Massage involves the manual or mechanical manipulation of the skin, muscles, and connective tissues. The intensity of an Oil Massage might vary. People can massage themselves or request someone else to do it for them. Firm, soft, relaxing, or energizing pressure can be used during an Oil Massage, depending on the style and the recipient’s needs. The Arthritis Foundation (AF) advises using moderate pressure to activate receptors under the skin that lessen pain, and stress signals reach the brain. All full-body massage techniques can ease arthritic pain and stiffness.
Swedish massage
Long, smooth strokes over the skin, muscles, and tissues help ease joint and muscular pain. A therapist could apply oil or lotion to the client to pique their senses and ease their anxieties. Swedish massage can increase joint range of motion by increasing circulation.
Deep tissue massage
This massage manipulates the muscles’ surface and deeper layers and calls for concentrated pressure. For some persons with active arthritis, deep tissue massage might not be appropriate since it might cause discomfort.
Hot stone massage
Hot stone treatment can relieve muscle tension and encourage relaxation since heat is linked to calming sore muscles. A therapist must ensure the stones are not too hot since extreme heat might leave scars from burns or scalds. Heat boosts blood flow, which could help joints move more freely.
Myofascial release
The ligaments or fascia supporting body components are manipulated during myofascial release, including blood vessels, nerves, and muscles. A therapist can stretch and loosen the connective tissues by rolling the skin back and forth across the sore regions. Neither oils nor lotion is often used during this form of massage. The AF claims that structural integration is a therapeutic philosophy that includes Rolfing. A therapist positions the body in specific ways to massage the fascia tissues, similar to myofascial release. The body Treatments spa seeks to improve alignment and bodily function, restore range of motion, and repair anatomical components. This method could lessen discomfort.
Shiatsu
Shiatsu is a full-body therapy that has its roots in Japan. The therapists of the body Treatments spa press on particular body spots with their hands in a rhythmic manner. The goal is to reestablish the qi, or healthy energy, flow. There is no use of oils, and the subject is completely dressed. However, there was not enough evidence to demonstrate that Shiatsu is an effective arthritis treatment.
Trigger point massage
A person’s pain source is known as a trigger point. This sort of massage reduces pain by applying pressure or vibration to myofascial trigger points, which are potential sites for muscle knot formation. Specific pressure can loosen knots and ease discomfort.
Self-massage
Self-massage can be performed by individuals using their hands, elbows, or knuckles. As an alternative, people can buy massage equipment. Before concentrating on smaller motions in certain painful places, the AF advises warming the muscles with lengthy, firm strokes. For example, one might use oils or lotion to enable the hands to glide over the skin. Before self-massaging, using heat can assist the release of the muscles and boost the practice’s health advantages.
What are the perks of using massage to help arthritis?
Massages help to relieve the stiffness and discomfort that come with arthritis. Among the advantages are:
- Improved joint mobility
Thai and Esalen massages, in particular, ortho therapy and heat therapy, can loosen up tight joints and stimulate blood flow, resulting in increased joint mobility.
- Improved sleep
Lack of sound sleep is frequently linked to arthritis. Regular massages can help to reduce discomfort, which in turn promotes restful sleep.
- Reduced anxiety
Massages can help patients unwind and lessen anxiety, reducing pain and increasing joint mobility. However, due to the discomfort and difficulty of previously thought-of easy everyday chores, living with arthritis is incredibly stressful and irritating. While massages can help with symptom relief, it’s crucial to understand that they cannot reverse arthritis’s persistent inflammation or damage to the joints. Therefore, you must constantly remind your clients to get massages if you want them to be successful. The patient should undergo a massage once a week for a few weeks to completely release the stress from their arthritis, and then once a month after that as maintenance.
Massage techniques to help with arthritis
Numerous massage treatments are utilized to help people with arthritis.
- Relaxation or therapeutic massage
Long strokes, circles, and kneading are used in relaxation massages to ease tense muscles and boost circulation. You can use gentle or deep pressure depending on how bad the discomfort is and what the customer wants. The blood is pumped through the muscles more effectively by therapeutic massages. This encourages relaxation by releasing tension and stress. The Whole Body Massage Course from Discover Massage is a fantastic opportunity to learn about massage methods to calm, revive, and refresh clients.
- Using deep tissue or remedial massage to treat arthritis
Therapeutic massages target sore areas to reduce chronic pain. To temporarily ease the symptoms of arthritis, it is essential to use this therapy method frequently. Deep tissue massages concentrate on the deeper layers of muscle and muscle tissue. The massage is intended to treat any extreme discomfort that people with arthritis can encounter. This form of massage should be used with extreme caution, though, as it can leave people with arthritis with persistent discomfort.
- Using lymphatic massage for arthritis
A lymphatic massage, sometimes called a detox massage, employs mild, programmed strokes to aid fluid drainage into the circulation. It removes extra fluid from the inflammatory areas, which is particularly effective for arthritis patients.
- Using Shiatsu massage for arthritis
Shiatsu massages aim to stretch and rotate the joints by putting “finger pressure” on bodily parts with pressure points, such as the knees or elbows. Usually, clients will focus on the regions that hurt the most, and the practitioner will modify the method to fit those areas.
- Using reflexology massage for arthritis
Like Shiatsu, the Asian discipline of the reflexology is founded on the idea that applying pressure to specific body portions can promote healing in other locations. For instance, applying pressure on the big toe might ease a headache. Reflexology is intended to reduce tension and anxiety in addition to helping with pain alleviation.