CHARLOTTE – Last week we talked about swelling, edema in particular as it pertains to diabetes, and other trauma. This week let’s focus on swelling due to inflammation in the tissues. The beautiful thing about our body is it tries to take care of itself before it hollers so loud you can’t ignore it.
Let’s look at an ankle injury. What’s the first thing that happens once you twist this joint beyond its actual range of motion? You’ll get pain! The pain is a signal that all is not right in this area, send help! Help arrives in fluid (the swelling) and in heat (the redness) and in adrenaline (deflates the feeling of pain). Now that the brain has dispatched all of this goodness to the sight what’s the next step? Of course, it’s time to see a professional make sure there’s no ligament tearing or bone breakage because that needs immediate attention.
Where does massage fit in? Massage helps circulate fluid throughout those tissues. Good circulation, blood flow, and lymph flow is integral to recovering and achieving normalcy. There’s another technique called cross friction that is shown to have value with sprains in general (i.e. wrist, elbow, wherever there’s a joint). This technique works as your therapist applies pressure and moves their fingers in small back and forth movements, creating friction over the area in need (think of running your finger back and forth over a guitar string).
Ask your therapist what therapy works best with sprains and strains.
-Lisa Lane is a licensed massage and bodywork therapist (#13098) in the Mint Hill area for 9 years. To book please visit her website at www.ncmassagesanctuary.massagetherapy.com and click ‘book appt’.
