Massages are pretty common “treats” people get for themselves as part of self-care. After a long week of working, there’s nothing like getting a good massage to work out the kinks and knotted muscles, especially along the shoulder area. As an office worker, I would often indulge myself to massages once or twice a month.
After I got into a bad car crash though, that’s when I really appreciated the benefits of a good massage therapist. The typical 1-hour Swedish or Shiatsu massage no longer helped with the pain. That’s when my doctor referred me to remedial massage and it really changed how I dealt with discomfort!
How It Works
Remedial massage is basically a form of therapy that’s used together with other medical treatments. It’s usually best to get it with the advice of a doctor so that it complements whatever treatment regime you happen to be on.
As the name implies, remedial massage works by treating damaged, knotted, immobile, or tense muscles. After going through the typical massage and then this, I can confidently say that remedial massage is so much more different.
There’s an obvious technique there as a good therapist first asks about the location of the pain, the extent of the injury, and the overall mobility of the muscles. For example, the remedial massage I had focused on my back and shoulder muscles which were banged up pretty badly from the car crash.
It would often cramp up but a few weeks into the therapy and I didn’t have the problem anymore. The therapist also helped address my headaches triggered by the stress and anxiety that come from my injured arm.
It’s a very scientific approach and I’m really impressed on how the therapist managed to target specific muscles to give sufficient relief. They work by targeting the muscle groups and understanding exactly how the human anatomy works. It’s obviously a targeted therapeutic massage compared to a routine massage.
Who Should Get It?
While I definitely recommend remedial massage to anyone who feels like they’re suffering through routine pain, remedial massage becomes more important for people who suffered through muscular-skeletal injuries. Here are some instances when remedial massage would definitely be helpful:
- People suffering from chronic neck, shoulder, or back pain – especially those who do repetitive work like heavy lifting.
- It’s also a good idea for people who suffer from arthritis like the elderly.
- Headaches and fatigue can definitely benefit from remedial massages.
- Another thing I noticed is that some people who go through remedial massage don’t have any injury – but are trying to prevent one. For example, there are sports enthusiasts or bodybuilders who want to push their limits without causing injury to their bodies.
- Maybe it has something to do with lessened pain but I definitely felt better with remedial massage! Any anxiety or depression I experienced tend to dissolve after a good massage.
- I’ve heard that remedial massage can also help manage the side effects of cancer and diabetes. Although I have no personal experience of this, I think it’s perfectly possible for the stimulation to help with the pain.
Remedial Massage – How Long?
My main concern before was the cost of the therapy. After all, remedial massage is a special kind of medical approach and would cost more than your typical Asian massage. I soon found out that it doesn’t have to be forever or often.
By going to a reliable Brunswick remedial massage therapist, you can get an approximation of how long and how frequent the therapy would take. With my shoulder injury, I only needed to go once every few months in order to get the pain relief.
Choosing a Good Therapist
Of course, all the benefits of remedial massage are only available if you get someone who actually knows what they’re doing. I’ve been fortunate because my doctor referred me to someone who has good experience and took the time to understand the extent of my pain.
My advice is make sure you interview your massage therapist first before deciding on going to them for remedial massage. Once you find one you like, try to commit to it at least once a month and you might be surprised at how this improves the quality of your life!