How To Give Massage For Lower Back Pain

Use Your Fingers To Apply Pressure To The Persons Spine Starting At The Base Of Their Neck And Moving Down To Their Tailbone

Use your fingers to apply pressure to the persons spine, starting at the base of their neck and moving down to their tailbone. You can also use your thumbs to massage either side of the spine. Be sure to maintain even pressure while you massage. You should feel a slight give as you press into the persons back. If you feel any resistance or bone, back off slightly.

To help loosen up the muscles in the persons lower back, have them bend their knees and pull them up towards their chest. You can then massage along their outer thighs. Finally, have the person roll onto their stomach so you can massage their glutes .

Doing A Massage On Yourself

I Have Lower Back Pain But I Feel It More In My Hip Joint

Again, although youre feeling pain in one area, this is often caused by muscles which are tight in your glutes and legs, especially if youre suffering with shooting nerve pain such as sciatica. Tight muscles can pull your joints closer together than they are meant to be, thus causing your bones to scrape against each other when we move.

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Gluteus Medius Muscle Massage

The gluteus medius is a posterior hip muscle. This muscle is a hip abductor,3,4 allowing you to lift your thigh and leg sideways, such as while getting out of a car. It is also responsible for keeping your hips leveled while standing on one leg . The biomechanics of the hip and spine are interconnected a problem in your hip muscles can cause pain in your lower back.2

The gluteus medius muscle can become painful due to imbalance and/or weakness2 from several causes, such as5:

• Repetitive trauma to the muscle form running on soft surfaces
• Overuse of exercise equipment that requires hip abduction
• Sudden, strenuous physical activity
• Previous injury to the muscle
• Blunt trauma from hitting

Gluteus medius muscle pain mainly affects your lower back and buttocks. The pain may also be referred into the back of your thigh. Stiffness and fatigue are also commonly present, limiting the movement of your lower back and/or walking capacity.5

Ask your therapist to focus on the quadratus lumborum and gluteus medius muscles when you decide to have massage therapy for lower back pain. The muscles of the lower back and hip are interconnected for proper functioning. Unless a specific muscle is injured from direct trauma, it is more likely that the entire set of muscles are affected by fatigue, stress, and altered function.1

Setting Up A Massager Gun

So it is very easy to use in back pain. A typical massage gun has its own settings and you can choose those settings as per your convenience. These settings are mode and strength. Through Mode, you can reduce the frequency of massage or you can increase it at your convenience.

Frequency means the number of times the massage head moves/beats in 1 minute, if it beats for more number of times in 1 minute then the frequency is high, and if it beats fear times in 1 minute then the frequency is lower. So start with a low frequency and then gradually you can increase the frequency as per your convenience.

There is another setting Strength in this massage unit, from which you can also decrease and increase the strength of the massage. That is, with how much force you have to give the massage, you can increase it according to your pain.

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Massage Can Help Treat Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is the leading cause of job disability in the world. About one in ten people have it, and for many who develop back pain, the condition becomes chronic.

Now, a new study finds that massage may provide lasting relief for chronic lower back pain, according to research published in the journal Pain Medicine.

To see how people in the real world respond to massage, researchers looked at 104 people with persistent back pain who were referred by their doctors to licensed massage therapists. They went to 10 sessions over 12 weeks, and the practitioners were free to design massage programs that were individual to the patients, rather than all using the same technique.

At the end of the study, most people completed a questionnaire, and more than 50% reported clinically meaningful improvement in their back pain. Several people improved so much that their scores on a standard screening test dropped below the threshold for disability, says lead author Niki Munk, an assistant professor of heath sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Many of those improvements lasted. Three months later, with no further massage sessions, 75% of the people who reported initial improvement said they still felt better. Theyd reverted back a little bit, but they were still significantly more improved than they were at the start of the study, says Munk.

Do Massages Help Patients With Back Pain

Recovering from a lower back pain flare-up could take several weeks to months. Although many people depend on conventional care, such as taking anti-inflammatory pain medications, getting physiotherapy treatment, and staying physically active, back pain massage therapy offers relief and relaxation.

Over the last few decades, massage has gained popularity as alternative care for people with back pain. When added to the mix of conventional back pain treatment, the magical and soothing touch of a professional massage therapist can promote substantial healing and pain relief to a painful back. By targeting the correct muscles, the pain, soreness, and tension can be controlled at their source. Healthcare professionals recognize back pain massage treatment as a safe and natural relief for lower back pain and effective aid to various pain treatments. Furthermore, healthcare providers even encourage back pain patients to seek massage therapy in addition to medical treatment.

Various pieces of evidence support the effectiveness of massage to the nonspecific chronic low back, showing its benefits in terms of improving symptoms and function.

Here are other several amazing health benefits of massage therapy:

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How To Do A Back Massage:

You can provide a back massage to a friend or family member with just a few tools and some basic massage techniques, or even teach them how to give you one. Heres a video on how to massage your lower back:

Keep in mind that you should never put pressure on the spine directly. To avoid harm and discomfort, only apply light pressure.

Hot Stone Or Himalayan Salt Stone Massage

Both hot stone massage and Himalayan salt stone massage involve smooth, sterilized rocks that have been heated in distilled water. Your licensed massage therapist may place them along your back, and also use the stones as an extension of their hands.

Similar to heating pads, hot stones are great for back pain for the following reason:

• They cause blood vessels to dilate, increasing the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the area
• They stimulate sensory receptors, which decrease pain transmissions to the brain
• They cause muscles and soft tissues to become more pliable and less stiff, which alleviates pain

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Back Massage Techniques For Children

Among the home remedies for back pain, massage therapy is a safe and effective option both for adults and children. Below are some back massage techniques specific to children.

Tips To Find A Good Massage Therapist

The first step in finding a good massage therapist is making sure they are state licensed. Most states require massage therapists to go through training and education courses covering anatomy and physiology and various massage techniques.

With this additional knowledge, a licensed massage therapist has more tools available to provide a corrective massage.

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How Can Massage Help Relieve Lower Back Pain

There is research to support the fact that massage therapy can be used to relieve lower back pain². Therapeutic massage can be used to help in the treatment of lower back pain, providing short-term relief or even resolving mild episodes of lower back pain. Below are some potential ways massage can help relieve back pain:

• Relaxes tight muscles

• Helps remove the build of pain-causing chemicals, such as lactate³ and acetylcholine

• Relieves the feelings of stress and anxiety

Giving A Back Massage

The American College of Physicians guidelines includes massage therapy as a treatment option for acute back pain.

With simple basic guidelines, anyone can give a back massage to people with lower back pain.

When giving a back massage, you should avoid applying pressure directly onto the spine. Always use gentle pressure to prevent discomfort or injury.

To get started, you will need a massage table or a massage mattress, towels, and massage essentials.

• Allow the massage recipient to remove their shirt or ask them to wear a loose-fitting shirt that can be raised to expose the lower back. Position the recipient on the massage table on their stomach.
• Position a pillow beneath the breastbone. Roll a towel and place it under the forehead and place another one under the ankles.
• Cover the legs with a towel and tuck down the underwear or waistband to protect it from being stained by the massage oil.
• Lubricate your hands with massage oil and spread some on the lower back using gentle strokes.

Once the recipient is prepped for the massage, you can begin administering the massage using different methods. It would be best if you massaged the sides of the lower back independently.

After going through these motions, there are a few more moves you can repeat to ease back pain completely.

Repeat the above techniques on the sides of the lower back. Finish off the massage by working both sides of the lower back at the same time.

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For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Tennis Elbow

Just beyond your elbow, all the muscles on the back of your forearm converge into a single thick tendon, the common extensor tendon. At the point where the muscles converge, in the muscles that extend the wrist and fingers, lies one of the more inevitable trigger points in the body: Perfect Spot No. 5. It is constantly provoked both by computer usage today, and more often by the use of a pen in simpler times and by the occasional tennis match, then and now, or maybe crocheting.

Which Type Of Massage Therapy Is Best For Me

Needless to say, your massage therapist has many different tools in his or her arsenal of therapeutic interventions from which to choose. The best technique for you will depend on your specific injury, goals, and comfort. However, some of the most effective massage techniques for pain management include:

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Find Out If Theyre Willing To Get To Know Your Needs

Corrective massage is a very personalized experience. What works for one person wont be any good for another. Thats why a great way to determine if your massage therapist is the right pick for you is if they talk with you before, during, and after your appointment.

The start of every visit should include a short discussion about your medical history, including medications, allergies, and recent illnesses. They should learn your comfort levels and which areas of your body you would like to focus on in that visit.

It may seem weird for a therapist to ask about medications or allergies, but major life events like surgery or pregnancy can drastically limit and change a massage. Additionally, some prescription medications necessitate changes to how the therapist approaches your massage. For example, blood thinners make clients more prone to bruising and internal bleeding, and clients on narcotic pain relievers are at risk of overtreatment because they cannot accurately determine their comfort levels throughout a massage.

A good massage therapist gets to learn more about you before they start so they can provide you with the best experience possible.

How To Do A Self

You can massage yourself if you have the right techniques. Here are a few ways you can give yourself a massage at home.

Tennis ball method

Foam roller method

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Types And Styles Of Massage

There are two basic types of massage: whole body and structural. The whole body massage promotes general relaxation. The spine massage techniques that target specific muscles and connective tissue are called structural massages. A structural massage that targets the muscles from the buttocks and up to the neck is effective for relieving lower back pain.

Some massage styles include the whole body with a special focus on a targeted area. However, all massage styles have the likelihood of helping to relieve pain. The best style to have the most impact depends on what is causing the pain and preferences of the patient or client. The various styles of massage include, but are not limited to:

• Swedish massage a whole body gentle massage for relaxation and to relieve muscle knots.
• Shiatsu massage a Japanese style whole body massage using pulsing pressure and includes a focus on areas of the body needing attention.
• Trigger point massage the whole body that includes an extra focus on specific areas of pain caused by tightness in muscle tissues.
• Deep tissue massage a whole-body massage that uses pressure to relieve tension in deeper layers of connective tissues and muscles.

There are other styles of massage, like Reflexology and Sports Massage, but the ones listed are some of the more common. For people who experience back pain, massage therapy can bring much-needed relief. There is no set amount of sessions recommended because each situation is different.