From easing muscle soreness to improving posture and relaxation, massage therapy can be used to treat a range of physical and psychological conditions.

There are several different types of massage; each one carrying its own unique benefits. Remedial massage is one of them.

The following guide aims to teach you the fundamentals of remedial massage, what’s involved in remedial massage and how remedial massage differs from other massage types. It will also touch on the importance of remedial massage, who can benefit from remedial massage and how to become qualified in remedial massage therapy.

 

Understanding the basics of remedial massage

 

Remedial massage is often used for the prevention and management of injuries. It can also be an effective way to reduce stress and anxiety. Read on to find out what remedial massage is and how it differs from other massage types.

 

What is remedial massage?

Remedial massage is a hands-on massage modality that incorporates many different massage techniques to treat and prevent pain and injury. Specific techniques used include deep tissue release, trigger point therapy, myofascial release and joint mobilisation.

Remedial massage targets musculoskeletal imbalances or chronic/acute pain. Treatment is used to identify and repair any damaged areas in the body including inflamed, tense, knotted or immobile tendons and joints. Remedial massage is often used to treat soft tissue injuries, but can also be an effective treatment for nerve compression, arthritis, delayed onset muscles soreness (DOMS) and neck and back pain.

What is involved in remedial massage?

Remedial massage aims to have the client feeling better and to notice marked improvements in their pain and mobility. To achieve this, a remedial massage therapist will begin by assessing the client and understanding their needs. This initial assessment will often include looking at a client’s posture, flexibility and muscle strength to identify any possible underlying causes of pain.

Next, a treatment plan is drawn up. This treatment plan is uniquely tailored to the client and will incorporate different remedial massage techniques. Depending on the client, these techniques can include:

1. Deep tissue massage
2. Trigger point therapy
3. Dry needling therapy
4. Myofascial release or cupping
5. Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) involving assisted stretching
6. Joint mobilisation
7. Manual lymphatic drainage

Each of these techniques offers different benefits as well as sensations to the body. Clients can expect to feel some firm pressure that may produce mild discomfort depending on their pain tolerance. However, remedial massage is designed to release pain and, therefore, clients should never expect any type of long or excruciating pain during their session.

After the session, the client will be given an at-home treatment plan to practise in between massage sessions.

 

Difference between remedial massage and deep tissue massage?

Remedial massage and deep tissue massage often go hand in hand, especially in the treatment of sports injuries and recovery. While remedial massage uses deep tissue techniques, the two are their own separate modality.

Remedial massage focuses on treating a specific area or injury caused by muscle tension, postural imbalance or soft tissue injury. As such, remedial massage is a more targeted treatment for pain. It combines deep pressure and trigger point therapy to put pressure on the deep muscles in order to alleviate pain, while joint mobilisation techniques are used to improve joint flexibility and range of motion.

Deep tissue massage is used for generalised muscle soreness, tension or pain. It uses very firm pressure in the form of lengthening and cross friction massage to get to the deeper muscles, tendons and surrounding connective tissues. Deep tissue massage is particularly good for removing scar tissue and is therefore often used for treating common injuries sustained by athletes and active clients who are prone to sporting injuries or muscle overuse.

 

What’s the difference between myotherapy and remedial massage?

Remedial massage and myotherapy can often be confused for the same thing. They both treat a range of non-specific muscle pain and work to improve joint function and mobility. However, there are some differences between the two.

Remedial massage is commonly used to treat muscular injuries or pain that may also contribute to poor joint function. Remedial massage can be a great way to treat the symptoms of musculoskeletal pain or dysfunction caused by these damaged muscles or tendons.

Myotherapy treats both the immediate symptoms and underlying cause of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction, aiming to correct any postural imbalances that are causing pain. Myotherapists will assess each joint in the body to identify dysfunction and then use trigger point therapy and other techniques to treat the client.

 

How does remedial massage complement other massage types?

Remedial massage takes a holistic approach to ease pain, prevent injuries and improve the body’s recovery. It uses a combination of massage techniques which can be soft and gentle or deep and rhythmic, depending on the client’s needs. Each massage type complements the other, forming a fully integrated treatment that works in providing relief and improving joint mobility and muscle function.

Remedial massage is a unique modality that can be used as a standalone treatment or in combination with other massage therapy practices to provide a client with the benefits they need.

 

Importance of remedial massage

 

Aside from pain relief and improved joint mobility, remedial massage plays an important role in healing and facilitating the body’s core functions. In fact, remedial massage can have profound positive effects on the immune system, blood circulation and sleep regulation.

Let’s define the key benefits of remedial massage and who can most benefit from regular remedial massage therapy.

 

What is remedial massage good for?

Remedial massage is effective in treating a range of physical conditions and ailments, including:

1. Muscle pain, tension and tightness
2. Neck pain
3. Back pain
4. Whiplash
5. Scoliosis
6. Jaw pain and tightness
7. Frozen shoulder
8. Arthritis
9. Sciatica
10. Tennis elbow
11. Plantar fasciitis
12. Muscle cramps and spasms
13. DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)
14. Stress and anxiety
15. Joint pain and tightness

Remedial massage can also be used to help:

1. Improve muscle recovery
2. Repair scar tissue
3. Prevent muscular atrophy
4. Assist in lymphatic drainage
5. Back pain and tenderness related to pregnancy

Many clients seek remedial massage therapy to address either one or a mix of the above symptoms and conditions, as well as a form of relaxation to assist with stress and mental tension.

 

Benefits of remedial massage

Besides treating the above conditions, remedial massage provides additional mental and physical benefits, including:

Improved blood circulation

Remedial massage encourages healthy blood flow, helping to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the muscles and speeding up the body’s healing process.

Boost immunity

Pain in the body can lead to an increase in stress that puts the body’s nervous system into overdrive. Remedial massage allows the immune system to function optimally by increasing circulation, improving lymphatic drainage and encouraging the healthy production of mood-boosting and disease-fighting hormones.

Enhanced mental alertness

After a remedial massage, clients often feel more alert and clear-minded. This clarity occurs as a result of the relaxation and relief remedial massage provides both the body and mind.

 

How often should you be getting a remedial massage?

One of the most common questions massage therapists hear is how often should I get a remedial massage?

This can be a difficult question to answer as it largely depends on the client. For example, clients that are highly active, prone to injury or are dealing with chronic pain may benefit from multiple remedial massage sessions. Whereas, clients who present with an acute injury like whiplash or a back injury from lifting a heavy object may do well with just one or two sessions followed by an at-home treatment plan.

Regardless of your symptoms, remember – there is no such thing as too much when it comes to massage! However, it’s best to first consult with a qualified remedial massage therapist who can then perform an assessment and provide you with a tailored treatment plan.

 

Can you have a remedial massage when pregnant?

It can be confusing for expectant mothers when it comes to navigating what treatments are safe for both themselves and their babies. Luckily, there are many benefits of getting a massage when pregnant.

Massage during pregnancy can help relieve muscle pain including back pain and sciatica. It is also a great way to relieve stress and anxiety as well as reduce swelling in the arms and legs.

Remedial massage is considered safe during pregnancy, so long as it’s performed by a qualified massage therapist. If you are considering getting a massage while pregnant, always consult with your doctor first.

 

How to become a remedial massage therapist

 

Whether you’re an existing massage therapist wanting to learn remedial massage or you’re considering starting a career as a massage therapist, the following section will help guide you on the steps you should take.

 

What skills do you need to be a massage therapist?

There are a lot of different skills that will help you to become a successful massage therapist. Massage therapists have a unique role since they perform both manual tasks along with front-facing customer service skills such as booking appointments and handling money. For that reason, a successful massage therapist must have a combination of hard and soft skills including the following:

Communication skills

Massage therapists deal with people from all walks of life. The job typically involves communicating with people and having to demonstrate active listening skills. You will need to be clear and concise so that clients understand what you are saying. Part of communication is knowing how to interact with people and understanding body language so that you can accommodate a client and have them feel comfortable with you and their session.

Time management

As a massage therapist, it’s important to know how to manage your time so that you are giving every client the time and care they need.

Physical fitness

You will need to have a degree of stamina and dexterity to comfortably perform in your role as a massage therapist. You will be working a lot with your hands and arms so it’s important to regularly exercise and incorporate a stretching/recovery routine so that you are at your physical best.

Business savvy

A massage therapist relies on clients to maintain their business. In order to do this, you need to have some sense of business know-how. For example, being able to market via social media, produce advertising campaigns and network with other industry professionals is useful in order to build and grow your business.

 

What qualifications do you need to be a massage therapist in Australia?

A great starting point is a Certificate in Whole Body Massage. This course is fully approved nationally, comprehensive and gives students the fundamental skills and knowledge when starting massage therapy. No experience is needed and after completing Discover Massage’s weekend course, you can start working as a massage therapist immediately.

This course is also available for remote students wanting to begin their career in the industry through Discover Massage’s Whole Body massage Course Online. Providing live feedback, coaching and online support throughout, you can also begin your career as a massage therapist here.

Once having completed the Certificate in Whole Body Massage, the CIV in Massage Therapy Practice and the HLT52015 Diploma in Remedial Massage are the next steps. These courses are for advanced students that want to upskill and specialise in remedial massage. However, if you are new to the industry, completing the Certificate in Whole Body first is highly recommended, allowing you to start earning an income as a massage therapist whilst completing further training and education.

 

How do you get certified as a massage therapist?

In order to treat clients safely and effectively, you need to become a certified massage therapist.

To gain certification as a massage therapist, you need to complete a course in massage therapy and meet all the requirements set out in that course. From there, you will have to become a member of an association such as the Massage Association of Australia or the International Institute for Complementary Therapists so that you can obtain your Professional Indemnity Insurance which will protect you, your business and your clients.

If you wish to start your own massage business you will need to register your business with an ABN.

It’s important to remember that a career as a massage therapist requires ongoing learning. In order to stay up to date with industry trends and be comfortable performing a range of massage modalities, you need to be open to upskilling and retraining throughout your career.

 

Do you need to be strong to be a massage therapist?

While massage therapy is an active job, there’s a common misconception that you need to be physically strong to be a massage therapist. While it does help to be physically fit and have strong hands, it is not a requirement.

One of the more difficult aspects of this job is the manual repetitiveness which can lead to physical exertion and exhaustion. To combat this, strength training for massage therapists can help prevent pain from overuse and keep your body in top shape so that you can deliver your treatments more effectively.

 

Start your remedial massage career today

 

Remedial massage forms a vital part of a client’s pain treatment and recovery process. Intended as a targeted treatment for pain and injury, a remedial massage therapist draws on different massage types to help relieve pain and prevent further injury.

For anyone interested in becoming a remedial massage therapist, it pays to look into a remedial massage course. With an industry-recognised qualification, you can work as a remedial massage therapist or start your own massage business in Australia.

Discover Massage Australia provides industry-recognised massage courses including a Diploma in Remedial Massage to help you kickstart your career as a remedial massage therapist.

For clients coming back from an injury, a combination of massage and physical therapy may be required.

Integrating massage with physical therapy can optimise treatment and fast-track rehabilitation. Both manual therapies work to reduce pain & inflammation and improve mobility and muscle function. Massage can also be a useful add-on to physical therapy as a way to manage the stress that comes with chronic pain or injury.

When combined together, both massage therapy and physical therapy can serve as holistic comprehensive treatment delivering a range of short-term and long-term benefits.

What is physical therapy?

Physical therapy, also known as physiotherapy, restores and promotes muscle and joint health to help clients move better and with less pain.

Physical therapy is carried out by a physical therapist. These allied health professionals use physical manipulation to:

• • Relieve pain
• • Improve mobility and joint function
• • Improve balance and coordination
• • Prevent injury recurrence
• • Manage pain from chronic illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis  and heart disease
• • Restore bladder and pelvic health & function
• • Prevent and recover from a sports injury

 

Apart from manual manipulation, physical therapy treatment may also include supplementary treatments including electrical stimulation for nerve pain and muscular engagement, light therapy, hot & cold therapy and hydrotherapy.

Difference between physical therapy and massage therapy

Both physical therapy and massage therapy are similar in the fact they both use manual manipulation to treat inflammation in the body. However, where massage therapy targets the body’s soft tissues, tendons, muscles and fascia, physical therapy focuses on the entire musculoskeletal system.

Another point of difference between physical therapy and massage therapy is that the former is typically used for specific conditions that require rehabilitation. While massage therapy can also be used to help treat an injury, it is favoured as a type of maintenance therapy that can be used alongside physical therapy for optimum results.

The benefits and importance of massage therapy included in physical therapy

Improve flexibility and range of motion

How flexible you are will depend on the ability of your soft tissues (the muscles, tendons and connective tissues). If these areas are tight or inflamed, then you may have difficulty bending down, reaching for things, throwing a ball or getting a full range of motion when weightlifting.

Flexibility and range of motion go hand in hand. Typically, poor joint function or injury in the muscles supporting the joint can prohibit mobility.

Physical therapy and massage therapy can be used together to boost flexibility by stretching and relaxing the muscle fibres.

Improve posture

Massage can do a lot for your posture as it helps bring your body back to its proper alignment. Modern lifestyle habits such as texting, working at a computer or sitting for prolonged periods can lead to muscles that are either overworked or weak. This can result in poor posture, demonstrating as:

• • Slouched, hunched shoulders
• • Swayback
• • Head tipped forward
• • Pelvic tilt

 

Poor posture can result in a number of health issues including headaches, neck, shoulder and back pain, and an unsteady gait when walking or running. Both massage therapy and physical therapy can be used to manipulate hyperactive or underworked muscles to get the body back into alignment.

Reduce scar tissue

When you’re injured, the body forms scar tissue around the injury. These adhesions can cause pain, restricted movement and a feeling of prolonged tightness, itching or swelling. If not treated, injury recurrence may occur, which can delay recovery for a very long time.

Both a massage therapist and a physical therapist can target and break up adhesions using different tools and techniques. With regular treatment, scar tissue can clear up resulting in greater mobility and reduced pain.

Improve circulation

The better your circulation, the better your muscles will recover. That’s because healthy circulation delivers oxygen and nutrients to the muscles to help with stiffness and tension.

A combination of massage therapy and physical therapy will improve circulation considerably. Massage helps to move blood through congested areas giving them the oxygen-rich blood they need to heal.

Muscle relaxation

One of the greatest benefits of massage therapy is muscle relaxation. To an athlete or someone recovering from injury, this can be advantageous to their physical and mental recovery.

Suffering from constant muscle pain and tension whether through exercise or an injury can be detrimental to a person’s physical and mental health. Muscle relaxation through massage can support physical therapy treatment by helping these overworked muscles to switch off and relax.

Massage therapy techniques to include

Trigger point release

Massage therapists can use trigger point therapy to release painful tension and knots in the muscles and fascia.

This form of myofascial release can help to properly align the fascia surrounding the muscles, bringing relief to tight and sore trigger points in the body. Trigger point release can be applied in areas such as the elbow, pelvic floor, shoulder and lower back.

Massage therapists will use their thumb, elbow, palm or a prop to target these trigger points by applying pressure to them.

Soft tissue massage

The soft tissues include all muscles, tendons, skin and fibrous tissue in the body. Soft tissue massage, therefore, works at restoring flexibility and looseness to tight, stretched, overworked muscles.

Soft tissue massage involves a range of depths, pressures and durations to achieve this, and is helpful in those presenting with muscle soreness, headaches, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, tension, poor posture and arthritis.

Active release technique

Massage therapists may apply active release technique (ART) to help break up scar tissue and inflammation in the body.

Active release is helpful in treating a range of soft tissue injuries along with referred pain from these injuries. Much like deep tissue massage, ART can be used to treat pain and other symptoms caused by soft tissue injuries.

Myofascial release

Myofascial release is a manual massage technique to relieve fascia tension.

The fascia is the layer of tissue connecting the spine and muscles. When fascia is tense, in cases like myofascial pain syndrome, muscles can be restricted, restricting movement and chronic pain can occur as a result.

Myofascial release works by applying gentle, prolonged pressure on the sore muscles. Manual pressure and manipulation are applied to stretch any ridged areas until the tension is fully released.

While many people will benefit from a standalone massage or physical therapy treatment regime, combining both treatments can help them to recover better and faster.

 

Massage therapy combined with physical therapy will ensure client’s are getting access to a whole host of techniques and treatments to regain strength, relieve pain and gain more functional movement.

Discover Massage Australia provides industry-recognised courses covering vital massage techniques so that you can help clients fast track their physical therapy and recovery.

Massage therapists give so much of themselves to their clients, that they often forget to look after themselves.

As a massage therapist, you are spending a good amount of time on your feet and using a lot of physical exertion. On a particularly busy day, you may be seeing so many clients that finding time for a quick break may be impossible!

If you’re tired, sore, lacking motivation and are feeling more stressed than blessed at work, then you’re probably suffering from massage therapist burnout.

Here are some helpful ways you can prevent burnout as a massage therapist so that it doesn’t interfere with your work and wellbeing:

Burning out

The term “burnout” was coined to describe the consequences of high stress. Prolonged, stress can ignite into a fiery inferno before exhausting itself.

Burnout can be perpetuated by the following factors:

1. A busy schedule
2. Lack of resources needed to do your work efficiently
3. Unclear job expectations
4. Unhealthy workplace dynamics
5. Monotonous activity
6. Lack of social support
7. Lack of work-life balance

 

Unfortunately, many massage therapists are at risk of burnout and the common injuries that can occur because of it.

Massage is physically demanding and often comes with a heavy workload. It also involves interacting with a lot of people each day and having to multitask. Without taking sufficient time to rest and recharge, massage therapists may find that burnout can stop them from feeling their best and performing their job well.

How to prevent burnout

Massage therapy is a rewarding career, but it’s also a demanding one. In order for massage therapists to prevent burnout, they need to carve out some time for regular self-care.

How can you expect to help others to be healthy when you’re not? As a massage therapist, pouring from an empty cup will have a detrimental effect on your health and performance. As a result, you won’t be giving your clients the best care that they need.

Here are some easy self-care practices that you can do as a massage therapist. Set aside time each day to tend to yourself and prevent burnout and injury.

1. Rearrange your schedule

Have a look at your current schedule and see if there’s anything you can change to reduce your workload but still provide quality care. For example, you might want to change your treatment timetable. Maybe you can streamline your practice by utilising shorter treatment times instead of long blocks. Maybe you can lengthen the time between clients so you have more time to recoup. Finding a balance between your needs and your client’s needs will help you to give your best and prevent burnout at the same time.

2. Get your own therapy

As a massage therapist, it’s often a good idea to practise what you preach! Getting a massage can do wonders for your physical and mental health. Just one massage session every week or two can help you to keep up with the physical demands of your job and get rid of any niggles and pains you may have from being on your feet all day long. You can also use self-massage techniques at home to further your relaxation and tend to injury-prone areas such as your hands, neck and shoulders.

3. Enlist help

If you’re tackling more clients than you can handle, then maybe it’s a good idea to recruit an extra pair of hands. Business management software for massage therapy provides on-demand staffing solutions that can help you operate your business more efficiently. From recruiting to staffing, treatment and scheduling, these tools are a blessing for any massage therapist who is struggling to keep up with their daily demands.

4. Listen to your mind and body

Always find ways to take care of yourself before and after your massage therapy. This can include doing breathwork, meditating, eating complete and healthy meals & snacks, making sure you’re hydrated and taking the time to stretch in between clients. Such little acts of self-care can give you the energy boost and motivation you need to get out of that rut and prevent further burnout from occurring.

Burnout occurs when your mind and body has been overworked. As a massage therapist, it’s important to practice self-care to manage burnout and prevent it from occurring in the future. Remember, the quality of the care you give to your client is a reflection of the care you give to yourself! So take time to look after your health and make changes to your schedule if needed.

Discover Massage Australia can help you to have a successful and fulfilling career in massage therapy through a wide range of certified courses. Get in touch if you’d love to know more about the courses, products and support we offer.

Getting a massage post-exercise can greatly improve your recovery and reduce the risk of injury.

Have you ever experienced muscles screaming out in pain a day or two after a workout? Even seasoned athletes can experience delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) or put themselves at risk of injury from overuse.

Whether you’re an elite athlete, a sporting professional or a gym regular, you should consider including sports massage in your post-workout routine for maximum results on and off the field.

In this article, discover the most common post-workout injuries and how a post-workout massage can help you to perform and feel your best in between workouts.

Common post-workout injuries & symptoms

Workout injuries can happen to anyone, including the most elite of athletes. It doesn’t matter your age or fitness level, everyone is at risk of a sporting injury.

Common post-workout injuries include:

1. Low back pain
2. Muscle tightness and strain
3. Knee pain
4. Elbow pain and tenderness
5. Tendinitis
6. Shin splints
7. Wrist sprain
8. Dislocation
9. Shoulder strain
10. Hip tightness or pain
11. Foot strain or Plantar Fasciitis

After a gruelling gym session or game, you may experience symptoms such as swelling, muscle pain, backaches, or the feeling of muscles ‘catching’ or joints locking up. You may also feel a burning sensation, numbness or shooting pain in the muscle as well as a loss of mobility or flexibility in the arm, hips, wrist, legs or feet.

All these post-workout symptoms signify that you’ve either injured yourself from overuse, by using improper form/technique or have failed to properly warm-up/cool down before and after exercising.

Types of massages to improve recovery

Massage can be used immediately after a workout or following an injury to help reduce further pain and inflammation.

The best types of massage to improve recovery post-workout include a combination of sports massage, remedial, deep tissue and relaxation massage. Including these massage types in your post-workout routine will help to relieve pain and muscle tension, as well as provide therapeutic benefits to the mind.

Sports massage

Sports massage therapy treats and prevents common sports injuries. It combines different forms of massage and muscle manipulation techniques to help treat muscle strains.

The type of sports massage you receive will depend on your injury or individual needs. Some of the most common types of sports massage include soft tissue massage, deep tissue massage and whole body massage.

Deep tissue

Deep tissue massage targets the deeper levels of the muscle fascia, helping reduce lactic acid and ease muscle knots and tension.

The massage therapist will apply deep pressure using slow, sustained strokes to target those inner muscles and connective tendons surrounding the joints. This will get rid of adhesions, relieve pain, reduce stress and provide faster muscle recovery.

Remedial

Remedial massage aims to prevent injury and correct or rehabilitate muscle movement patterns and mobility.

With a combination of deep tissue massage, trigger point therapy, myofascial release and stretching, remedial massage will greatly decrease muscle soreness and facilitate a faster recovery.

Relaxation

Relaxation massage uses slow, rhythmic movements to help calm the mind and body.

A therapeutic massage such as this has great benefits for sportspeople. It can help support recovery by reducing the stress, anxiety and pressure surrounding training and performance.

If you have suffered an injury, a relaxation massage can also help to calm the body and mind and ease any fears or worries regarding your injury or impending time off sport.

Benefits of all

There are numerous benefits to using the above types of post-workout recovery massages. From pain management to improved flexibility and performance, here are some of the ways massage can help you bounce back from a workout injury or intense training session:

Ease muscle spasm & pain

New research from the Ohio State University has found that getting a massage straight after a workout can reduce muscle pain and weakness, as well as reduce the risk of swelling and inflammation.

Muscles that are massaged right away will experience a 20-40% chance of recovery.

Massage is also an effective treatment for DOMS post-event and post-workout. Massage helps to reduce DOMS by relieving tightness and restoring blood flow to the muscles straight after a training session.

Increase circulation and nutrition to damaged tissue

A post-workout recovery massage improves blood circulation which in turn increases oxygen and nutrition delivery to the muscles.

A healthy blood flow helps to loosen and lengthen the muscles and tendons as well as repair damaged tissues. The act of massage straight after exercise may also release any accidental clots or blockages you may have incurred.

Reduces recovery time & risk of injury

Massage after exercise can increase the regeneration of muscle fibres, resulting in a faster recovery time. Massage post-workout can also reduce the risk of future injury by keeping the muscles supple and loose.

In many injuries and also following a workout, the muscles tend to be tight and shortened which can put you more at risk of inflammation or soreness.

Massage will loosen the muscles by releasing tightness and encouraging healthy blood flow. This will lengthen the muscles, returning them to their original architecture – making stretching and moving more fluid and less prone to injury.

Increased range of motion/flexibility

Post-workout recovery massage can be used to maximise sporting performance by increasing your range of mobility and flexibility.

Massage encourages the soft tissues to lengthen and become more elastic, making them extend, move and perform to the best of their ability.

Keeping the body flexible increases performance by allowing the muscles and joints to move at their maximum effort without injury or strain.

Relaxation

All types of massage provide relaxation to both the mind and body. When the muscles are massaged, they move from a tense, tight state to a soft and relaxed state. This has a physiological response, causing the body to enter a state of heavy relaxation and increased feeling of wellbeing.

A relaxing massage post-workout can aid in your recovery by easing muscle tension, reducing stress and alleviating chronic pain. Massage triggers the body to release feel-good hormones that encourage relaxation and gets you feeling your best on your recovery days.

Getting a massage immediately after a workout or sporting event can improve your recovery and performance.

Whether you’re just starting out in the gym or are a professional athlete wanting a quicker and more effective recovery routine, regular sports massage can be invaluable to your overall health and wellbeing.

Want to learn more about sports massage or massage products to help aid in your recovery? Find out more with Discover Massage Australia’s industry-recognised courses today.

Massage therapy is fast becoming recognised as a beneficial complementary treatment for osteoarthritis and its related symptoms.

This degenerative disease often worsens over time, resulting in joint stiffness, swelling and pain. Using massage, therapists can treat osteoarthritis and help the millions of Australians who have the disease.

Along with improving pain management and joint function, massage has the ability to slow the progression of osteoarthritis.

Learn about the significance of osteoarthritis and how massage therapy can benefit those with the disease below.

What is osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a very common condition, affecting around 1 in 11 Australians or approximately 2.2 million people nationwide.

Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects the whole joint, including the bone, cartilage, ligaments and muscles. While it can affect any joint in the body, it most commonly occurs in the knees, finger joints, hips and feet.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

1. Swelling and pain around the joint
2. Bony spurs growing around the edge of the joint
3. Loss of joint flexibility
4. Tenderness
5. Stiffness

Osteoarthritis can develop at any age but is often seen in those over 40 or in people who have had joint injuries. Diagnosis of osteoarthritis must be performed by a doctor in order to rule out any other conditions or other types of arthritis.

Difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

While they share the same characteristics (joint pain, inflammation, stiffness and swelling) osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis do not share the same causes or treatment options.

Osteoarthritis more commonly occurs in later life after years of joint cartilage wear and tear. Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is an autoimmune disease that can occur at any age. Unlike osteoarthritis, the speed of onset of symptoms can be rapid – appearing in just weeks or months. It can also be accompanied by other symptoms such as fatigue, fever, anaemia and loss of appetite.

Treatment will be different in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, with a focus on physical therapy and disease-modifying medications. Massage may help with short-term pain management of rheumatoid arthritis, with permission from a doctor.

Benefits of massage therapy when dealing with osteoarthritis

1. Better posture Massage therapy can improve posture by realigning the joints. During a massage, muscle tension is released, allowing the body to regain better posture when standing, sitting, walking and lifting/carrying heavy objects. Relaxed muscles will reduce the weight burden load on the joint, reviving healthier posture habits.
    
2. Joint flexibility Collagen forms in areas of injury, providing a patchwork of scar tissue which often leads to stiffness and poor joint flexibility in sufferers of osteoarthritis. Massage techniques including friction strokes can aid in the removal of this collagenous tissue within the joints, improving joint flexibility and range of movement.
    
3. Pain management Osteoarthritis responds positively to massage therapy. Pain is relieved by the relaxation of the muscles and tendons surrounding the joint. Anyone with osteoarthritis can benefit from massage and will find relief no matter where they’re experiencing joint pain.
4. Decreased swelling For osteoarthritis sufferers experiencing swelling in joints, the application of wringing strokes can help improve the affected area. Massaging swollen joints will push extracellular fluid near the limb, reducing swelling and expediting the healing process.
5. Movement re-education

With regular massage, osteoarthritis sufferers will begin to experience proper joint mobility, allowing the nervous system to re-educate itself via proprioceptive activity. Improved movement patterns can be restored to pre-osteoarthritis patterns, improving the client’s quality of life.

Types of massage therapy

Massage therapy for osteoarthritis delivers a range of benefits. Pain is relieved, joints become more mobile, and posture and movement patterns are restored.

The best types of massage for osteoarthritis include:

Deep tissue massage: Using deep finger pressure, knotted or tight muscles can relax, bringing relief to the pain site and surrounding parts of the body.

Trigger point massage: Deep pressure and vibration allow the massage therapist to focus on trigger points in the myofascial tissue, helping with radiated pain.

Relaxation: Applying circular movements and longer strokes allows for the tight muscles to loosen and helps improve blood circulation. Using a kneading technique can also release tension and relieve pain.

Massage: A strong tool in treating osteoarthritis

It is clear that massage therapy can be used as an effective complementary treatment for osteoarthritis. Along with physical therapy, pain relief medication, assistive devices and self-care, massage therapy can provide effective relief and management of osteoarthritis pain. Communication between client, doctor and massage therapist prior to treatment will ensure the right massage technique and frequency for the most beneficial results.

Discover Massage Australia is here to help you grow your massage business. Find out about the range of courses and equipment we provide that can help assist clients dealing with osteoarthritis.