Massage Therapy For Fibromyalgia

Are the aches and pains of fibromyalgia getting you down? If so, then massage therapy might be just what you need to help put some spring back into your step. Recently, massage therapy has become extremely popular among fibromyalgia patients. It works to reduce pain, eliminate stiffness, and helps you to relax and take some time out for yourself. If you are interested in massage, this blog will outline the treatment’s basic principles and how it can benefit your fibromyalgia symptoms.

Massage therapy is a hands-on treatment that is becoming more and more popular, both with fibromyalgia patients and other pain sufferers. In massage therapy, your muscles and soft tissues are manipulated in order to relieve stress, reduce pain, and increase flexibility. Usually done with the hands, there are a variety of different techniques used to give a massage. Common techniques involve stroking, kneading, and palpating the muscles. Hot and cold therapies are also used during massages in order to increase blood flow and relax muscles.

Massage therapy can really reduce the pain, stiffness, and tender points

caused by fibromyalgia syndrome. But how does it manage to do this? Massage therapy actually enhances the production of certain pain blockers, including endorphins, serotonin, and norepinephrine. These hormones work to counteract pain signals conducted by the brain, and this would explain why massage offers such dramatic pain relief.

 

Benefits of Massage Therapy for Fibromyalgia Pain Sufferers

 Massage therapy is actually one of the most beneficial treatments for fibromyalgia pain and fatigue. In fact, in a survey completed by fibromyalgia sufferers, massage therapy was rated the best fibromyalgia treatment option by an overwhelming margin. Massage therapy benefits include:

•increased blood circulation to the muscles, allowing for faster muscle repair

•increased flexibility

•increased range of motion

•decreased stress and depression

•reduced pain

•reduced stiffness

•improved sleep patterns

In a 1996 study, fibromyalgia sufferers reported a 38% decrease in pain symptoms after receiving just ten, 30 minute massage sessions. They also reported a significant decrease in their sleep difficulties and began sleeping for longer periods at a time and were disturbed less by sleep disorders.

Massage is one of the complementary therapies that is most highly rated by people with fibromyalgia. Research has shown that massage can help reduce pain, elevate mood, decrease the need for pain medicines, and increase the quality of life for some fibromyalgia patients.

Roy is a Licensed Massage Therapist and has worked in high end spa’s as well as a rehabilitation center working on sports injuries with medical massage.

Contact Roy at 631-375-0962 or email at roy@wavecrestmassage.com to schedule your next appointment. https://www.facebook.com/wavecrestmassage

#fibromyalgia  #fibromyalgiapain  #fibrocycle

Tuning The Athlete

If you haven’t done so yet, you owe it to yourself to add massage therapy to your training routine. Once a month spend a few bucks on yourself to get a trained and licensed massage therapist to get in there and loosen up some of those tight spots. Shoulders, hamstrings, hip – whatever is causing you a little grief. Wave Crest Massage Therapy offers CrossFit  athletes an amazing rate that makes it more affordable than you may think.

Look, even the best athletes injure themselves from time to time. CrossFit is no different.  We are lifting weights, doing repetitive movements like pull ups and push-ups, squats, cleans, presses  and whatnot – we get tired, sometimes we lose sight of our form and we experience some pain. The trick is to get on top of the issue right away! First, address the cause. Talk to your trainer and let them know the issue. It may be a simple form issue. Or maybe you are using too much weight. They’ll guide you. Don’t let those little hot spots of pain and tightness fester. Ice it after the WOD. Get a professional massage from a New York State Licensed Massage Therapist.

But it’s not just about injury. It’s about flexibility and mobility. A little body work each month can go a long way to stretching out those tight spots and increasing your range of motion.

CrossFit athletes can benefit from massage therapy in a variety of ways:

•speeds circulation of oxygen to muscles

•increases flow of nutrients through soft tissues

•flush toxins through the lymphatic system

 Applied stretching techniques combined with massage therapy can improve range of motion and joint flexibility. It can also help you recover faster from an injury.​

We offer personalized treatment plans, depending on the severity of pain, sensitivity to touch and other issues. In most cases, treatment will include multiple techniques such as massage and heat.

Roy is a Licensed Massage Therapist and has worked in high end spa’s as well as a rehabilitation center working on sports injuries with medical massage.

Contact Roy at 631-375-0962 or email at roy@wavecrestmassage.com to schedule your next appointment.

#crossfit  #massage  #mobility  #rangeofmotion  #stretching  #sportsmassage  #deeptissuemassage  #triggerpointtherapy  #WOD

Massage Combats PTSD

In light of recent world events Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, has been a subject of much discussion in the news. However, it is not only troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from PTSD. Healthcare workers are seeing increased numbers of patients from all walks of life presenting symptoms of PTSD. Many of those who are seeking help with PTSD prefer alternative or natural approaches to ease some of burdens of the affliction. Massage therapists and other “body-workers” are increasingly being called upon to offer some solace to those suffering from the emotional and physical devastation of PTSD.

It has been estimated that 70% of the adults in the US have experienced a trauma severe enough to result in PTSD. These events can be military combat, a terrorist attack, natural disasters, a violent crime, or horrific accident. A person with PTSD is unable to “let go” of the traumatic episode they have witnessed or experienced, and they relive it again and again.

Typical symptoms of a person with PTSD will include:

•    Flashbacks and Nightmares

•    Difficulty sleeping

•    A feeling of detachment or  distance

•    Chronic pain or fatigue

 

How Can Massage Help?

According to Western medicine, the symptoms of PTSD are the result of imbalances in brain chemicals triggered by emotional stress. These chemicals, including neurotransmitters such as serotonin, affect behavior, feelings and cognition. By reliving the traumatic event, people with PTSD are always in a heightened state of anxiety. The brain is unable to turn off the “Fight or Flight” response, and their bodies are constantly flooded with stress hormones that cause not only emotional, but physical pain, as muscles are constantly tensed for action. Massage therapy and other bodywork such as Reiki, or Tui Na, can not only relax tensed muscles and ease the physical pain, they can trigger the body’s relaxation response, breaking the cycle of fight or flight.

Massage therapy is an excellent addition to an overall treatment plan for sufferers of Post Traumatic Stress disorder. Once a person is able to relax through massage, circulation improves, sleep patterns can return to normal, and a more relaxed patient is more open to other modalities such as talk therapy that can help them resolve the issues at the root of his or her PTSD. 

 

Massage therapy can offer help to returning soldiers and veterans by:

•relieving sore muscles, lessoning muscle tension and stiffness.

•increasing flexibility.

•reducing scar tissue and the breaking down of adhesions caused by wounds and injuries, especially from fire or heat related weapons and explosives.

•helping to regenerate skin and muscle tissue caused by burns.

•reducing or even preventing muscles atrophy caused by disuse after injury.

•improving posture and alignment – misalignment and poor posture can be caused by carrying heavy loads of 50 pounds or more on a daily basis.

•normalizing hormone production – the stress of war and transitioning often causes a chronic release of the hormone cortisol which, in the long term, can cause problems. Massage has been shown to reduce cortisol levels and increase levels of serotonin, dopamine and endorphins which help in relaxation and reduction of stress related issues.

•helping to maximize toxin removal from the body – during deployment the soldier may be exposed to various toxins and medications; massage therapy can facilitate the elimination of these toxins.

•reducing insomnia and increasing the deep sleep necessary for a healthy mind and body – during deployment sleep is often restless and shallow; at times it is non-existent. Massage helps to restore healthy sleep patterns.

•helping restore a healthy digestive system – during deployment meals may not be the healthiest with regard to nutrition, quantity of food, or consistency. Intestinal muscles may be stressed because of a lack of adequate toilet facilities and lack of clean water. Abdominal massage is especially helpful to restore a digestive system back to normality.

As a New York State Licensed Massage Therapist, Roy is trained and proficient in Swedish Massage, Tui Na (Asian massage) and has earned his level 3 in Usui Reiki.

Contact Roy at 631-375-0962 or email at roy@wavecrestmassage.com to schedule your next appointment.

#PTSD  #posttraumaticstressdisorder  #HOW  #heroesonthewater  #woundedwarrior  #flashbacks  #nightmare

Can Insomnia Be Helped By Massage

Insomnia is associated with a lack of serotonin. Massage increases serotonin levels.

Massage increases serotonin levels

Insomnia means trouble either falling asleep or staying asleep. The prevalence of insomnia is staggering, with more than 30 percent of American adults suffering from occasional bouts of insomnia and 10 percent of Americans experiencing chronic insomnia.

Sleep is essential for good health, recovery from illness and for promoting normal metabolism. Holistic interventions can do much to promote good health and aid in recovery.

The benefits of massage are many. It is regularly used in sports clinics and rehabilitation centers to loosen and soothe sore, aching muscles. Massage helps to reduce stress, improve circulation, release tension, lower heart rate and blood pressure, and assists to strengthen the immune system. These relaxing effects may therefore make massage a helpful aid in restoring restful sleep patterns. Massage is especially beneficial in treating sleeping problems that stem from stress, migraine headache, pain, and muscle and joint stiffness.

Massage has a generalized effect on the autonomic nervous system, resulting in changes in mood and an induced relaxation response. Positive feelings and mood are enhanced. When you have a massage, the parasympathetic is activated and thus allows your body to relax. When you are stressed, the sympathetic is activated and you will feel the urge to fight or flight. Stress affects the body and the mind. The outward signs of stress include tense muscles and poor posture. So if stress and tension are the reasons why you are not sleeping very well, you might be relieved to know that one of the benefits of massage therapy is improved sleep patterns.

A sleep disorder can affect your quality of life, whether you have sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, or the more common sleep disorder, insomnia.

Massage is an effective, healthy and substance free choice to help the scores of people who have insomnia. Insomnia is often associated with a lack of serotonin. Serotonin plays a role in mood, behavior, body temperature, physical coordination, appetite and sleep. Massage can increase serotonin levels. Therefore it is a therapeutic drug-free means of reducing feelings of stress and anxiety. It is logical to seek a natural remedy to increase serotonin levels for people that are sleep deprived.

In addition, serotonin is needed for our bodies to produce melatonin. Melatonin influences the sleep stage of our circadian rhythm. Circadian cycles are the internal periodic rhythms that profoundly affect sleep and wakefulness. This rhythm is what keeps us healed and whole. On a 24-hour cycle, the sleep and wake rhythms carry us through the vitality of the day and the restfulness of the night. When rhythms are broken or interrupted, the result is discord and possible feelings of anxiousness and stress. Massage helps restore balance so the rhythms of your life ebb and flow in a more natural pattern.

Massage can create a powerful emotional response as the body and mind relax in a caring environment. Many people feel the mind ‘letting go’ as the body relaxes. The symptoms of stress are relieved as balance is restored. After receiving a massage many people report that they have much deeper and more restful sleep.

For your added convenience, Wave Crest Massage Therapy will go to your home or place of business. Ask about our free aromatherapy upgrade to receive your choice of a free upgrade of Aromatherapy or 10 minute Peppermint Scalp Treatment. For insomnia I would suggest Lavender oil as your upgrade. The benefits of Lavender oil include relaxation, easing stress and more.

Contact us at 631-375-0962 or email at roy@wavecrestmassage.com to schedule your next appointment.

#lavenderoil  #insomnia  #serotonin  #melatonin  #relaxation  #stress  #sleepdisorder  #aromatherapy

 

 

Winter Depression

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is defined as winter depression. It is triggered by the onset of winter, and is thought to be due to the decrease in sunlight, which decreases vitamin D levels. Studies have shown that low vitamin D may be linked to depression.

SAD is typically treated with light therapy, psychotherapy and medications such as antidepressants. Symptoms of depression include loss of interest in things you were once very interested in, irritability, fatigue, sleep changes, decreased energy and general low mood. In the winter months, people stay inside more, so activity levels change. These changes decrease the body’s production of endorphins, which are natural mood lifters.

If you are experiencing symptoms of SAD also consider therapeutic massage. Massage is, in essence, its own medicine. Massage greatly reduces the symptoms of depression. Massage decreases cortisol levels, and with decreased cortisol levels there is a decrease in stress. Massage allows the body to restore parasympathetic nervous system functioning. In this state the body is at rest. Massage increases the level of endorphins (the body’s natural anti-depressant) which interrupts the fight or flight mechanism. Massage strengthens the mind/body connection. It increases our general sense of wellbeing and increases our immunity and vitality.

General side effects of antidepressant medicines can include:

·        Nausea, loss of appetite, or diarrhea

·        Anxiety or nervousness

·        Difficulty sleeping or drowsiness

·        Headaches

·        Sexual dysfunction

For most people experiencing winter blues symptoms, this type of therapy is indeed a good antidote. In addition to eating nutritionally sound meals or obtaining light therapy or counseling, a massage is an excellent way to enhance the outlook of anyone suffering from the winter blues as well as lessen the incidences of fatigue or anxiety.

For your added convenience, Wave Crest Massage Therapy will go to your home or place of business. Ask about our free aromatherapy upgrade to receive your choice of a free upgrade of Aromatherapy or 10 minute Peppermint Scalp Treatment.

Contact us at 631-375-0962 or email at roy@wavecrestmassage.com to schedule your next appointment.

#winterdepression  #sad  #endorphins  #winterblues  #depression  #lighttherapy  #cortisol