Back pain.
It can feel really limiting and the pain chronic, sharp, like a firework or even something that comes and goes. Pain can be experienced in the shoulder, arm, upper, midddle or lower back, hips, buttocks and/ down the leg(s).
The pain can make you really wary of the way you move your body or even stop you from doing the things you love, which can cause you to stiffen up and affect other muscles or functions of the body which you wouldn't necessarily associate with your back pain.
What Causes Back Pain?
There can be many causes for back pain and there are many different types of pain that can be experienced, affecting different areas.
You may have a diagnosis from a Doctor, such as slipped or bulging discs, whiplash or sciatica for example; or you may attribute the pain to an accident (trauma) where you can pinpoint when the pain started; or you may think it's perhaps due to your posture when you sit at your desk at work - there can be an endless variety of reasons for the pain you're experiencing, or you may not even know for sure what did it.
That being said, my job as a massage therapist, and certainly when working remedially, is to look beyond where you feel the pain - though this is a good starting point.
Often the issue to be dealt with is not where the pain is felt - for example a client recently was experiencing pain in her left lower back, but it was the right lower back muscles that were tight and shortened, meaning the left side was being over-stretched. Both sides of course required remedial & deep tissue massage work, the left to help with the pain and the right to relax and lengthen by working both we work to help the body re-align itself to it's natural position.
I then went on to explore other areas of the body to deal with any other areas that could be contributing - but that is another blog post entirely.
Can Massage Help With Back Pain?
Massage can be really helpful for back pain, particularly my mix of deep tissue, remedial, thai and MFR techniques which I've had huge success with on many different people.
I always start the appointment with a thorough consultation. This makes sure that i am working safely on your body, that areas of pain can be identified and I can plan the techniques that would be most appropriate and effective (which I will discuss with you). So you can feel confident that I will always work within your comfortable range and work with your body rather than against it.
So, why live with back pain?
