Muscle Therapy - Treatments For Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation

Many of you are aware of muscle treatments such as massage therapy, chiropractic and physiotherapy but many of would be surprised to know there are so many more choices and each one may be better suited for certain issues than others. Unfortunately its only now that things like acupressure and acupuncture are becoming accepted as mainstream medical practices and falling under coverage for certain states or provinces but doctors are still not all on board and many are still NOT using these therapies in lieu of drugs.

The pharmaceuticals still run the show and as long as money is a factor then doctors will prescribe and that includes many unnecessary medications which could be dropped in lieu of alternative therapies.

Many patients are either too scared or intimidated to pursue other therapies and some just don’t want to bother losing an hour in therapy and rather use a pain killer instead.

As a trainer I find this irritating and know for a fact that there are many occasions where therapies would do better, be cheaper and less invasive than pharmaceuticals.

I am not saying I am completely against medication uses and for my own health depend on daily uses of asthma inhalers. I have nothing against pain killers when absolutely needed and would never say to do away with drugs completely but I do believe that it is used 2/3 of the time unneeded and is very abused.

Chiropractic services can save you from back surgeries. Spinal correction can be very safe and keep you off the operating table for life. Of course this is a controversial service and some do not believe in this treatment. Because it does involve manual manipulation many opt out of this due to fear of the treatments. Again it’s a matter of working within your comfort zone and choosing treatments applicable to your needs so you have other choices if you feel you rather not use chiropractic although do please not that not all chiropractors use the same manipulations and you do not have to do any you are uncomfortable with such as the neck work so do not assume they are all the same.

Deep Tissue massage therapy is not your walk in the park type of therapy. The RMT will work within your pain threshold and limitations but in order to get deep into the muscle areas and tissue there is some pain involved although I hesitate to use that word. It’s a pleasant pain, if you learn to relax into it, you can let the muscle get the treatment while learning to relax them at will. It’s the pressure on these underlying areas which break up scar tissue and realign muscle fibers. Most of us know it as working out the knots.

Acupuncture is now one of the accepted treatments for many medical insurance companies opening up the window to treatment of more individuals and less dependence on narcotics or ibuprofen type pain relievers. There is no pain involved, the needles are tiny thin and you barely feel them go in. You do however feel IMMEDIATE relief once they are placed in the correct areas for your issue at hand. It is unbelievable and you must try it at least once even if just for nausea or headaches.

Reflexology works on the bases that all your body points relate to some spot on your feet and I have a seen some use hands as well. By depressing and holding certain pressure points on the feet you can manipulate areas of the body and how they feel. Each of your body’s reflexes can be mapped back to hands and feet!

IMS, intramuscular stimulation has been found to be an effective treatment especially for those with chronic pain related to neuropathic origins. A highly effective treatment option, IMS has been found to have few side-effects and has yet to be matched as a means for finding and diagnosing muscle shortening in deep muscles. Needles are used for this treatment similar to acupuncture.

Rolfing named after a person but actually a form of structural manipulation, focuses on fascia deep tissue work. You are manipulated and moved in certain ranges while the area is worked to loosen the fascia. This is known as unlocking the body and has been in play for decades.

Whichever form of treatment you decide to try out for your body wellness it is better to be proactive and choose physical treatments versus the alternatives of medications.

By Linda Cusmano