Massage For Lower Back Pain
He runs a biomechanical assessment clinic, advises on footwear and custom orthotics.
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Lower back pain is extremely common with 80% of the UK population likely to experience lower back pain at some point in their life. There are many different causes of lower back pain. The most likely is a pulled or strained muscle in the back from twisting, lifting, carrying or poor posture. Other causes that are far less common are different forms of arthritis, disk irritation, bulge or prolapse, stenosis, fracture, spondylolisthesis, osteoporosis, Scheuermann’s, scoliosis, and skeletal metastases.
Knowing the cause of back pain is essential to get the best treatment. A clinical diagnosis with an experienced physiotherapist or assessment with a highly qualified sports massage therapist will be able to ensure that it is safe for you to receive massage as a treatment. With some causes of back pain, massage therapy can be contraindicated as it can make the condition and your pain worse.
Is Massage Good For Lower Back Pain?
Massage is good for the majority of low back pain. As mentioned above, most back pain is termed “non-specific” and is related to a mechanical overload to the back. Muscles tighten up, causing pain to persist or sometimes worsen. These cases benefit from massage therapy.
Other “specific” low back pain needs to be assessed to determine if massage is safe and, secondly, if it is likely to help. Therefore, a thorough assessment and diagnosis are best before proceeding with massage therapy.
Best Type of Massage for Lower Back Pain
Deep tissue and sports massage are the best treatments for mechanical back pain caused by a pulled muscle or by tight muscles from overuse or poor posture. Slow and strong pressure on muscles can help reduce the muscles’ tone, making them feel more relaxed, supple, and flexible. Often, in acute cases of low back pain, the muscles around the spine can tighten or go into spasm. Releasing this can significantly reduce your pain.
Heat is also another very effective way to reduce muscle tone. Therefore, heat packs are often used to reduce back pain. Massage will increase blood circulation and will, therefore, heat up the area worked on. This is another way that massage can help to reduce pain. Some specific massage techniques focus on heat, such as using hot stones or essential oils that warmly affect the skin.
Can Massage Help a Trapped Nerve in Your Lower Back?
A trapped nerve can occur for different reasons, as we detail below. For cases caused by a tight muscle, massage can be very effective. as massage can relax the muscle, and your therapist can teach you good mobility exercises and stretches that you can do at home to support the treatment.
Seeing a massage therapist who is highly trained and experienced will not only provide better treatment but a better assessment as well. If your therapist feels your symptoms may require additional assessment or a different treatment, they should refer you to a physiotherapist or sports doctor. In many cases, this will be if there is a combination of symptoms that relate to a specific nerve, such as numbness, weakness and a loss of a tendon reflex.
Does Massage Help Scoliosis?
Keeping fit and active is helpful for any young person, especially if you have scoliosis. Keeping mobile and doing regular stretching and flexibility work can also help, especially if your case of scoliosis makes you feel stiff and tight in your back or other areas of your body. This is where massage can be very helpful. Massage is very effective for relaxing tight muscles.
If you have regular massages with the same therapist, they can monitor if your muscles are getting tight or if they are improving. This can be especially helpful for youngsters who are very active and want to perform well in sports. High levels of training will put stress on anyone’s body. If the body is less symmetrical, even more strain can be put on the muscles and growing skeletal system. This may increase the risk of injuries as well as reduced performance.
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We are specialists in sports massage, with our clinic in Fulham, South West London.
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