Marie Wagner, LMT

The Helpfulness of Heat

Heat and why I love to use it so often within my office.

Yes, even in the middle of summertime.

When it comes to muscles and fascia, they love heat!!!

From electric heating pads, microwavable hot packs, to the hot stones and table warmer I use in my office, muscles love to unwind with less pain from applied heat.

Please keep in mind your own personal preference and tolerance for heat use. Just as someone who has Reynard’s wouldn’t use ice, if your body doesn’t respond well to heat it’s important to honor that.

Do you find relief with heat? If so, let’s add hot stones to your next appointment!

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Disclaimer: Blog posts or information on the Marie Wagner, LMT website are personal opinion based on both personal and professional experience.

Renewing Your Energy Reserves

Part five of the Stress Relief With Massage Therapy, a mini blog series from Marie Wagner, LMT.

When you are overtaxed and running on empty, massage can help you recharge and restore your energy and creativity.

Massage relieves painful muscle tension that saps your energy. It softens your muscles and their connective tissue coverings (called fascia) and releases painful trigger points in both muscles and fascia.

Massage increases circulation and promotes restful sleep.

Massage supports you psychologically by giving you a measure of control. Just knowing there is something you can do to take care of yourself helps you feel less at the mercy of external events. You may even experience relief from emotional symptoms such as anxiety and depression, along with a renewed sense of optimism.

Massage for Immediate Stress Relief

Part four of Stress Relief With Massage Therapy, a mini blog series from Marie Wagner, LMT

In a stress emergency, massage can provide immediate relief that refocus your attention away from your worries and tensions.

Massage triggers the relaxation response, taking your body off high alert and setting in motion the biological processes needed to restore your resources and reverse the physical responses of fight, flight, or fawn.

With massage, touch sends your nervous system the signal that it’s okay to take a break, allowing your body and mind relax and unwind.

As Pressure Mounts

Part three of Stress Relief With Massage Therapy, a mini blog series from Marie Wagner, LMT

You may find that as your stress goes without relief, you become less and less able to unwind.

Muscle tension can develop into problems such as chronic headaches or shoulder and back pain, which are themselves stressful.

Worry and physical tension can interfere with sleep, leaving you exhausted with little energy or mental focus to tackle your problems. You may even find your normal coping mechanisms add stress as you struggle to find time for exercise or social engagements.

As pressure mounts, the level of stress hormones in your bloodstream can become so high that little is needed to trigger a stress response. You may find yourself constantly agitated, reacting not only to actual events, but to anticipated events and memories.

The Stress Response

Part two of stress relief with massage therapy, a mini blog series from Marie Wagner, LMT

Under stress, your body really has just one response: it mobilizes to fight or flee. Your nervous system becomes highly activated and hormones such as adrenaline prepare your body to respond to an emergency.

Muscles tends for action, heart rate and blood pressure increase, breathing becomes rapid and shallow, and digestion and other maintenance functions are put on hold.

Unfortunately, fighting or running is rarely a useful response to modern difficulties, such as moving to a new city, relationship upheavals, job changes or medical conditions.

In addition, today’s stresses are often ambiguous and ongoing, for example money worries or interpersonal conflicts. This means your body and mind do not receive a clear signal that it is safe to stop, relax and recuperate.

Stress Relief with Massage Therapy

Supporting you through life’s challenges with massage therapy. A mini blog post series from Marie Wagner, LMT.

Stress is an important and useful part of life. It stimulates learning and personal growth and it is a part of any major accomplishment. The healthiest and most effective people are not those who avoid stress, but those who respond successfully to it.

Therapeutic massages remarkable tool for helping you manage stress. A deeply relaxing massage can give you a welcome break and help you feel better physically and mentally. Over time, regular massage can help you develop healthy and productive responses to life’s many challenges.

Long-term Relief with Massage

Massage therapy can help you relax and feel better while effectively addressing many elements of your pain. The effects of massage are cumulative, and for the best results you may wish to receive a series of massages. In addition, follow up massages in times of stress can help keep old pain from flaring up. In fact, you may find massage so beneficial that you make it a regular part of your life

Massage and Your Medical Condition

Massage can be an amazing tool to support you and your medical condition.

Please note that if you are in severe or persistent pain, it is important to consult your primary care provider and inform them that you are receiving massage.

Always keep your massage therapist updated on your medical condition as well. It helps us to provide better care for you!

There are other supportive measures including rest, exercise, stretching, and good nutrition that may also be tools to assist you.

Stress counseling and relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, acupuncture, or chiropractic care can also bring relief and help you feel better.

Do you recieve massage to manage your medical condition?

Stress, Pain and Massage

With stressors such as family conflicts, work deadlines or other worries, you may never find the time to relieve mounting tensions.

When you are unable to relax, unrelieved muscle tension and impaired circulation can contribute directly to the pain cycle.

To make matters worse, chronic pain is a major source of stress. It may interrupt your sleep, leaving you tired and irritable. It drains you emotionally, robbing you of the patients and stamina you need to cope.

To the extent that massage interrupts the pain cycle, even temporarily, it reduces stress. Further, massage acts on the nervous system to relax both body and mind. You may sleep better after a massage, which helps the body heal and renews your reserves.

Massage also helps you become aware of unconsciously held tension, so you can take steps to release it on your own. Taking time with a relaxing massage can support you physically and emotionally in a time of stress. Massage is a great tool as another amazing coping mechanism.

Breaking the Pain Cycle

Part six in the chronic pain and massage mini blog series from Marie Wagner, LMT.

Massage can break the cycle of pain and its ability to address most of the pain cycle elements.

• Massage relieves muscle tension, stretching and kneading tight muscles and calming the nervous system.

• When muscles relax, pressure on nerves is reduced, relieving related pain in distant sites.

• As massage relaxes the nervous system, blood vessels dilate to increase circulation.

• Specific massage techniques release trigger points and tight connective tissue. Muscle stretching and improved circulation from massage can prevent their return.

• Certain techniques increase the pliability of adhesions. Along with reduce muscle tension, this helps prevent new injuries.

• Other massage techniques work to improve range of motion and specific areas, further helping to restore normal movement.

The many benefits of massage, especially regular massage, can renew your energy and optimism. You may find yourself motivated to move and exercise, helping you maintain the improvements that you have made.