What should you know about massage therapy? Well apart from it being able to help relieve sore muscles, a few others things like what are the different types, what are the risks, if there are any side effects and whether or not it should substitute conventional medicine.
For starters, there are more than 10 types being used to date. Some examples of these include reflexology, shiatsu, back massage, Thai, hot stone, deep tissue, aromatherapy and Swedish.
There are only a few serious risks with regards to massage therapy and this can be avoided if you take the proper precautions. The best thing to do will be to consult with your doctor to see if it is safe for you to see a masseuse.
Patients who have the following conditions should not undergo massage therapy. These include deep vein thrombosis that happens to be a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the legs, a bleeding disorder or taking blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin, damaged blood vessels and weakened bones from osteoporosis, a recent fracture, or cancer.
You also should get a massage if you have a fever, have an open injury, been diagnosed with a tumor, have damaged nerves, have an infection or acute inflammation. Certain conditions could also be dangerous if you decide to have a massage. These include pregnancy, cancer, fragile skin, heart problems, dermatomyositis and a history of physical abuse.
There are certain side effects associated with massage therapy. These include temporary pain or discomfort, bruising, swelling and sensitivity or allergy to massage oils.
Massage therapy should not be used a substitute for regular medical care. If your doctor tells you that you can see a specialist, do some research about the person.
You should check on their credentials or licenses, years of experience and training. If you need massage therapy to help cure medical condition, find out beforehand if they have specialized training in this field.
It wouldn’t hurt to also ask if they use other CAM practices aside from massage therapy to help their patients. Some examples of these include the use of herbs and requiring the patient to go on a special diet.
If everything checks out, then this is the time you find out how many treatments will be needed, the cost and if this will be covered by your insurance. In most cases, this will not be honored. Some people may even ask for a free ten minute test to see how well they perform.
Part of the criteria should include giving you privacy when you change, he or she covers your body for modesty and warmth, inquires before beginning the session what part of the body you want worked on, asks for feedback as to how they are doing and accommodates requests for less or more intense pressure.
The best part about massage therapy is that it can provide relief without the need to ingest pain killing drugs and knowing some facts about it is good so you know what you are getting yourself into once you visit the place. You can read more about this by doing some research which isn’t bad even if you just go for a session to relieve some stress or pain and not have to visit because of a medical condition.