective tissue), reducing tension and increasing relaxation. The pain signals are disrupted and there is a release of the feel good hormones - serotonin, endorphins and dopamine.
This is just a brief overview. If you have any further questions or would like to book an appointment with me, please feel free to get in touch through messenger.
I hope you’re all enjoying your bank holiday 😁⛅️
