Medical Massage is prescribed by a doctor that is goal oriented to help manage a variety of health conditions. Massage therapies are used to aid the body’s natural healing response. As we work with the soft tissues, we are also working with the sympathetic nervous system “fight or flight” response and the parasympathetic nervous system “rest and digest” response. As we facilitate this rest response the body can spend more energy on healing.

Some goals from a massage session may include:

• Manage pain
• Promote healing
• Improve circulation
• Manage symptoms
• Improve range of motion

Health care professionals are referring more patients to massage therapists to manage conditions holistically in hopes to prevent prescribing pain medications or surgical procedures. People of all ages and physical abilities are being more proactive with their preventative health care goals. This increased awareness has people seeking alternative ways to help the body heal and reach their optimum performance naturally.

Massage Therapists can not diagnose a condition. It may be advised that you seek medical care from your doctor prior to receiving a massage. Depending on the diagnosis, they can determine if massage is an acceptable treatment for you. Results from massage can vary from person to person and everyone has different healing response. Symptoms may be noticeable after one treatment while chronic conditions may benefit from ongoing massage to manage them.