Massage Therapy The New Prescription
By: Gabriella Aldebot, LMT
Alivio Therapeutic Massage
Do you suffer from constant pain, aches and strain and treat it with pain medication or frequent trips to the doctor or chiropractor? Wish you had another option? It's time you heard about Massage Therapy. Maybe you have but didn't realize it is a Medical Treatment. In the ever growing age of technological advancements and diagnoses, Massage Therapy seemed to be left out of a few medical minds. As more studies into Massage Therapy (MT) are published, the list of medical benefits is impressive. Ranging from improved circulation to pain relief, many patients, including athletes, migraines sufferers, car accident victims to pregnant women, have relieved multiple symptoms.
Pain suffers need options. As costs of medications skyrocket and side effects abound, patients are becoming more aware of long term dangers of pain medications. Doctors are willing to work with sufferers but medications can temporarily mask symptoms, leaving a patient to inappropriately strain themselves and worsen their condition. With a body in current pain that is not masked, a License Massage Therapist can adequately focus on the problem areas to produce relief with no maladies.
Massage Therapy uses a variety of medical modalities and procedures to relieve pain with great results for patients who are under a physician's care. Some patients find their bodies respond even better to MT than chiropractor care alone. Consistent MT sessions, with follow-ups to the doctor's office, have shown relief from conditions such as TMJ, Fibromyalsia, Migraines, Sciatica and much more.
In the quest for relief, many miss the opportunity of Massage Therapy in their medical care plan. Doctors are becoming more aware of it's benefits but patients need to have a clear understanding of when and how MT will work in their scenario. In each case, the factors include their practitioner's recommendation (through a prescription) and authorization from their insurance provider. For workman's compensation cases and personal injury cases, the treatment option depends of state laws.
