For many people, the concept of massage therapy calls to mind a shoulder and back massage. However, massage therapy has a lot more to offer than just neck and back rubs. Here are a few of the different body parts that may need massage therapy even if you don't realize it.
1. Your hands
Although many of the muscles that control your fingers are in your forearm, the hands do contain muscles as well. Massage therapy can help to relax sore muscles in your hands. Since you use your hands for most everyday activities — such as eating, getting dressed, typing, or driving a car — hand tension can be extremely common.
In addition to helping tight muscles in your hands, gentle massage therapy can help with other pain and inflammation in the hand as well. Repetitive motions (such as those used for typing) can often cause inflammation, and massage can help with that. Massage therapy may even be useful in cases of carpal tunnel syndrome or other types of nerve entrapment.
2. Your skull
Did you know that you have quite a few muscles sitting just under your scalp? Although they're not as noticeable as some larger muscles in your body, the muscles on top of your head can become tense and stressed as well. They may especially require massage therapy if you've recently dealt with eye strain, headaches, jaw problems such as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD), or other issues relating to your head and neck.
3. Chest muscles
If you have poor posture, bend over a lot, or spend a lot of time working with your hands in front of you (such as by typing, playing the piano, knitting, or driving), you may find that your shoulders become sore and tense.
You could make the mistake of thinking your shoulder pain is strictly a shoulder and back issue, when in fact it has to do with your chest muscles as well. Tight chest muscles can actually pull your shoulders forward, worsening your posture and increasing your shoulder and back pain.
4. The inside of your mouth
Not everyone has this problem, but many singers and others who use their voices a lot end up with a lot of tongue tension. The more tense and sore muscles you have in your mouth region, the harder it is to produce a healthy, free vocal tone. Massaging your jaw and facial area from the outside can help, but some spots can be most effectively reached from inside the mouth.
You may have to go to a specialist for this type of massage (called intraoral massage), since it's not the most common type of massage. Intraoral massage can also be useful for people who suffer from TMJD or bruxism (nighttime teeth grinding).
These are just a few parts of your body that you may not realize are holding tension and in need of a massage. Contact a massage therapist for more information.
Share17 May 2021
Chiropractors are excellent at treating back pain, but did you know they do a lot more than that? Nerves that control every system in your body run through your spine, so by adjusting your spine and alleviating tension on certain nerves, your chiropractor can help ease a whole range of ailments from allergies, to headaches, to sciatica. Adjustments are painless, and most people actually enjoy them. We love chiropractic care and the whole-body approach that chiropractors take as they work with their patients. That's why we created this blog, where we share articles on chiropractic care and closely related topics. Please read and enjoy!
