At Physio Australia we are known as the go-to guys and gals for when you feel pain and injury.
In fact our mission statement is ‘ We resolve your pain and restore your body’s function’.
But what if I told you that we aren’t just your go-to destination for when you feel pain, but in fact we also offer massage services that you can take advantage of anytime whatsoever in order to feel amazing and perform at your peak?
I’d like to speak to you about the second part of our mission statement today – restoring your body’s function.
Remedial Massage restores and maintains your body’s function
Remedial and sports massages are a regular part of active people’s routines.
And rightly so, it is only sensible to take care of the parts responsible for running down a football field, or grapple with your opponent in MMA or even just your calves who go into overdrive to carry you through a long walk.
When people ask me about the mechanical benefits of massage (the direct benefits to your body) I like to touch on the following effects massage has on you:
Increased blood flow
by focussing on a certain anatomical area with massage, we can increase the amount of blood flow circulating to and from the muscles in question.
Think of blood as the transport mechanism for bringing oxygen and nutrients to a given site in the body via the arteries, then taking away the waste and metabolic products from the area via the venous system to be processed.
This is helpful in accelerating recovery by facilitating the transport of healing and reparative nutrients to the muscles and taking away waste products.
Increased Lymphatic Drainage
Sometimes after a bout of physical activity, some waste products seep into the interstitial fluid and are caught up by the lymph system.
Your physio or massage therapist can facilitate the moving of these products through the lymph system to be recycled via specific massage techniques.
Normalise Muscle Tone
As physios we often see hypertonic (overly tight) muscles in areas where you are complaining of pain and other nasty symptoms.
Massage is a way in which we can encourage those muscles to relax and return to their normal tone.
I personally have seen this a lot with back pain. It is common for someone to come in with back pain and on examination we find that their back muscles are super taught and tense.
Massage is very useful in this situation and the effects can be greatly enhanced via the addition of dry needling from a qualified practitioner.
Remedial Massage restores and maintains your brain’s function
We all know that massage makes you feel good and relax – and this is no small detail.
A huge proportion of the benefits massage brings are the restorative effects on your mental and emotional well being.
Some of the many benefits you can expect as a result of regular massage include:
- Increased mental clarity
- Decreased feelings of stress and anxiety
- Increased cognitive function and creativity
- Reduction of stress hormone production
Increased mental clarity:
Your brain only has a certain amount of bandwidth it can deploy until it needs to be recharged.
By allowing your mind time to idle, you build up and restore your mind’s ‘focus battery’, so that when you need to deploy that focus towards a key work task or sporting event, you’re working at full capacity and focus.
Productivity studies have shown that having define rest and relaxation time improves focus and productivity.
Decreased feelings of stress and anxiety:
The quiet nature of massage creates the ideal environment for your conscious mind to relax and allow your subconscious to come to the fore.
With your subconscious activated, this creates the perfect environment for your central nervous system to relax and take a break from pain messages – this is extremely important if you suffer chronic pain.
Increase cognitive function and creativity.
Our brains simply work better when they are less stressed. This is due to the stress hormone cortisol impacting our mental ability if it increases in concentration inside the brain.
Reduce stress hormones
Massage reduces the production of stress hormones, lessening the amount that circulate your body on average.
With these stress levels down, your body is in a much better position to heal.
Chronic stress is associated with high inflammatory markers in your blood, which if unregulated, can lead to chronic conditions.
Regular Massage Is Recommended To Keep You Happy And Healthy
Massage is such a simple and enjoyable way to keep your body functioning in between physio visits that we always recommend you book in for a massage and make it a regular part of your routine.
How often should you get a massage?
Well, there’s no limit.
But in the spirit of juggling your other commitments and getting the most bang for your buck, we think at least once a month is a good idea – more if you’re heavily involved in sports.
It’s an investment that pays off in so many different ways.
Book Your Next Massage With An Highett Physio
Our Physiotherapists have all gone through more than 4 years of university training and even more post-graduate study after that!
We have an in-depth knowledge of anatomy and neuroanatomy which the average massage therapist does not.
Another advantage we have is that we are qualified to use dry needling techniques alongside massage and joint mobilisation techniques. This is an extremely powerful way to release and restore those painful ‘knots’ your muscles can sometimes develop.
At Physio AUS, we offer a wide variety of remedial massage treatments, including:
- Deep-tissue massage
- Myofascial release
- Trigger point therapy
- Sports massage
Each type of massage targets different clusters of muscle and uses different massage techniques.
That way, they can target and help relieve specific types of pain or musculoskeletal conditions.
Get in touch with our Highett physios today – ring us on (03) 9525 6077, or click here to book an appointment online!
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