Massage Therapy St. Francis, MN
Massage Therapy near St. Francis, MN. Are you experiencing lingering neck or back pain that won't go away? Were you recently injured in a car crash, playing a sport, or on the job? Or or is there simply too much stress in your life right now that's not allowing you to feel your best? Many St. Francis, MN residents are finding massage therapy to be an effective treatment option for whatever ails them. Total Spine Health & Injury Center is dedicated to helping those in St. Francis, MN feel their best. If feeling good every day is something you want to get back to, call Total Spine today at (763) 568-7869 or contact us online.
Massage therapy has recently exploded in popularity in St. Francis, MN and throughout the United States. In 2021, a quarter of men and 21% of women had at least one massage appointment. Through a variety of techniques massage increases blood flow to a region, and smooths out muscles that are tight, optimizing your mobility. It also releases hormones which allows our bodies and minds to relax. 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 originated around 3000 BCE, if not before. It was developed by India, China, and Egypt and eventually became the popular and effective treatment option it's now known to be.
Massage in Ancient Times
In India, it was used in Ayurveda, a healing system based on the concept that disease was caused by imbalance or stress, in approximately 3000 BCE, if not earlier. Chinese texts documenting the benefits of massage therapy appeared. In Egypt, tomb paintings from a similar period show people kneading others, and the Egyptians created reflexology around 2500 BCE. Around 3,000 years ago, Japanese monks who had traveled in China brought the practice back to their homeland, which eventually became amna, or traditional Japanese massage. These ancient practitioners all lived under the credence that massage was essential to optimal balance, whether within their bodies, minds, or with the outside world.
Massage Is Introduced to the Western World
Around 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. In the 5th century BCE, Hippocrates brought massage into his general practice. He prescribed "friction" or "rubbing", and created a foundation for its use in the West by touting the positive effect massage has on muscles. The Roman physician Galen, who practiced with Hippocrates' philosophies, 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.
Decrease in Popularity 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 1600s. It found its way to the United States to help World War I soldiers who were experiencing nerve injuries and PTSD, and eventually massage boomed in the second half of the 20th century.
Now massage therapy is used around the globe to treat countless injuries, illnesses, and symptoms, from Asia, to the Caribbean, to St. Francis, 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 relaxation and eased their pain.
Benefits of Massage Therapy in St. Francis, MN
Whether you're receiving one massage, a series of them to help you heal from an injury, or choose to get massages often, massage therapy has an incredible amount of benefits that last not only for the rest of the day, but that can contribute to long-term positive life changes:
- Reduced stress and increased relaxation
- Lowered heart rate
- Increased flexibility
- Improved circulation
- Less muscle spasms and cramping
- Reduced need for and use of medications
- A better immune system through increased lymphatic circulation
- Improved skin condition
- Increased athletic performance
You'll only see higher increases in these benefits as you incorporate massage therapy into a consistent part of your wellness routine.
Is St. Francis, MN Massage Therapy Right For Me?
Massage therapy can help improve the life of anyone in the St. Francis area and beyond. Nothing bad will happen to you; when a massage is performed by licensed professionals, it can do wonders for anyone who is looking to reduce stress, gain more range of motion, improve posture, and generally feel better in their everyday life. Many people who participate in athletic events choose to have frequent massage appointments to help them stay at the top of their game. There are also many specific conditions that studies show massage therapy may be capable of alleviating or curing:
Acute Injuries
Massage therapy can significantly aid the recovery of many different 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 the development of scar tissue. St. Francis, MN massage therapy can help ease troublesome symptoms and stimulate the body to heal itself by improving circulation and brining blood and nutrients to an injured area.
Chronic Pain
Some pain and discomfort does not originate in one single injury. Frequently, pain and discomfort are the result of not performing everyday tasks with the best posture, a small injury that starts to hurt more over time, or just the general degradation our bodies fall under at our employment or do the gardening work. Massage therapy in St. Francis, MN can correct these imbalances and help you achieve pain relief you haven't felt in years.
Depression and Anxiety
We're only at our best when we feel great mentally and physically. A negative mental state can do damage to our bodies, and vice versa. The Mayo Clinic lists the following physical signs of depression and anxiety:
- Increased heart rate
- Tightness in the chest
- Frequently being tired
- Muscle tension
- Abnormal sleep patterns
- Significant changes in weight
- Headaches and migraines
Massage therapy in St. Francis, MN can help eliminate the physical consequences of depressions by soothing sore muscles and headaches, stabilizing your heart rate, and sending out dopamine-raising endorphins and hormones such as neurotensin, oxytocin, and cortisol, which relieve stress-related pain and encourage you to bond more with others.
Massage therapy, as part of an overarching wellness routine, can help you rediscover your optimal total well-being.
Prenatal Massage
An expectant mother experiences a huge array of changes to their musculoskeletal structure. Massage therapy can help alleviate many of the physical discomforts that affect women during all three trimesters of a pregnancy. It will encourage blood flow to muscle groups that have recently had it restricted, ease joint and back pain, help you fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer, and release much-needed feel-good hormones. There is even some research that suggests that massage may make labor shorter and less painful.
While massage usually carries little risk for pregnant women, you should still consult with your physician before setting up an appointment in case you have any conditions that may make massage risky.
Massage therapy in St. Francis, MN has also been effective at treating:
- Headaches and migraines
- Work injuries
- Digestive disorders
- Upper back and neck pain
- TMJ
Combining Massage Therapy with Chiropractic Treatment in St. Francis, MN
While massage therapy can do wonders for St. Francis, MN residents looking to recover and feel better, for the best results we often recommend including chiropractic care in your treatment. Chiropractic and massage offer much of the same benefits, but treat very different parts of the human musculoskeletal system.
Chiropractic care addresses structural issues. By performing chiropractic adjustments, chiropractors improve the overall function of your body. By increasing the space between spinal joints and targeting specific areas, we help your bones move better and take stress off your nervous system.
Massage therapy targets issues with soft tissue. Soft tissue is comprised of ligaments that connect bones and cartilage together, muscles that power the movement of our bones, and tendons that fasten muscles to bones. In essence, our soft tissue is kind of a "pulley system" that allows us to move. Through micro-traumas, such as inappropriate posture or degeneration over time, or acute injuries, 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 allows the bones to do their job.
Integrating chiropractic into your massage therapy makes each treatment method more effective. Chiropractic adjustments make it easier for tense muscles to relax during and after a massage, and massage therapy relaxes the nervous system, which supplements chiropractic treatment.
There is no risk to either treatment when they are performed by licensed, trained 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 are licensed and experienced in both types of treatment, making us a one-stop-shop for getting the relief you've been looking for.
Other services we offer in St. Francis, 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 St. Francis, MN Today
At Total Spine, we're not just looking to make one muscle group pain-free or alleviate the migraine you're experiencing today; we want to work alongside you so that you can feel the best you possibly can. We offer one-on-one attention, aimed at implementing a successful treatment plan to help find you meaningful pain relief in St. Francis, MN. Our licensed massage therapist can treat you with deep tissue, Swedish, myofascial, and trigger point massage, as well as cupping. For effective and long-lasting massage therapy in St. Francis, MN, reach out to us today at (763) 568-7869 or schedule an appointment online.