What is orthopedic massage therapy?

Orthopedic massage therapy is a form of massage that combines techniques of several different massage techniques—including both medical and sports forms. Orthopedic massage is used on a patient when they have soft tissue pain or have injuries in order to help relieve the pain during injury, as well as to promote faster healing.

Orthopedic massage has three main elements, regardless of the injury or medical treatment involved: assessing the injury, matching the treatment to the injury, and adapting of the treatment as necessary.

The above three points are very important in orthopedic massage because, unlike many forms of massage therapy, the most emphasis related to this form of massage is placed on understanding the injury as well as what it will take to heal that injury. While orthopedic massage therapy is generally used to help heal soft-tissue injuries, many athletes and dancers receive orthopedic massages regularly to enhance performance.

What are the benefits of orthopedic massage?

Orthopedic massage has many benefits to offer patients, including the following:

• Increased blood circulation—this can help to heal an injury.
• Decreased pain—the massage itself, as well as the side effects caused by the massage, can help to relieve pain.
• Relaxation—not only can this reduce pain in the injured area, but it can also help to promote healing by relaxing the muscles near the injured area
• Realigns tissues—this can help relieve pain, promote healing in injuries, as well as prevent injuries.
• Reduces tension—this is a great benefit whether it is preventative or used as a pain relief (such as for sprains, etc.).
• Enhanced performance—orthopedic massage is used by many athletes regularly to enhance their performance (the relaxation, tension relief, and realignment help to accomplish this).
• Releases adhesions—this is the scar tissue that can form because of an injury (this often occurs in tendons, ligaments, etc.) and can sort of glue itself to nearby muscles or other tissues. When this happens, any movement can cause the tissue to tear again and cause pain.
• Strengthening—this can be helpful with enhancing performance, but it is most helpful to patients who have had an injury and have been unable to use certain muscles in their body due to the injury. When this happens, the muscle will begin to deteriorate over time and orthopedic massage can help strengthen those muscles again.

As you can see, there are many benefits to receiving an orthopedic massage. Whether you are looking for enhanced performance or are seeking to recover from a soft-tissue injury, you can achieve this with orthopedic massage. Start enjoying these benefits by finding an orthopedic massage therapist near you and scheduling an appointment today!