Massage Therapy Golden Valley, MN
Massage Therapy in Golden Valley, MN. Are you experiencing lingering neck or back pain you just can't get rid of? Were you recently injured in an auto accident, playing a sport, or at work? Or are you just under a lot of stress that you feel in your muscles and keeping you from being at your best? Many people in Golden Valley, MN are turning to massage therapy for meaningful relief. Total Spine Health & Injury Center is committed to helping those in Golden Valley, 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, call Total Spine at your earliest convenience at (763) 568-7869 or contact us online.
Massage therapy has recently exploded in popularity in Golden Valley, MN and across the country. In 2021, one out of four men and 21% of women sought out massage therapy. Through numerous different types of massage, it increases blood flow to a region, and loosens up muscles that are tight, optimizing your mobility. It also sends "feel-good" signals to our brains, which results in that euphoric after-massage feeling. While many people seek out an appointment simply because a massage helps them feel better, they've also been proven to help relieve pain and treat and prevent injuries.
A Brief History of Massage Therapy
Massage therapy dates back to, at the latest, 3000 BCE. It had widespread use in India, China, and Egypt and eventually spread throughout the rest of the world.
The Ancient Origins of Massage
In India, it 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, if not earlier. Textual evidence shows that the practice had begun to be used in China by 2700 BCE. In Egypt, tomb paintings from a similar period show people kneading others, and the Egyptians created reflexology 200 years or so afterward. Beginning around 1000 BCE, Japanese monks who had traveled in China brought the practice back to their homeland, which eventually became amna, Japan's unique massage discipline. In all of these regions, people who practice massage believed that massage was essential to optimal balance, whether within their bodies, minds, or with the outside world.
Massage Is Introduced to Europe
Around 800 BCE, massage therapy began to be used in Greece, where Greek athletes used it to recover and stay at peak performance. In the 5th century BCE, 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 touting its ability to loosen up stiff muscles. Roman physician and Hippocrates believer Galen began using massage therapy 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 would decline in popularity in the West for many centuries, 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 eventually massage boomed in the latter decades of the 1900s.
Now massage therapy is used around the globe to treat countless injuries, illnesses, and symptoms, from Mongolia, to Europe, to Golden Valley, MN. While practitioners of massage may have different reasons for believing in its benefits, patients all over the world have found it to bring them balance, healing, and restoration.
Benefits of Massage Therapy in Golden Valley, MN
Whether you're making one appointment for some general soreness, a series of them to help treat an injury, or frequently attend massage sessions, massage therapy has numerous benefits that accompany you not only for the next few days, but for the weeks to come:
- Reduced stress and more relaxation
- Decreased blood pressure
- Increased flexibility
- Improved circulation
- Less muscle spasms and cramping
- Lowered reliance on medication
- Increased immunity through increased lymphatic circulation
- Improved skin condition
- Peak performance in athletics
The more you use massage therapy, the more benefits you'll see, and the longer they'll last.
Is Golden Valley, MN Massage Therapy Right For Me?
Massage therapy is right for everyone in the Golden Valley area and beyond. There are no downsides; when done by licensed professionals, it can help anyone relieve stress, gain more range of motion, improve posture, and live a more enjoyable and pain-free everyday life. Many people who play sports 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:
Injuries From Trauma
Massage therapy can be a vital part of the recovery process for many different soft tissue injuries, including sports injuries and injuries sutained in auto accidents. Any sudden injury has a tremendous effect on your body, including pain, swelling, limited range of motion, and scar tissue building up over your soft tissue. Golden Valley, MN massage therapy can reduce the negative symptoms of your injuries and stimulate the body to heal itself by improving circulation and brining blood and nutrients to an injured area.
Lingering Pain
Acute injuries are not the source of all of our pain. Often, pain and discomfort are the result of not performing everyday tasks with optimal posture, a lingering injury that starts to hurt more as it remains untreated, or just the general degradation our bodies experience on the job or do household chores. Massage therapy in Golden Valley, MN can smooth over scar tissue and elongate muscles to bring your body back to a place where it can feel good every day.
Depression and Anxiety
Are physical and mental health is intertwined. Depression and anxiety can display themselves physically, and physical injuries can affect our state of mind. The Mayo Clinic states that depression and anxiety can cause the following symptoms:
- Increased heart rate
- Tightness in the chest
- Fatigue
- Muscle tension
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Gaining or losing excessive amount of weight
- Headaches and migraines
Massage therapy in Golden Valley, MN can help eliminate the physical consequences of depressions by soothing sore muscles and migraines, stabilizing your blood pressure, and releasing dopamine-raising endorphins and hormones such as neurotensin, oxytocin, and cortisol, which relieve pain caused by stress and encourage you to be more social.
Massage therapy, as part of an overarching wellness routine, can do wonders for your mental and physical health at the same time.
Massage For Pregnant Women
An expecting mother's body goes under an incredible amount of stress as her body goes through hormone shifts and makes room for the growing baby. Massage therapy can help alleviate many of the physical discomforts that affect women during all three trimesters of a pregnancy. It will increase blood flow to body parts that weren't receiving much blood, alleviate joint and back pain, help you fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer, and release endorphins. Some studies have even suggested that massage may make labor shorter and less painful.
While massage is generally safe for pregnant women, you should still consult with your physician before setting up an appointment to ensure it's safe for you.
Massage therapy in Golden Valley, MN has also been effective at treating:
- Headaches and migraines
- Work injuries
- Digestive disorders
- Upper back and neck pain
- Temporomandibular disorders
Combining Massage Therapy with Chiropractic Treatment in Golden Valley, MN
While massage therapy offers great benefits for Golden Valley, MN residents suffering from a variety of ailments, we believe it's most effective when combined with chiropractic care. Chiropractic and massage can help treat many of the same injuries and conditions, but do so by treating the musculoskeletal system in different ways.
Chiropractic care treats issues from a structural standpoint. Through chiropractic adjustments, chiropractors improve the overall function of your body. By increasing the space between spinal joints and performing quick, targeted thrusts on the joints, we help your bones move better and reduce the strain they put on your nervous system.
Massage therapy targets issues with soft tissue. Soft tissue is comprised of ligaments attaching bones to each other, muscles that we use to move our bones, and tendons that fasten muscles to bones. Basically, our soft tissue is kind of a "pulley system" that holds things in place. Through micro-traumas, such as incorrect posture or degeneration over time, or acute trauma, our bodies build up scar tissue that makes soft tissue weaker and less flexible, causing problems for our body's support structure. Massage smooths out scar tissue for optimal health, mobility, and strength, which then allows the bones to do their job.
Having both treatment methods as part of your wellness routine makes each treatment method more effective. Chiropractic adjustments help the muscles relax for a massage, and massage therapy relaxes the nervous system, enhancing the effects of chiropractic treatment.
Both massage therapy and chiropractic care are safe when performed by licensed, trained professionals. In many cases, they are more cost-effective than prescription medications for pain relief and swelling reduction. At Total Spine Health & Injury Center, we are licensed and experienced in both massage and chiropractic, making us a one-stop-shop for your injury recovery, pain relief, or general wellness needs.
Other services we offer in Golden Valley, 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 Golden Valley, MN Today
At Total Spine, we take a holistic view of your health and wellness; we want to work alongside you so that you can feel the best you possibly can. We treat our patients with one-on-one attention, aimed at creating an effective treatment plan to help find you meaningful pain relief in Golden Valley, MN. Our certified 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 Golden Valley, MN, reach out to us today at (763) 568-7869 or contact us online.