| What should you know about massage therapy? Well | | | | regular medical care. If your doctor tells you that you |
| apart from it being able to help relieve sore muscles, a | | | | can see a specialist, do some research about the |
| few others things like what are the different types, | | | | person. |
| what are the risks, if there are any side effects and | | | | You should check on their credentials or licenses, |
| whether or not it should substitute conventional | | | | years of experience and training. If you need |
| medicine. | | | | massage therapy to help cure medical condition, find |
| For starters, there are more than 10 types being used | | | | out beforehand if they have specialized training in this |
| to date. Some examples of these include reflexology, | | | | field. |
| shiatsu, back massage, Thai, hot stone, deep tissue, | | | | It wouldn’t hurt to also ask if they use other CAM |
| aromatherapy and Swedish. | | | | practices aside from massage therapy to help their |
| There are only a few serious risks with regards to | | | | patients. Some examples of these include the use of |
| massage therapy and this can be avoided if you take | | | | herbs and requiring the patient to go on a special diet. |
| the proper precautions. The best thing to do will be to | | | | If everything checks out, then this is the time you find |
| consult with your doctor to see if it is safe for you to | | | | out how many treatments will be needed, the cost and |
| see a masseuse. | | | | if this will be covered by your insurance. In most cases, |
| Patients who have the following conditions should not | | | | this will not be honored. Some people may even ask |
| undergo massage therapy. These include deep vein | | | | for a free ten minute test to see how well they |
| thrombosis that happens to be a blood clot in a deep | | | | perform. |
| vein, usually in the legs, a bleeding disorder or taking | | | | Part of the criteria should include giving you privacy |
| blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin, damaged blood | | | | when you change, he or she covers your body for |
| vessels and weakened bones from osteoporosis, a | | | | modesty and warmth, inquires before beginning the |
| recent fracture, or cancer. | | | | session what part of the body you want worked on, |
| You also should get a massage if you have a fever, | | | | asks for feedback as to how they are doing and |
| have an open injury, been diagnosed with a tumor, | | | | accommodates requests for less or more intense |
| have damaged nerves, have an infection or acute | | | | pressure. |
| inflammation. Certain conditions could also be | | | | The best part about massage therapy is that it can |
| dangerous if you decide to have a massage. These | | | | provide relief without the need to ingest pain killing |
| include pregnancy, cancer, fragile skin, heart problems, | | | | drugs and knowing some facts about it is good so you |
| dermatomyositis and a history of physical abuse. | | | | know what you are getting yourself into once you visit |
| There are certain side effects associated with | | | | the place. You can read more about this by doing |
| massage therapy. These include temporary pain or | | | | some research which isn’t bad even if you just go |
| discomfort, bruising, swelling and sensitivity or allergy to | | | | for a session to relieve some stress or pain and not |
| massage oils. | | | | have to visit because of a medical condition. |
| Massage therapy should not be used a substitute for | | | | |