When Should You See A Doctor Or Seek Care For Lower Back Pain
There are times when all your massage efforts might not ease the intensity of the pain. When this happens, you should seek the help of a health professional such as your doctor, a physical therapist, or a chiropractor. Your doctor can also diagnose the root cause of the problem and provide options to help manage the pain. The following are some of the common treatments your doctor may recommend for you:
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Avoiding strenuous activity
Techniques For Lower Back Pain Massages
Massage uses a combination of techniques. Which technique your therapist will use depends on the goals of your massage therapy.
Some of the best massage techniques for lower back pain include:
- Effleurage: These are long sweeping strokes from the top of a muscle to the bottom, usually at the beginning or the end of a massage .
- Petrissage: Rolling and kneading the muscles, like kneading bread dough. Pressure can vary according to the clients sensitivity. The massage therapist may focus attention on a crunchy or tense area. Theyll start first with light petrissage and increase the pressure to help the muscle release.
- Tapotement: Light and rhythmic tapping or drumming. This technique can vary in pressure and speed and can be either relaxing or energizing.
- Friction: Deep pressure is applied to a particular muscle to encourage it to release.
- Vibration: Shaking or moving specific parts of the body encourages tight muscles to release.
These techniques can be used in the same session, or your therapist may choose to focus on just one or two.
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Sciatica Pain Relief: Olbas Oil Heat And Ice Topical Medications
Olbas oil is a Turkish herbal remedy that has been used for centuries to treat a variety of conditions, including sciatica. Olbas Oil, in addition to treating muscular pain and stiffness, can be applied to the skin to reduce back pain, sciatica, lumbago, fibrositis, and arthritis. Heat and ice therapy are effective for immediate sciatic nerve pain relief. Ice has the ability to aid in the reduction of inflammation, whereas heat has the ability to stimulate blood flow to the painful area . Heat and ice can also help to alleviate pain from sciatica-related muscle spasms. An ointment, gel, or cream may be useful in relieving nerve pain because it slows blood flow, reduces inflammation, and lowers the bodys tolerance to pain. Certain topical medications, such as methyl salicylate, menthol, and camphor, can be used to relieve sciatica.
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Solve Your Back Aches
One word: debilitating. That’s what back pain can be. And it will affect roughly 80 percent of people at some point in their lives. So when you feel a twinge of tightness and/or throbbing in your lower trunk area, try turning to reflexology.
Alfiler says that it’s ideal for muscle and joint pain as well as muscle stiffness, specifically in the backand there’s plenty of research to back this up. One small study involving 50 nurses revealed that three, 40-minute sessions during a two-week time period led to a dip in the intensity of back pain. Another study found that others who engaged in reflexology once a week for six week also experienced a reduction in lower back pain.
When in the throes of back painwhether upper, lower, or middleyou want to work along the inside of the foot. “The top of the toe is the top of the head way,” says Gilmore. “You work on that edge slowly, then slightly deeper, and stop on the tender points to work them out.” While this is a simplified explanation of the process, and a professional can really help work the right spots, it’s good knowledge to have on hand if you find yourself in a pinch.
How Massage Can Help Ease Lower Back Pain
May 14, 2021
Lower back pain is something that can affect people of all ages, and is one of the most common complaints at the doctors office.
However, just because lower back pain is common doesnt mean it should be tolerated on a daily basis. There are many treatment options available to relieve back pain, but the most effective option is with massage.
Massage for lower back pain can provide significant relief for tired, painful, compressed muscles. With targeted massage therapy, lower back pain can be controlled and eased for long-term recovery.
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Massage For Back Pain: How It Helps
While most people wouldnt have issue with the idea of a regular massage, if you are one of the many who suffers from lower back pain, the following are ways that regular massage for back pain can help you find serious relief:
1. Increased blood flow. Increased blood flow is a known proponent of muscle recovery and studies confirm that massage therapy helps improve general blood flow and reduces soreness.
Research also shows that massage therapy improves the vascular function in people who have and have not exercised, which suggests that the vascular benefits of massage may span beyond the recipients level of physical activity.
2. Decreased tension. While muscle tension is needed by the body to maintain body posture and general movements, too much tension causes pain and muscle restriction, especially in the lower back and neck. Massage therapy is clinically proven to decrease muscle tension.
3. Increased endorphins. Endorphins are the feel good chemicals in the brain. Massage tactics including acupressure and trigger point therapy generate these endorphins, which are known to reduce pain and produce a sense of euphoria.
Research shows a mere 15 minutes of massage can spark endorphins, creating up to 48 hours of their feel-good effects.
4. Heat application. Superficial heat during massage is also recommended for lower back pain. Warm stone massages, hot towels and heat packs are ideal add-ons for massage services related to lower back pain.
Reflexology Points That Correspond To Back Pain
To target stubborn back pain and try reflexology for yourself, here are three main reflex points to know about:
Spinal Reflex Point
You can find your spinal reflex point on the inner edge of your foot. It stretches from your heel all the way to the base of your big toenail. On your hand, this reflex point starts at the base of your thumb and traces up to the thumbnail.
Sciatic Nerve Reflex Point
Your sciatic nerve runs from your lower spine all the way to your feet, and its a common source of low back, glute, and leg pain.
The reflexology point that corresponds with this nerve runs along the round top edge of your heel, near the middle of your foot.
Shoulder Reflex Points
To tackle stubborn shoulder aches, you can use the pressure point below your pinky toes on the bottom of your feet. In the hand, this corresponding zone is the pad of soft tissue just under your pinky finger.
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Option : Using An Electric Body Massager
If you have access to a massage gun or vibrating massager, these are both great tools for massaging your middle back muscles.
When youve got a helping hand from another person, the process is pretty simple you can stand, lie, or sit in a comfortable position. Then, have them use the tool in gentle, circular motions wherever you need it most.
But if you have a user-friendly massage tool such as the MedMassager MMB05, you can use it on yourself by following these steps:
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How To Give A Back Massage For Lower Back Pain
Although its advised to seek massage treatment from trained professionals, you can also perform some basic techniques at home. While there is a range of massage techniques, the procedure listed below is only general. It is important to remember not to apply pressure directly to the spine and only use minimal pressure to avoid causing more pain to the injured person. Use the following tips to get started:
You should first tell the person to take off their shirt or wear loose-fitting clothing that can be raised to expose the lower back for the massage.
Let the person receiving the massage lie on their stomach on either a table, mattress, or mat.
Roll a soft towel and place it under their forehead and even their ankles. A soft pillow can even be placed underneath the chest, if necessary.
Pour some massage oil on your hands, rub the oil evenly on your hands. Once spread evenly, perform gentle strokes around the soft tissue and muscles around the lower back.
You can then apply different techniques to massage the back. Try the following tips:
Kneading
This technique feels great for larger muscle groups like the calf and hamstring. Start off by using the base of the thumb to gently grab the muscle. Knead the muscle as if you were with dough. Turn your wrist to apply pressure to the rest of the muscle belly.
Thumb circling
Palm circling
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How Does Massage Help
A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicated that both Swedish massage and deep tissue massage methods were equally as effective at improving disabilities from lower back pain and painful symptoms.
This is because massage helps to tackle lower back pain on a number of fronts, with benefits including:
Increased blood flow, with regular massage promoting improved general blood flow, which is a known proponent of muscle recovery, and reduced soreness.
Increased endorphins, which are the chemicals in the brain that make us feel good. Massage tactics including acupressure and trigger point therapy generate these endorphins, which are known to reduce pain and produce a sense of euphoria.
Heat application, which is recommended for lower back pain. This can be achieved by the use of warm stone massages, hot towels, and heat packs as part of a specific massage designed to release lower back tension and help manage pain.
How To Massage The Lower Back
This article was co-authored by . Marty Morales is a Professional Massage Therapist and the Founder and Owner of the Morales Method, a manual therapy and body conditioning business based in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Los Angeles, California. Marty has over 16 years of massage therapist experience and over 13 years of experience educating others on the best practices for massage therapy. Marty has over 10,000 hours of private practice logged and is a Certified Advanced Rolfer and Rolf Movement Practitioner, CMT. He has an MBA in Finance from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. This article has been viewed 155,989 times.
The lower back can become tight or sore for many different reasons. A few activities that cause tight lower back muscles include prolonged sitting at a desk, leaning over a sink, lifting heavy objects without bending your knees, or running on uneven pavement. Fortunately, you can help alleviate a friend or clients lower back discomfort or even your own by loosening the sore muscles with massage.
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Reflexology And Back Pain
First of all, it is important to be clear on what reflexology is not: reflexology is not a foot massage.
Your reflexologist may incorporate some massage techniques into your treatment. This is simply to relax you, but the bulk of your treatment is far removed from a massage. In fact, you should feel deep pressure from your reflexologists hands.
Now lets find out what reflexology is. In particular Id like to highlight just how effective it is as a treatment for any type of back pain. When the right areas of the feet, or the hands, are treated with the right amount of pressure, the results can be truly amazing for back problems.
How can this be?
The treatment causes the nerve flow to the area of the back causing the pain to improve. Over several sessions, and often in just a few weeks, this nerve flow becomes optimized. The same thing happens to the blood and the lymph flows to the problem area of the back.
Reflexology is known to be of use for both chronic and acute back pain, but it is also good for reducing stress, which can sometimes exacerbate peoples perception of pain. Reflexology reduces stress and increases emotional well-being. This is related to back pain because it can cause stress which leads to an increase in the pain level experienced. By working on both fronts reflexology can greatly decrease the symptoms of chronic back ache.
Reflexology is available at Shine, Church Street and Shine, Newington Green.
Pressure Points For Lower Back Pain
In Figure 1 you can see how the upper half of the human body has its reflexes in the top of the soles, while the lower half of the body is reflected in the lower half of them.
This means that if you experience pain in the lower back the reflexologist used a substantial part of the session in treating the bottom of the foot . If you suffer from back pain at the top, the reflexologist will devote more time to the superior reflexes of the feet.
In Figure 2 it can be seen how the curve of the foot coincides with the spine. Blue indicates where the reflection area of the spine is.
Figure 3 shows one of the different techniques used to work in the reflection of the spine can be seen.
In Figure 4, the additional reflections to be worked when we suffer back pain are illustrated. The red area corresponds, among others, some of the major muscles of the back. You will notice that not all reflections are in the soles of the feet. Many of them can also be found at the top, and even in the lower leg.
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Massage Therapy For Lower Back Pain
Therapeutic massage therapy is a complementary and alternative medicine that involves the manipulation of the body’s soft tissues through specialized hands-on movements. The purpose of therapeutic massage is to influence cellular changes in the soft tissues that promote healing, reduce pain, and enhance overall wellness.
In the lower back, massage therapy affects the muscular and skeletal systems at the superficial and deep layers to foster healing and reduce pain.1 In a study that included 104 participants with lower back pain, over 40% of the patients experienced long-term, meaningful improvements in their back pain and disability after a series of therapeutic massage treatments.2
This article provides a guide to the objectives and potential benefits of massage therapy in treating lower back pain.
How To Give A Back Massage
With just a few tools and some basic massage techniques, you can give a back message to a friend or family member or even show them how to give you one. Heres a video about giving a lower back massage:
Keep in mind that you should never apply pressure directly to the spine. Only use gentle pressure to avoid injury and discomfort.
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How To Use Massage Therapy To Manage Lower Back Pain
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people miss work or see a physician¹. This pain can be acute or chronic .
Some of the most common causes of lower back pain are injury, heavy lifting, growing older, sitting for long periods, or decreased physical activity. Health conditions, such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, congenital disabilities, or degenerative or ruptured discs in your spine can also cause back problems.
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Low Back Pain And Reflexology
In a 2015 study from the International Journal of Physiotherapy, researchers looked at the effects of reflexology on mechanical low back pain. In the study, twenty people were assigned to either a control or reflexology group. The second group received a 30-minute reflexology session, three days per week for three weeks.
Remarkably, those in the reflexology group reported lower levels of back pain at the end of the study compared to the control.
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Is Olbas Oil Good For Sciatica
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There is no one definitive answer to this question as different people may have different experiences with using olbas oil for sciatica. Some people may find that it helps to relieve their pain and discomfort, while others may not find it to be effective. If you are considering using olbas oil for sciatica, it is best to speak to your healthcare provider to see if it is right for you.
When used in conjunction with essential oils, these oils can help to alleviate the discomfort of this age-old condition. The sciatic nerve is the thickest nerve in the human body and can reach an average length of 34 of an inch. When one or more of the lower vertebrae , or upper sacral nerves are impinged, or compressed, the sciatic pain is caused. The only way to determine whether or not sciatica is caused by piriformis syndrome or other nerve impingement is by speaking with a doctor. One method for seating the client is to sit upright in a chair and extend his or her leg at the knee. You can also use essential oils in hot compress to relieve pain. When using essential oils in therapeutic settings, it is always preferable to use high-quality oils. The Essential Oils Series can earn you continuing education credit for this article, which is part of our Therapeutic Uses series. Make sure you know the various uses and contraindications of essential oils before using them on patients or in your office.
