As many as 84% of people will experience low back pain at some point in their lives, and for many of them, the pain is chronic. Low back pain can range from mild to severe. It is caused by the muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues in the back is strained or injured.
Low back pain is often caused by poor posture, lifting heavy objects, or sitting for long periods of time. Treatment may include:
– Taking over-the-counter medications
– Using a heating pad
– Treating underlying conditions
While there are a number of treatments available for low back pain, massage therapy is often cited as one of the most effective.
Here are six ways massage can help low back pain:
1) Massage helps to loosen up the quadratus lumborum and gluteus medius muscles.
Both of those muscles play an important role in stabilizing your hips and low back. If those muscles are tight or strained then, over time, it can affect your gait and then lead to other problems.
2) It boosts circulation, which helps to bring oxygen to the tissues.
When you massage an area that is fatigued or in pain, it brings more oxygen to the area. An increase in oxygen can reduce pain and stiffness.
3) It relaxes the muscles, which can take the pressure off the surrounding joints.
There are a lot of joints in your lower back. For context, there are 3 joints between 2 adjacent vertebrae. Plus there’s the hips and the sacrum. When our muscles are warmed up with massage and have the chance to loosen, then it eases the pressure off the joints.
5) Massage increases range of motion and flexibility.
Like stretching and exercise, massage can increase your range of motion. One massage that’s done correctly by a trained massage therapist can increase the range of motion of your hips and help you walk taller.
6) Massage lowers cortisol
During that time, massage also increases the production of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. Those are all those hormones that make us feel happy and rested.
When this happens, pain can decrease.
Here at The Supine Studio, we strive to help our clients feel better and lead lives with a reduction of pain and an increase in range of motion and mobility.