Therapeutic massage describes massage therapy that focuses on helping clients heal from an injury, medical procedure, or other strain. It is often sought in conjunction with medical treatment, such as those provided by a chiropractor, orthopedic specialist, or physical therapist. By pursuing specialized training and continuing education courses, massage therapists can gain these therapeutic skills and incorporate their use into an existing massage practice, as well as within a clinical or medical setting.
HICI Go is an online center that hosts a diverse catalog of health and beauty courses online for people in Miami, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, or anywhere else in the U.S. At HICI Go, licensed massage therapists and those new to the field or interested in the holistic healing arts can take massage courses that expand and improve their skills.
What Is Therapeutic Massage?
In general, massage therapy helps people relax. When the body is relaxed it can heal more effectively, whether strains and injuries result from emotional or physical causes. It’s well known that the body often reacts to mental stress by tightening muscles in the neck, missing out on important sleep, or experiencing headaches.
Therapeutic massage can help clients learn to relax specific areas by applying a variety of manual strokes, skillfully manipulating soft tissue, and soothing the area. Therapists can also help their clients stretch out knotted muscles and gain flexibility. Therapeutic massage is a great addition to medical treatment or a holistic healing program.
There are several massage techniques a therapeutic massage therapist may deem appropriate for the painful area or injury at hand. While there are select techniques used to treat particular problems, therapeutic massage also combines many types of massage, including:
- Myofascial release
- Swedish massage
- Deep massage
- Trigger point massage
- Lymphatic drainage massage
- Passive-resistive stretching
Benefits of Therapeutic Massage
Sometimes aches and pains are revealed to be chronic conditions. At other times they spring from a recent injury or misstep. Either way, massage therapy is helpful. With the many techniques available to therapists today and the guidance of medical or holistic practitioners, regular massage sessions can speed healing and improve mood and attitude.
Among the many maladies enhanced by therapeutic massage therapy, and other conditions in which pain can be relieved, here are some of the most common: