What Should You Know About Massage Therapy
What should you know about massage therapy? Well apart from it being
able to help relieve sore muscles, a few others things like what are the
different types, what are the risks, if there are any side effects and
whether or not it should substitute conventional medicine.
For
starters, there are more than 10 types being used to date. Some examples
of these include reflexology, shiatsu, back massage, Thai, hot stone, deep
tissue, aromatherapy and Swedish.
There are only a few serious
risks with regards to massage therapy and this can be avoided if you take
the proper precautions. The best thing to do will be to consult with your
doctor to see if it is safe for you to see a masseuse.
Patients who
have the following conditions should not undergo massage therapy. These
include deep vein thrombosis that happens to be a blood clot in a deep
vein, usually in the legs, a bleeding disorder or taking blood-thinning
drugs such as warfarin, damaged blood vessels and weakened bones from
osteoporosis, a recent fracture, or cancer.
You also should get a
massage if you have a fever, have an open injury, been diagnosed with a
tumor, have damaged nerves, have an infection or acute inflammation.
Certain conditions could also be dangerous if you decide to have a
massage. These include pregnancy, cancer, fragile skin, heart problems,
dermatomyositis and a history of physical abuse.
There are certain
side effects associated with massage therapy. These include temporary pain
or discomfort, bruising, swelling and sensitivity or allergy to massage
oils.
Massage therapy should not be used a substitute for regular
medical care. If your doctor tells you that you can see a specialist, do
some research about the person.
You should check on their
credentials or licenses, years of experience and training. If you need
massage therapy to help cure medical condition, find out beforehand if
they have specialized training in this field.
It wouldn't hurt to
also ask if they use other CAM practices aside from massage therapy to
help their patients. Some examples of these include the use of herbs and
requiring the patient to go on a special diet.
If everything checks
out, then this is the time you find out how many treatments will be
needed, the cost and if this will be covered by your insurance. In most
cases, this will not be honored. Some people may even ask for a free ten
minute test to see how well they perform.
Part of the criteria
should include giving you privacy when you change, he or she covers your
body for modesty and warmth, inquires before beginning the session what
part of the body you want worked on, asks for feedback as to how they are
doing and accommodates requests for less or more intense
pressure.
The best part about massage therapy is that it can
provide relief without the need to ingest pain killing drugs and knowing
some facts about it is good so you know what you are getting yourself into
once you visit the place. You can read more about this by doing some
research which isn't bad even if you just go for a session to relieve some
stress or pain and not have to visit because of a medical
condition.
Get expert advice about massage therapy at http://www.articlefog.com/category-massage-therapy.htm.
Here you can find all information about what you should know about massage therapy,
different types of massage therapy, massage therapy benefits and many more.
Article Source: www.ArticleFog.com.
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