Medical Massage - What is it?

Medical massage is massage performed for the specific function of aiding a person's recovery from accident, injury or chronic pain. The massage therapist is trained to treat specific conditions as they relate each individual person's needs.
For instance, whiplash is effectively treated by gently releasing the muscles in the neck which tend to tense up or 'splint' after the injury.


Thoracic outlet syndrome is treated by releasing muscles that are overly tight and ischemic; which press down on the nerves of the arm, causing numbness, tingling and pain. After surgery, incision sites are treated (after a reasonable period of time) in order to reduce the build-up of scar tissue and to bring increased blood supply to the area, enhancing healing.
TMJ dysfunction is treated by releasing all of the muscles in and around the mouth, jaw and neck.

These are just a few examples of conditions that can be treated with great success. Most people are concerned about broken bones and open wounds when we are injured. We go to the doctor and they set our broken bones, stitch our wounds, and send us on our way. When we suffer headaches or dysfunction such as shoulder or back pain, often it's a mystery as to why we have pain.
The common treatment is for doctors to prescribe pain killers and muscle relaxers; which treat the SYMPTOMS. Muscle relaxers and pain killers work well. Temporarily. But muscle tension (which can cause pain) is usually a sign of decreased blood supply and nervous function.
In MOST cases, treating muscle tension/pain with massage brings longer lasting relief as well as an over-all sense of well-being and NO side effects (other than natural relaxation). When muscle tension is the result of trauma (such as with whiplash or bad work environment) caring massage can bring tremendous relief from the physical pain and help reduce stress to the entire body.
IS MEDICAL MASSAGE COVERED BY INSURANCE?

Yes.

Many insurance companies do cover massage therapy if it is prescribed by a doctor to treat a specific condition. In order to find out if your insurance policy covers massage therapy you need to call them and ask. Each policy varies depending on the company and the coverage you have as an individual. If you want to make sure that you are covered to receive massage and other alternative therapies from the provider of your choice, you should contact your insurance provider and ask that your policy be changed to do so.