Massage Therapy Relaxes The Body And Mind In More Ways Than You'd Expect...

Sharon Welch, Certified Massage Therapist, Offers Insights To The Many Talents Massage Therapists Use In Their Art And Science

by Sharon Welch

Certified Massage Therapist

Loveland, Colorado

Office Phone: 970-203-1207

We are all familiar with the phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword”, in respect to the power of persuasion.   This adage is also true in respect to occupational injury.  We want to believe that a construction worker who performs hard physical labor would be subject to more injuries and pain than a white collar professional who works at a computer all day. 

The truth is, that in my experience as a massage therapist; people who work at a desk have much more chronic pain than people who have jobs with a lot of movement and physical activity.  

I remember having a Physical Education coach in junior high school who challenged the students to hold our arms out at our sides in a T-formation for as long as we could.  It didn’t take long for our muscles to become fatigued and start to shake.  This type of reaction is caused by static tension.  Even though you are not “pumping iron” the muscle is still working hard.  Holding a static or isome

tric contraction challenges the muscles as much or more than lifting weights because the muscle never has a chance to rest.    W

hen you are performing a task that requires movement, such as flexing your bicep, it takes multiple muscle groups to perform the movement.  Therefore, each muscle group gets to relax while the opposing muscle does its job of contracting.   

If you regularly sit still for long periods of time working at a computer, reading, or tying flies for fishing, you probably notice many symptoms of physical distress.  Your shoulders become sore, you have a headache, your low-back aches, and you may even experience numbness and tingling in your extremities.  This is because you are holding certain muscles in constant contraction in one position for hours on end without giving them time to rest.  This restricts blood flow, limits oxygenation of tissues, and allows a buildup of bio-toxins in the muscles; thus the muscle hurts and burns.  After days, weeks and months of this type of non-movement, tissues can actually become damaged and create long-term physical problems such as limited range of motion, loss of strength, and chronic pain.  

The simple solution to this problem is movement.  Do not remain in one position for long periods of time.  Get up and move!!  Even taking 30 seconds every half hour to shrug your shoulders, swing your arms, stomp your feet, and bend side-to-side will make a huge difference in how you feel at the end of the day.  Change up your tasks, clear your mind, and refresh your body.  Make a point of getting out of your chair, move away from the computer or the hobby, and flex those muscles!!   The way to fight chronic muscle pain and weakness is with regular exercise, proper nutrition, plenty of water, and visiting your massage therapist on a regular basis.  You will reduce both your physical and mental stress level.  You only get one body; move it, nourish it, and take good care of it for a happier and healthier life.  

Sharon Welch, Certified Massage Therapist

Editor's Note:

I've referred patients to Ms. Welch for a number of years and I'm so impressed with what she's been able to do.  One woman couldn't walk.  At five month's pregnancy, the extra weight was causing extreme pain in the arch of her feet.  She directed massage to the plantar fascia, the connnective tissue at the bottom of the foot, and gradually the pain left.  The patient's husband continued the massage and she was able to walk around normally, but the massage needed to be done daily!

Another person had severe headaches leading to insomnia which lead to depression that was so severe she was almost unable to work.  I saw her, prescribed medicine for sleep and depression, which was somewhat helpful, but the headaches continued and were disabling.  This person was in excruciating pain!  After consults with neurologist, family doctor and others, little help was had.  I referred her to Ms. Welch.  Massage only helped somewhat.  But Ms. Welch felt a vertebra out of alignment in the woman's neck.  The vertebra had rotated slightly out of alignment, but enough to pinch a nerve resulting in the severe pain radiating to the neck and head.  She referred her to a chiropracter who after several sessions had the vertebra in good alignment and the pain was gone.  An Xray confirmed this was indeed a vertebra out of alignment. She followed good scientific methods in addressing this patients needs.  Ms. Welch caught the problem by knowing what to look for, and knowing what the muscles and bones are supposed to feel like.  There was a bump on the side of her neck where there wasn't supposed to be a bump.

So, the skills a massage therapist brings to a patient are many.  There are highly trained in the anatomy and physiology of the human body, as well as in the arts of massaging those muscles to relieve pain.  It's an art Ms. Welch has refined through years of study and practice.

Harris Jensen, MD

Editor, Good Day Journal