Rather than for relaxation, therapeutic massage services are usually done with a goal of rehabilitation for the patient in mind. And under the heading of therapeutic massage, you’ll find that there are different purposes for the massage that are supposed to target different muscles or joints. For example:
- Sports Massage
- Neuromuscular Massage
- Trigger Point Massage
In a therapeutic massage that’s for neuromuscular purposes, a variety of pressure is placed on the area that’s causing the pain for the patient. This variety of pressure is held for a few seconds and can be performed using the fingers in an open hand massage or with the hands closed to use the knuckles.
In using trigger point specifically, certain areas of the body are targeted for the therapeutic massage using pathways. You have these pathway locations on both the front and the back of your body.
An example of one on the front is the external oblique and for the back, it could be the lower trapezius. If someone is using therapeutic massage for myofascial benefit, it means that they’re usually seeking massage help for chronic pain that’s caused by the trigger points.
Trigger points can cause pain to travel throughout the body, which is one reason that therapeutic massage for trigger points can eliminate pain. For people who experience short term or long term pain, one of the things that a therapeutic massage does is reduces or eliminates pain – making it easier to go about your day.
Numerous studies have shown that a therapeutic massage can be used to manage pain and as a result of this information, it’s often recommended by doctors as part of a healing process or as part of a therapy treatment.