If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be a licensed massage therapist certified in Orthopedic & Medical massage, I would have laughed, in your face, quite heartily. Back then, the only reason why I took Massage 101 was to complete the requirements for my Radiologic Technology degree. Back then, my only impression of Massage was “that’s cute”.
Fast forward to today, and I am quite frankly embarrassed by all the incorrect notions I held about the truly life changing effects that Massage can have when it’s taken into the realm of Orthopedic Medicine.
Spa Massage? Therapeutic Massage? Orthopedic Massage? Medical Massage? What’s The Difference?
Ask 10 people this and you’ll likely get 10 different answers, but generally speaking, the differences are:
Spa/Relaxation Massage: No clear plan or path for massage therapy as a means of continued pain relief; each session is ad lib, with the only goal being ultimate relaxation. These sessions are usually VERY expensive and include add-ons for beauty, skincare, scalp care, etc. Here, the client pays for an experience, and any pain relief achieved is short-lived.
Therapeutic Massage: Taking the relaxation massage one step further, this type of massage starts to define clear goals and paths to alleviating pain. Often seen as a “happy medium” between relaxation massage and deeper work. The main goal for these sessions evolves from relaxation of the mind to include relaxation of muscle tissue as well. Clients do report pain relief during these sessions, but for clients with more complicated or chronic conditions, those recovering from surgery or injury, or those experiencing pain from degenerative disease, pain relief from Therapeutic Massage is once again short-lived.
Orthopedic Massage: When it comes to pain management within massage therapy, consider this category the Ferrari of pain relief methods. The whole point of licensure within massage therapy is to give practictioners the knowledge necessary to keep the public safe, and practitioners also certified in Orthopedic Massage take that to the next level. Sessions are geared specifically towards addressing areas of chronic pain, enhanced athletic performance, limited range of motion, post-op recovery, injury, imbalance, arthritis, nerve pain, or other ailments caused by the aforementioned. Orthopedic Massage Therapists work directly in tandem with other members of a client’s healthcare team (physical therapists, orthopedic surgeons, primary care physicians, rhumatologists, oncologists, etc) to develop clear treatment plans and session goals. Therapists here will use a holistic approach to pain by addressing the muscles LAST (the mind, the joints, the fascia, etc FIRST); preferring to address the root cause of pain rather than “chase it”, and knowing when and why to refer out to other healthcare disciplines when massage is unsafe for the client.
Medical Massage: Orthopedic Massages that are eligible for insurance reimbursement/billing, VA benefits, or HSA/Flex because they come with a doctor referral or Rx.
Reframe Your Pain: Do You Know Where Your Pain ACTUALLY Comes From?
It’s no surprise that Western society in particular is in a toxic relationship with chronic pain. A common saying in massage therapy is, “We are what we repeatedly do”, and the average American diet and lifestyle are not conducive to pain-free living. To make matters worse, most Americans don’t get an anatomy lesson until high school (if they are lucky), and even collegiate-level classes (only taken by those already accepting the call in healthcare fields) do very little to help its students understand pain (as someone who took Human Anatomy & Physiology 1 & 2 once in high school and three times in college for different majors, I would know…). Further up the chain, surgeons, primary care physicians, chiropractors, neurologists, etc, ALL have differing opinions on pain and how to treat it; often resigning to a pill or a knife.
Americans are becoming increasingly aware that it’s up to them to be their own advocates when it comes to their pain management; this is especially true for those who suffer from chronic pain, and that goes double if you’re a woman. I have personally witnessed first-hand the multitude of clients who have gotten on my table and all shared the same, hopeless, exhausted expression. “My ___ suggested that massage might help; I’ve tried everything else, so I figured, ‘why not?’”. It’s those same clients who leave their first session, often in tears of joy, to finally have someone with physical evidence to validate their pain and give them real relief for the first time in weeks/months/years. How? By educating my clients and helping them reframe how they think about their pain. Orthopedic Massage goes far beyond "poor posture", "bad back", or "bad knees".
Humans weren't made to look like this image with any regularity. We were made for movement, balance, even weight distribution…. None of which are seen in this image, which is the unfortunate reality for the majority of Americans. If your spine was meant to evenly distribute the weight of your skull, what happens when we shift all that weight forward? How long until the back and sides of your neck are in pain from straining to hold your skull like this? How long until that causes migraines, vertigo, or chronic pain & tension between your shoulder blades?
Imagine that your muscles are a series of rubber bands. As you "contract" in one direction, other bands will need to "relax" in order to allow movement in the area you're moving. Eventually, over time, muscles will begin to get "stuck" in certain positions like the above image, which prevents them from contracting and relaxing properly. Disruption to this flow of movement (due to overuse, underuse, trauma, stress, etc.) is what causes the grand majority of pain that Orthopedic Massage addresses.
Using the image above as the perfect example, what do you think happens when your hips spend so long in this position, day in and day out, that they get "stuck"? Usually your lower back hurts when you stand up, and it takes a few steps to get things moving and straighten out again. Sound familiar? And what if, after months or years of this, you can’t straighten your back fully without pain? How long until your body takes “the path of least resistance” and you stop trying to stand up straight at all? How long until your stuck muscles start to pinch your nerves or freeze your joints, causing parasthesia (numbness, pain, tingling, “zinging”, sensations down your arms and legs) or vertigo? And how many people do you think ended up with surgery or injections for sciatica, frozen shoulder, bunions, fused vertebrae, herniated disks, or generalized neck/back pain that could have been addressed holistically and MUCH sooner?
Orthopedic Massage is an amazing, effective, and holistic option to complement pain management practices for conditions including (but not limited to):
Sciatica & Piriformis Syndrome
Lumbago
SI Joint Pain
Chronic Migraines & Headaches
Low Back Pain
TMJ
Frozen Shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Nerve Impingement (numbness/pain/tingling down arms/legs/or in the neck)
Rotator Cuff Injuries
Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
Golfer’s Elbow (medial epicondylitis)
Carpal Tunnel
Arthritis/Osteoarthritis/Rheumatoid Arthritis
Torticollis aka Wry Neck
Muscle Strains
Ligament Sprains
Labrum Tears
Chronic Bursitis
Degenerative Disc Disease
Herniated Disks
Whiplash
Bone Spurs
Bulging Disks
Scoliosis
Shin Splints
Knee Pain
Plantar Fasciitis
Morton’s Neuroma
Trauma from injury or post-operative conditions
When clients commit to pain management programs through Orthopedic Massage, they’re taking the driver’s seat back and creating long-lasting and corrective pain relief.
If you’d like to experience these benefits of true body, mind, and soul relaxation for yourself, talk to your doctor and then BOOK YOUR NEW CLIENT SESSION!
Veteran? Ask me how to get your entire program FREE from the VA!
Abigail Malvestuto, LMT, MMP, ESMT
773.389.4448
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