Why Massage?
The human body was made to be in constant motion rather than sitting or standing for an extended period of time. Unfortunately most careers require periods of extended standing or sitting, causing our soft tissues to become shortened, tight, and riddled with trigger points or "knots". This can lead to imbalances which can alter biomechanics enough to increase the chance of repatitive strain injuries, tendonitis, osteo-arthritis, and/or issues with nerve entrapment. How fun is any of that?!
Massage uses a myriad of techniques to reduce muscle tension, give length to muscle tissue, and activate areas that need to start doing a bit more work. A side benefit of this work is a reduction in blood pressure and firing of the sympathetic nervous system (the "fight or flight" system). Some refer to these effects as "relaxation"! There really aren't any issues or conditions that couldn't benefit from massage in some way. Some of the more common are:
Massage uses a myriad of techniques to reduce muscle tension, give length to muscle tissue, and activate areas that need to start doing a bit more work. A side benefit of this work is a reduction in blood pressure and firing of the sympathetic nervous system (the "fight or flight" system). Some refer to these effects as "relaxation"! There really aren't any issues or conditions that couldn't benefit from massage in some way. Some of the more common are:
- Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction
- Headaches/migraines
- Back pain
- Sciatic-like pain
- Tendonitis/tendonosis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Sprains and Strains
- Whiplash Associated Disorders
What is Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction?
The temporomandibular joints (TMJ) are the joints (left and right) that attach the jaw to the skull. This joint isn't quite as stable as a ball and socket joint and is the only place on the human body where you will find a joint functioning in this manner. As such, there is a complex sling of muscles that accomplish the rotation and gliding movement the mandible makes when the mouth is being opened and closed. Should a person favor one side (like say, for chewing), clench and/or grind the teeth, or have any injury to the back, neck, or face (bone or muscle), there is likely to be a muscle imbalance that will cause Temporomandibular Dysfunction (TMD). Since most of us eat, many of us have this dysfunction without actually knowing it!
If your jaw sounds like a famous brand of cereal when you move it or worse yet, has STOPPED making those snapping, popping sounds, you may benefit from having a massage. Tanya Lee Cooper, RMT is one of the few specially trained to treat and manage TMD on the South Shore. You may not have realized that your jaw locking or those terrible migraine-like headaches you get are actually from a problem with your jaw. Even if you are getting a dental appliance, it is strongly recommended to have the muscles attended to prior to the fitting so you get the maximum benefit from the appliance. If you remove the joints and muscles from the equation, it will only lead to better results!
If your jaw sounds like a famous brand of cereal when you move it or worse yet, has STOPPED making those snapping, popping sounds, you may benefit from having a massage. Tanya Lee Cooper, RMT is one of the few specially trained to treat and manage TMD on the South Shore. You may not have realized that your jaw locking or those terrible migraine-like headaches you get are actually from a problem with your jaw. Even if you are getting a dental appliance, it is strongly recommended to have the muscles attended to prior to the fitting so you get the maximum benefit from the appliance. If you remove the joints and muscles from the equation, it will only lead to better results!
