Medical Massage

     A relatively new term in the world of health care is Orthopedic or Medical massage. It sounds impressive, but what is the real difference between medical, deep, and therapeutic massage? In a lot of cases, medical massage includes deep tissue as well as therapeutic work with in it. Medical massage is a more focused work on specific areas of pain and discomfort. It is especially useful for acute injuries, chronic pain, and pre and post surgery. Medical massage looks at the body as a whole. It focuses on where the muscles should be and how they should be functioning. Medical massage uses therapeutic and deep tissue techniques to bring the body back into balance, and in doing so reducing pain along with the initial cause of pain.

          With a typical medical massage session, you can expect to begin with a postural assessment and a set of muscle tests. This is to see where muscles may have pain and if they are moving together in the most efficient order. It is important for your therapist to figure out which muscles are too tight and which are being over stretched. This is key to the session, as it will determine where to begin and how to work each specific group of muscles. Though your muscles and body will be relaxed, medical massage is not always the most relaxing mentally. Your therapist will need  your feedback throughout the session, and there may be more movement and stretching than a typical deep tissue massage. This allows your treatment to be very specific to your own needs.  The session will generally end with some suggestions for home care to continue your progress. This is truly essential. If you leave your treatment and go back to your normal routine, your pain will undoubtedly return. Massage therapists can not fix you, they can assist you on your journey into a pain free life, though without making the changes yourself, a massage can only go so far.

       Though it is important to have an injury checked out by a medical doctor first,  Medical massage can be for anyone with pain. Whether you have been in pain for as long as you can remember, recently been injured and your doctor does not recommend surgery, or are preparing for or recovering from surgery, this type of massage can greatly benefit you. Medical massage is helpful for those with pain from sitting at a desk, driving, or standing most of your work day, those struggling with a frozen joint and those who can’t remember what pain free feels like.  It is also for those who have recently injured their rotator cuff, strained a muscle, or sprained their ankle. As long as you have discussed massage with your doctor, it is also extremely helpful for those who are planning to or have recently had an orthopedic surgery.                                                        

  Here at Oak City Massage Therapy, we specialize in medical and orthopedic massage. We would love to discuss your symptoms and work with you to resolve them for good.  Sometimes it is nice to get a relaxing deep tissue massage, but if you are in pain and relaxation massage is not cutting it,  give medical massage a try!

Give us a call today to schedule your medical massage! 919.322.8382

Convenient to Cary, Morrisville, Apex, and Raleigh for Medical massage, Sports massage, Prenatal massage, and Relaxation massage.

Oak City Massage Therapy