Are you ready to add Massage Therapy into your Wellness Routine?

I watched a great movie the other night, Ford v. Ferrari. It’s about the Ford Motor Company’s endeavor
to build a car that could beat Ferrari in the Le Mans Race. It got me to thinking about how our body is a
fine-tuned machine. We are constantly having to make tweaks and adjustments in order to get the best
performance for our own personal needs and life goals.
Maintaining the health of our bodies requires dedicated time and energy to ourselves and to our
wellbeing. Vroom, Vroom…here comes Massage Therapy. One of the most positive benefits is to our
Heart, which is our life force. Research has shown that regular massage therapy helps lower blood
pressure and heart rate, reducing the strain on your heart and helping you maintain a healthier
circulatory system.
And there’s more…
 Do you want to run a Marathon or participate in a triathlon and push your body to peak
performance?

 Massage can help you do more of what you love by helping increasing range of motion
and flexibility, reducing inflammation, reducing pain, relaxing the body, and preventing
injury. With all of these added benefits you can expect your performance to be
enhanced as well.

 Are you running ragged with balancing kids, work and taking care of others? Do you have some
nagging aches and pains, feeling overwhelmed or stressed?

 Stress affects more than just your mind. Research has found that stress affects every
part of your body – when you carry too much tension, it seems natural that it can lead
to muscle stiffness and pain. But what you might not realize is that, according to the
Mayo clinic, it’s also linked to headaches, fatigue, stomach problems, and difficulty
sleeping. When you enjoy a relaxing massage session at our wellness center, you’ll be
doing your body a favor.

 Do you have chronic pain, mobility or balance issues? Are you recovering from an injury?

 Preliminary research has shown that massage therapy can even help patients manage
the pain and stress of chronic health issues, including joint pain, sports injuries, soft
tissue injuries, digestive disorders, and even hard-to-manage conditions like fibromyalgia.
When combined with a treatment program from our physical therapist, it can do wonders!

There are many tools you can use for self-care and we want to encourage you to include Massage
Therapy as one of the ways to enhance your vitality, promote relaxation, and relieve pain.
Massage Therapy is good for working professionals in the ‘Sandwich Generation’, elite athletes, seniors,
and anyone looking for a way to feel better, even if its just for one hour.   

​​An essential part of any treatment plan is to listen to your own body and pay attention to the physical cues that signal something is off and needs attention. For many patients, the need to see a physical therapist doesn’t become obvious until they’ve experienced an injury, are in severe pain or have become completely immobile. But, if you do pay attention to the signs, you’ll notice before it gets to that point and seek treatment.

Here are 5 signs that you may need Physical Therapy:

1. YOU STILL FEEL PAIN TWO OR THREE DAYS AFTER what seemed like a MINOR INJURY
Some injuries seem like nothing at first. You trip and fall, lightly turn an ankle or feel a “pinch” that doesn’t seem right. Just because you didn’t have to rush to the emergency room doesn’t mean you don’t need to follow up with a physical therapist. In fact, if you’re still feeling pain two or three days after the injury, you should reach out to a physical therapist.
2. YOU’RE EXPERIENCING RECURRING PAIN
Maybe you don’t know how your pain started, if you’re experiencing recurrent dull or sharp pain, something is not right. This can show up in a number of ways:
Headaches: Recurring headaches can be the result of neck and back tension. A physical therapist can target stretching exercises and other techniques to limit the frequency and severity of your headaches.
Back Pain: One of the most common complaints among adults, back pain can be the result of poor ergonomics, poor posture, or poor form in performing strenuous activities. Physical therapy can target the cause of your back pain and help alleviate back tension.
Neck Pain: Neck pain is like back pain in that it can be the result of poor posture, poor sleeping positions, or stress. A well-trained physical therapist will identify why you’re experiencing neck pain and create a plan to alleviate it.
3. YOU’RE feeling off balance or unstable
Physical therapists are movement experts and trained in getting the root cause in determining instability and the cause.  Ther are several reasons for losing your balance and could be due to aging or nerve damage caused by diabetes or other conditions. Physical therapy is incredibly useful for improving balance, coordination, motor control, and postural awareness. Specific exercises help develop the physical skills needed to be safe while staying active.
4. YOUR JOINTS ARE STIFF, UNSTABLE, OR WEAK
Another sign you could use physical therapy is joint instability, pain, or stiffness. Joint pain is usually attributed to arthritis or a long-term effect of a previous injury. Stiffness and instability happen over time as a result of the same issues or simply from a lack of use.
The problem is you need your joints to move, so you can only ignore the problem for so long until you become immobile. That’s when patients end up having to take more invasive measures like partial or full joint replacement.
With physical therapy, you can increase the longevity of your joints through exercises, non-invasive modalities, manual therapy, and even orthotics and other adaptive devices.
5. YOU’RE AVOIDING CERTAIN MOVEMENTS OR ACTIVITIES
In many cases, patients know they need to see a physical therapist because they’ve had to avoid certain movements. For example, they can’t sit down without assistance buckling their seatbelt is even difficult.
Whether it’s because of a diagnosed condition like arthritis, recovering from an injury or stroke, or an issue with unknown origins, physical therapy can help patients retrain their bodies and resume everyday activities and the hobbies they love.
If you’re experiencing any of these situations, this is your sign to contact a physical therapist to get you on the road to better mobility.