A massage certainly feels good. After a massage session, you feel so relaxed and light. But is massage therapy a good way to treat sciatica or back pain?
If it is done correctly, massage therapy can be extremely helpful for people suffering from sciatica or any other form of back pain. If your massage therapist has a solid understanding of the human anatomy and sciatica, then you're in even better hands (sorry for the pun).
Massage for sciatica can have lots of benefits for you and your body. Many massage therapists these days will use a number for different techniques during a given session. Anything from traditional massage to energy work or even correcting muscle imbalances. Many studies have even shown that massage can improve flexibility, decrease back pain, encourage sound sleep, and decrease feelings of depression.
When you're looking for a therapist to give you a good massage for sciatica, try to find one that has an understanding of muscle imbalances. This type of therapist is incredibly rare, but if you can find one, they are worth the effort. Most cases of sciatica are the result of muscle imbalances, so a massage therapist that knows about this subject will be especially beneficial.
There are quite a few benefits to massage for sciatica. Massage can help to increase circulation in the body, which in turn can help reduce inflammation. This helps by moving lymph, which can actually inhibit circulation when there is a build up of it in your system. Additionally, you'll also benefit from an increased range of motion, muscle relaxation, a better night's sleep, and more endorphins to lift your spirits.
Massage can help relax tense muscles that may be putting pressure on your sciatic nerve, as may be the case with conditions such as Piriformis Syndrome. But can it help be an effective treatment in all cases of sciatica?
Although getting a massage feels great and can help with a lot of things related to sciatica, massage should not be your only weapon against sciatica. Simply put, massage does not deal with many of the important underlying factors that are responsible for back pain and sciatica such as muscle imbalances, poor posture, or other personal habits we might have about how we hold our body throughout the day.
If used in conjunction with other treatment plans, you will get great results from massage for sciatica. But by itself, massage will not completely correct the problem in most cases. You may wish to consider massage for sciatica in conjunction with stretching exercises specifically designed to correct muscle imbalances that are the underlying cause of most cases of sciatica.
So, go and get a massage. I'm sure it will help you feel better and relax you. But do yourself a favor and look a bit deeper than immediate gratification and address the root cause of your sciatic pain with a more comprehensive treatment plan in addition to the massage.
If you found these tips helpful and you'd like to discover the best sciatic nerve pain exercises and the ones you definitely want to avoid, check out my Bulletproof Back review. This program, combined with massage therapy is quite helpful for relieving sciatica and back pain.
Leroy Lombard used to suffer from sciatica brought on by Piriformis Syndrome. After studying the causes and cures for sciatic nerve pain and finding lasting relief himself, he enjoys sharing his knowledge with others.