Photo by Jesper Aggergaard on Unsplash
Joint pain can be caused for any number of reasons, from overuse brought on by working at a desk in the same position or using repetitive movements all day, to rheumatoid arthritis which inflames the joints and is an autoimmune disease. Thankfully it seems that massage, being an overarching term for several pain-relieving techniques, can have a beneficial effect on joint-pain treatment – and is perhaps a great help for men who are often reticent to seek help and tend to just ‘soldier on’.
Massage has many different disciplines, all of which provide different forms of pain relief. The key factor across all of them is getting the pressure right; too soft and the health benefits are minimized - too much, and it hurts. By applying moderate pressure, heart rate goes down along with blood pressure. Despite the myriad of different types, most forms of massage should help to relieve joint pain. According to studies, regular massage therapy has been shown to have tangible effect on a person’s wellbeing.
It is important to bear in mind however, that whilst most forms of massage can be beneficial, this isn’t always the case. For example, things like trigger-point and self-massage, because they target specific pains, can be incredibly useful and are often worked into regular massage therapy for long-term joint pain sufferers. Whereas more general therapies don’t require as rigorous an application of pressure, which again, helps to relieve pain. However often it is the situation with severe pain that people assume a focused, deep-tissue massage is required, and this isn’t necessarily the case. Deep-tissue massage is designed to combat deep and serious tissue-based pains but can in some cases leave soreness in the surrounding areas. Because of this, it may not be suitable for some men suffering from specific pains. If you have arthritis in your fingers, for example, deep tissue massage might cause more soreness and pain than it heals.
Often, a combination of solutions works best. A mix of specialised and target massages, administered professionally, in conjunction with self-massage techniques, is often the best way to alleviate joint pain. As previously mentioned, you must be careful. Anyone with damaged joints, fever, severe osteoporosis, high blood pressure or varicose veins ought to seek professional advice before massage therapy is considered. If you have any doubt, it is always sensible to seek the all-clear from your doctor.
Remember, even though it is a healing therapy, massage should be used in conjunction with your medically prescribed joint pain treatment, not instead of it.
Here at the Beehive we have a number of massage services available to help, please do get in touch
Photo by Jesper Aggergaard on Unsplash
