Benefits Of Massage For Parents: A Guest Post by Ryan Howard

 

Life as a new parent can be a lot of fun… it can also be really overwhelming!

In fact, the personal life that you may have cherished before all but vanishes as you take on the responsibility of parenthood. Having said that, while you might find yourself spending the majority of your time taking care of your little one, it’s important to carve out some time for yourself as well. Not only will this make you happier, there are many other benefits as well. In this article, I dive into some of the benefits of massage for new parents.

Take Some Of The Stress Out Of Your Life

Massage has often been thought of as a great form of stress relief. After all, it’s hard to think of many things that leave you feeling as relaxed and refreshed as getting a great massage.

Massage for parents, particularly new parents, is very important since they tend to have loads of stress.

For starters, new parents have a brand new person to take care of every moment of the day. This takes a lot of effort, believe me. Beyond that, kids are pretty expensive. There are hospital bills, clothes, cribs, reversible strollers, diapers, and all sorts of other baby stuff. For that reason, it’s not uncommon for money to be a little tight after kids arrive. Any way that you can relieve the stress is a big help. (Click here to check out our blog post on how to take the benefits of massage therapy home with you).

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Tag Team for Your Shoulder Pain: Massage Therapy and Physical Therapy

 

The newest medical information is now easy to find online and shows that the surgical boom of the 90’s didn’t actually produce better results for patients with shoulder pain. As a result, more patients are turning to alternative, more conservative treatments (ie non-surgical) for dealing with this. These alternative treatments often include massage therapy and physical therapy. 

Surgery frequently relies on images (i.e. MRI, X-Ray) to determine a course of action. However, studies have shown that surgically fixing the anomalies found in these images doesn’t always solve the pain. In fact, for many common pains including low back, neck, and shoulder pain, surgery had similar results to simply doing physical therapy. 

Pain medication is used to treat your symptoms, but usually won’t address the root cause. Massage and physical therapy look at the whole picture of your history, body alignment, posture, and movements. Both approach the problem from an integrative and comprehensive perspective. They seek to identify the underlying cause of your shoulder pain and give you the tools to move better without pain.

For More Information: Shoulder Pain Massage in Midtown

What to look for in a sports massage therapist

 

New York City can be an intense and high-energy place. It attracts similar sorts of people.

Everyday you see thousands of runners and cyclists making their way up and down the West Side highway training for races. There are thousands of professional dancers performing in the various musical theatre venues in the city each day as well. Physically active types are a big part of the NYC population. Even the folks you see putting in long hours at their desks during working hours often leave to go workout right after work. They swing kettlebells at their Crossfit gym or do handstands at their yoga studio. With all the athletes in the city, it’s no surprise that working with a top notch sports massage therapist is what many of our clients are searching for. 

But what should you look for in a sports massage therapist?

What is sports massage and how can it benefit you?

Before looking for specific qualities in a sports massage therapist, it’s helpful to understand what to expect from a session. Sports massage can comprise any of the manual techniques that a licensed massage therapist is trained in. These techniques are performed with the intention of addressing your specific concerns around your active and/or physically demanding lifestyle. 

Often, our athlete clients will come in with an acute injury they sustained while practicing their activity. Such as an ankle sprain or a torn rotator cuff. The therapist will then work to help alleviate pain. Sports massage can decrease inflammation, assist with proper scar tissue formation, and increase range of motion or stability at the injured joint. 

Other times the concern is minimizing delayed onset muscle soreness during peak training times for a specific event. Or promoting recovery after an event like a race or competition. Frequently, an active person is simply in pain or is having trouble performing at their desired level. And is looking for someone to help them determine the root cause of the dysfunction. These are all issues that our staff at Bodyworks DW can help you tackle.

For More Information: Sports Massage in Midtown