Massage Therapy Bloomington, MN
Massage Therapy near Bloomington, MN. Do you have nagging muscle pain that won't go away? Did you suffer soft tissue damage from an acute trauma injury? Or or is there simply too much pressure in your life right now that's not allowing you to feel your best? Many Bloomington, MN individuals are finding massage therapy to be an effective treatment option for numerous conditions or disorders. Total Spine Health & Injury Center is dedicated to helping those in Bloomington, MN return to an active, pain-free lifestyle that many thought was in the rearview. If feeling great every day has escaped you for far too long, get in touch with Total Spine at your earliest convenience at (763) 568-7869 or schedule an appointment through our website.
Massage therapy is becoming increasingly popular in Bloomington, MN and nationwide. In 2021, one out of four men and 21% of women received a massage. Through numerous different techniques massage brings much-needed nutrient-rich blood to an affected area, and smooths out muscles that have become stuck together, optimizing your mobility. It also releases endorphins which allows our bodies and minds to relax. While massage therapy can help anyone feel better, it's also been proven to be effective at treating specific conditions.
A Brief History of Massage Therapy
Massage therapy originated around 3000 BCE, if not before. It had widespread use in several different ancient civilizations and eventually spread throughout the rest of the world.
Massage in Ancient Times
In India, massage was practiced as part of Ayurveda, a healing system based on the concept that disease was caused by imbalance or stress, about 5,000 years ago, at the very latest. Chinese texts documenting the benefits of massage therapy appeared. In Egypt, tomb paintings from a similar period depict people kneading others, and the Egyptians created reflexology 200 years or so afterward. Around 3,000 years ago, Japanese monks who had studied Buddhism in China brought message therapy back to their homeland, which grew into amna, or traditional Japanese massage. These ancient practitioners all lived under the credence that massage was essential to restoring and maintaining balance, whether within their bodies, minds, or with the outside world.
Massage Makes Its Way to Europe
In approximately 800 BCE, massage therapy began to be used in Greece, where Greek athletes found it useful for treating injuring and staying at the top of their game. Centuries later, Hippocrates brought massage into his general practice. He told other physicians to use "friction" or "rubbing", and created the rational and scientific basis for massage therapy in Western medicine by noting its ability to loosen up stiff muscles. Roman physician and Hippocrates believer Galen incorporated massage into his practice between 100 and 200 BCE, and the wealthy began having massage therapists brought to their homes, while the lay people would seek massage in the public baths.
Decline and Introduction in the United States
While massage therapy was not widely used after the fall of the Roman empire, it started to be used somewhat in Europe again in the 17th century. It found its way to the United States to treat World War I soldiers for nerve injuries and PTSD, and massage slowly grew to become as popular as it is now in the latter decades of the 1900s.
In contemporary society massage therapy is used around the globe to treat countless injuries, illnesses, and symptoms, from Mongolia, to Europe, to Bloomington, MN. While people who espouse the benefits of massage may have different reasons for believing in its benefits, patients all over the world have found it to bring them relaxation and eased their pain.
Benefits of Massage Therapy in Bloomington, MN
Whether you're receiving one massage, multiple sessions to recover from an injury, or get massages on a regular basis, massage therapy has an incredible amount of benefits that pay off not just for the next few days, but for the weeks to come:
- Lowered stress and more relaxation
- Decreased blood pressure
- Increased flexibility
- Improved circulation
- Reduced muscle spasms and cramping
- Lowered reliance on medication
- A better immune system through increased lymphatic circulation
- Improved skin condition
- Increased athletic performance
The more you use massage therapy, the benefits will only increase, and they will last longer.
Am I a Good Candidate for Massage Therapy in Bloomington, MN?
Massage therapy is right for everyone in the Bloomington area and beyond. There are essentially no safety concerns; when a session is carried out by a certified massage therapist, it can do wonders for anyone who is looking to reduce stress, improve their movement health, get rid of minor aches and pains, and generally feel better in their everyday life. Many athletes choose to have frequent massage appointments to help ensure they stay at peak performance. Research has also shown that massage therapy is an effective treatment method for several specific injuries and conditions:
Acute Injuries
Massage therapy can significantly aid the recovery of numerous soft tissue injuries, including sports injuries and car accident injuries. Any sudden injury causes a variety of complications and symptoms, including pain, swelling, limited range of motion, and scar tissue building up over your soft tissue. Bloomington, MN massage therapy can help ease painful or uncomfortable symptoms and stimulate the body's natural healing process by smoothing over tissue and stimulating blood flow.
Lingering Pain
Acute injuries are not the source of all of our pain. Frequently, pain and discomfort can come from poor posture during basic tasks, a nagging injury that starts to hurt more as it remains untreated, or just the wear and tear our bodies fall under as we work or do household chores. Massage therapy in Bloomington, MN can smooth over scar tissue and elongate muscles to help you achieve pain relief you haven't felt in years.
Depression and Anxiety
Our bodies and minds depend on each other. A negative mental state can wreack havoc on our bodies, and vice versa. The Mayo Clinic lists the following physical symptoms of depression and anxiety:
- Increased heart rate
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Muscle tension
- Insomnia
- Considerable weight fluctuations
- Headaches and migraines
Massage therapy in Bloomington, MN can help alleviate these symptoms by reducing sore muscles and migraines, stabilizing your blood pressure, and releasing feel-good endorphins and hormones such as neurotensin, oxytocin, and cortisol, which reduce stress-related pain and encourage you to bond more with others.
Massage therapy, as part of an overarching wellness routine, can do wonders for your mental and physical health at the same time.
Prenatal Massage
An expecting mother's body goes under an incredible array of changes to their musculoskeletal structure. Massage therapy has been shown to be effective at alleviating much of the pain and discomfort that affect women during all three trimesters of a pregnancy. It will encourage blood flow to muscle groups that have recently had poor circulation, alleviate joint and neck pain, improve sleep patterns, and release endorphins. Some studies have even suggested that pregnant women who get regular massages may have reduced labor time and labor pain.
While massage usually carries little risk for pregnant women, you should still consult with your doctor before undergoing any type of treatment to ensure it's safe for you.
Massage therapy in Bloomington, MN has also been effective at treating:
- Headaches and migraines
- Work injuries
- Digestive disorders
- Upper back and neck pain
- Temporomandibular disorders
Chiropractic Care and Massage Therapy in Bloomington, MN
While massage therapy can do wonders for Bloomington, MN residents looking to recover and feel better, we believe it's most effective when combined with chiropractic care. Chiropractic and massage both offer pain relief and improved function, but treat very different parts of the human musculoskeletal system.
Chiropractic care fix structural issues. Through chiropractic adjustments, chiropractors manipulate the joints and spine in order to improve how your body functions. By extending the spine and performing quick, targeted thrusts on the joints, we allow your bones to move better and take stress off your nervous system.
Massage therapy targets issues with soft tissue. Soft tissue is a term for the tissue around your bones, such as the ligaments attaching bones to each other, muscles that power the movement of our bones, and tendons that join muscles to bones. In a general sense, our soft tissue works with our bones to keep our bodies in the proper structure and allows us to perform movements. Through micro-traumas, meaning inappropriate posture or wear-and-tear, or acute trauma, we develop scar tissue that makes soft tissue weaker and less flexible, causing problems for our body's support structure. Massage helps fibers lay down in the correct configuration for optimal health, mobility, and strength, which then helps the bones function correctly.
Combining massage therapy and chiropractic care makes each treatment method more effective. Chiropractic adjustments help the muscles relax for a massage, and massage therapy relaxes the nervous system, which supplements chiropractic treatment.
Both massage therapy and chiropractic care are safe when performed by appropriately certified professionals. Many have found them to be a better alternative to costly prescription medications for many different conditions. At Total Spine Health & Injury Center, we can safely and effectively perform both types of treatment, making us the ideal location for getting the relief you've been looking for.
Other services we offer in Bloomington, MN include:
- Herniated Disc Treatment
- Work Injury Treatment
- Family Chiropractic
- Auto Accident Chiropractors Near Me
- Chiropractor
- Chiropractic Adjustment
- Whiplash Treatment
Call Total Spine Health & Injury Center for Massage Therapy in Bloomington, MN Today
At Total Spine, we're not just looking to make one muscle group feel better or help out with the headache you're experiencing today; we want to work alongside you so that you can feel the best you possibly can. We offer personalized care, aimed at creating an effective treatment plan to help find you meaningful pain relief in Bloomington, MN. Our licensed massage therapist is trained and skilled in deep tissue, Swedish, myofascial, and trigger point massage, as well as cupping. For effective and long-lasting massage therapy in Bloomington, MN, call us today at (763) 568-7869 or contact us online.