Do you Know the Difference Between Relaxation and Injury Treatment Massage?

 

Whether you’ve got a pain in the neck, a sports injury, or are simply looking for a way to relax, you may be considering how a massage could help. Understanding the difference between relaxation and injury-treating massages allows you to make the right choice of massage therapy.

Also known as sports massages or remedial massages, an injury-treating massage is designed to support recovery. Relaxation or therapeutic massages, on the other hand, are designed to rejuvenate, calm, and unwind the body and mind. Here we look further into the difference between the two.

Relaxation or therapeutic massage
Relaxation massages use rhythmic, flowing movements to help you calm your body and mind, allowing you to de-stress and unwind. With a skilled massage therapist, a therapeutic massage is able to calm nervous system activity, boost blood circulation, reduce stress hormone levels, and increase “happy hormones” like serotonin and dopamine.
If you’re dealing with a high-stress lifestyle, relaxation massage is a valuable tool for boosting calmness, reducing anxiety, and improving productivity – helping you get a better nights sleep.

Swedish massage
Swedish massage is another type of relaxational massage. With Swedish massage, the massage therapist uses massage oils as they apply smooth, gliding strokes to the body. The therapist might also use techniques like kneading, friction, stretching, and tapping. The firm but gentle pressure can ease muscle tension, heighten relaxation, and calm your nervous system.

Injury treatment massage
The Posture Doctor’s Sports Massage offers a complete and thorough massage system to effectively massage the entire body.
Injury treatment massage, unlike therapeutic massage, is designed to address specific pain points in the body. If you’ve been injured, an injury treatment massage can treat the affected muscles, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissues in your body. Also known as remedial massage, injury treatment massage often supports rehabilitation, pain management and injury management. It can also be used to boost the range of motion and correct abnormalities in posture.

With remedial massages, it’s vital for our therapist to review your medical history and how you have been injured. Our therapist will assess your range of motion, postural alignment, and conduct tests to determine the type of massage therapy that’s appropriate.

Your treatment plan could involve different techniques like deep tissue massage and trigger point techniques.

Deep tissue massage
Deep tissue massage focuses on aligning deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue. It does so by breaking down bands of painful tissue or adhesions in your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This type of massage therapy could reduce tension, support recovery of mobility, and improve healing outcomes in the case of an injury. Deep tissue massage could also be used to help with specific muscle tension, spasms, or pain. It tends to use slower strokes than classic massage therapy, concentrating on problem areas and using a deeper level of pressure.

Trigger points
Our qualified massage therapists can use trigger-point techniques to treat injuries. Trigger points are where small balls of muscle fibre are stuck together, possibly due to injury or other factors like a poor diet and poor postural alignment. With direct pressure and release movements, our therapist can improve blood flow to the area and help the trigger point heal.

Stretching
Injury-treating massage will usually use stretching techniques to boost blood flow to the injured areas. Our therapists use stretching technique lengthens your muscle fibres and improves postural alignment.

Other techniques
Your highly trained Sports massage therapist and Chiropractor could use other techniques like soft tissue manipulation, acupuncture needles, and rehabilitative exercises to help with your healing and pain relief.

Which massage is right for you?
When should you have a therapeutic massage and when should you choose an injury treatment massage? Both types of massage therapy can improve your wellbeing and health.

If you’re looking to de-stress and boost your health, relaxation massage is the right option for you. But if you’re experiencing pain, tension, restrictions in movement, or other symptoms of injury, you’ll want to have an injury treatment massage. This type of massage is particularly useful for athletes and active individuals who are looking to recover from an injury, enhance sports performance, and improve their recovery time. It’s even possible to organise an injury treatment massage program that’s aligned with your Sports Therapist or Chiropractor.

Call us today and let us help you find the right treatment for you with our resident Chiropractor and Sports Therapist on 028 867 61861 to make an appointment.