How Massage Therapy Can Help Heal Tendinitis and Tendinosis

In 20 years of practicing therapeutic massage in Gainesville Florida, I've had many clients come to me suffering from joint pains they believe are tendinitis or bursitis, and that they hope are not due to arthritis. Simple assessment techniques help me to evaluate which tissues are injured or causing pain and which treatment approaches can help my clients.

Tendinitis and tendinosis are dysfunctions of tendons, which are the crucial structures in our bodies that connect our muscles to our bones. Tendons must be tough enough to withstand our strongest muscle contractions, and flexible enough to allow the numerous movements that are part of our daily life. Our tendons will stay strong and elastic if we have good circulation, nutrition, hydration, exercise and rest.

A healthy tendon can tear in extreme situations when a sudden force overpowers it. This trauma can be suffered by anyone in the course of their daily life. What happens in this case is that the tear causes inflammation and pain (tendinitis), and scar tissue forms as the healing process continues.

In contrast, tendinosis is the result of a much more common scenario when repetitive strain and chronic overuse cause a breakdown within the integrity of the tendon on a molecular level. This derangement of the tendon tends to occur without inflammation (Lowe, 2006, p. 10 and Hendrickson, 2009, p.20), and as a result, the healing process cannot take place. The science and art of orthopedic massage will initiate a renewed healing process in your body for both tendinitis and tendinosis.

Effective orthopedic massage consists of five crucial elements that include accurately identifying the compromised tissue using skilled orthopedic evaluation and using different techniques that will help the injury to heal. Treatment is most effective when combined with targeted stretches (creating elasticity in the healing tissue) and rehabilitative exercises (creating strength in the healing tissues). A strong elastic scar or remodeled tendon will be much more functional, and much less likely to be re-injured.

Optimal healing of tendinitis or tendinosis requires that the client practice self-care between massage sessions. Besides proper directed exercises for the specific site of injury, clients are instructed to eat well, hydrate, and rest well.

When dealing with tendinosis or tendinitis, your body is experiencing a stressor. You may be emotionally stressed from the pain. Orthopedic treatment of the injuries can reduce the stress of the injury site. Caring for areas of tension felt in your body during the remaining time in an hour massage session will further reduce the stress felt in your body and allow complete healing to take place.

Tag : massage,massage therapy,oil massage,spamassage

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Tantric Massage - Should You Have A Tantric Massage in London?

Allow yourself to imagine a scene of having a soothing massage on your whole body. The gentle, flowing strokes of your therapist's hands calm and relieve the tension of your muscles. You then probably start to drowse a bit, just because of the simple pleasure of the massage itself. Isn't it a wonderful and pleasant feeling?

Now fantasize yourself having a tantric massage. What do you feel now? Do you feel aroused? Do you feel your heart races and there's a little bit of tingling sensation down your groin?

Why do you feel that? Is it because the combination of the word tantric and massage produces images that excite you sexually? It is most probably so. Now let me ask you this:

Are you familiar with London? Yes, that bustling, capital city of England. The home of more than 7,556,900 people. A city of arts, commerce, education, and entertainment. Do you also know that the number of massage parlors in London is growing considerably? Some even provide tantric massage. Of course, the next question I would like to ask you then is:

When you are happen to be in London and in need of a massage, the big question is - should you have that kind of massage?

I believe the answer to that question lies in yet another question - Have you ever explored London's finest travel destinations?

Let me take you on an imaginary tour and help you conclude this whole "take-or-not-to-take" massage thing. Each destination of the tour is an analogy to the piece of information on tantric massage, and you should be able to make up your mind of getting (or not getting one) a massage by the end of this article.

Let us begin our imaginary tour right away!

1) British Museum Tour - What is Tantric Massage?

The British Museum is our first destination. The museum itself is all about discoveries, finding out the origin of something, and uncovering the unknown. It is about learning something new and embracing the feeling of excitement, from unearthing an alternative.

We're mostly afraid of something that we don't know. Therefore, we should begin by defining, what is exactly a tantric massage?

Tantric massage is (actually) just an ordinary massage. However, the Hindi scholars believe that if you are sexually satisfied and satiated then your well-being will be tremendously improved as well.

Tantra itself is often described as achieving personal growth by means of enjoyable existence. The massage, although does tend to cause orgasms, has the actual aim of connecting spirit with form. It is to embrace compassion and experience love through the beauty of the earth and all existence. It does not involve actual penetrative sex, but it does involve a full touching on the intimate organs.

2) Big Ben Tour - Why Should You Take One?

Once you understand the origin, let us proceed to visiting the Big Ben in London. The Big Ben has stood erected there for the longest of times. It is a symbol of power and longevity, a timeless vigor that constitutes greatness in someone's life. That is actually an analogy of why you should have a tantric massage in London.

Based on some renowned Hindi scholars, these are all the reasons why you should have a tantric massage:

a. It prolongs your length of life

b. It intensifies your sexual vitality

c. It helps you deal with frigidity or sexual unresponsiveness (yes, a couple can take one too!)

d. It helps cure your menstruation problem (needless to say, if you're a woman like me)

e. It excites production of antibodies and therefore, makes you healthier (which in turn -again- will prolong your life)

3) London Eye Tour - How Will You Feel After You Take One?

Our final destination is the London Eye, a magnificent 443-feet tall Ferris wheel from which you can set your eyes on the entire London area and catch a breathtaking view that will astound you greatly.

Now imagine yourself having one of those breathtaking feeling, feeling of wonderment, amazement, and pure ecstasy that is truly ineffable - no amount of words would be enough to describe it.

It is a one-of-a-kind, a heaven-on-earth experience without doubt. Now take that feeling and multiply it ten-times fold (okay, maybe I exaggerated a bit - two times fold will do ) and that's exactly how you will feel after you have your tantric massage in London.

That concludes our imaginary tour for today.

Should you have a tantric massage in London? Well, you now know what tantric massage is, you know what the benefits are, and you pretty much have a basic idea of how you will feel after you have one. Should you go for it?

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Trigger Point Therapy And The Massaging Tools

First of all, what exactly is Trigger Point Therapy? Well, trigger point therapy is basically a type of massage therapy that is used to relieve pain by massaging the 'tight knots' of the muscles. The muscle knots that are usually the tightest are the neck, shoulder, back and leg muscles. The purpose is to relieve the tension of the muscles in our body.

Instead of just treating the surface pain of inflammation, this therapy focuses on eliminating the painful area by finding, and relieving the pressure points.

The continuous pain and discomfort that we feel in our body like muscle tension, numbness, joint stiffness, hypersensitivity, muscle weakness are usually cause by the trigger points. So we need to find these trigger points and deactivate them in order to relieve the pain.

Those who are not used to this kind of therapy may experience soreness for a few days. Remember to stretch out the muscles often to prevent them from tightening up again.

There are several types of tools which you can use for this therapy. We are going to go through some of them here.

1. Thera Cane

Thera Cane is one of the most popular tools for trigger point massaging. It is made of fiber glass and can't be broken or bent. This tool will make it easier for you to locate and massage the more tender areas which you cannot reach by hand. However, one downside of this tool is that it is usually come in one piece and can't be taken apart.

2. Backnobber Tool

The backnobber works very similar like the Thera Cane. One advantage of the backnobber is that it usually can be taken apart so it is easy for you to store and carry around. This tool is perfect for those who travel a lot.

3. Lacrosse Balls

Yup you read that right. Lacrosse balls can be very useful for massaging your back muscles. You can use these by leaning them against the wall with your back. They can penetrate the trigger points at the back of your body.

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Outcall Massage Service

Every one of us has more busy schedule these days and our lives have become more and more demanding on our time. Our daily routine has become filled with more responsibilities and today's society produces a lot of pressure and stress that we have to cope with on a daily basis. As a result we tend to be more prone to a health problems and we are unable to enjoy the quality of life that is near at hand to get the most out of our lives.

There are many ways how to enjoy a healthy lifestyle and the most important is to choose the combination that we can enjoy, because it's in the human nature not to persist in the activities that we are uncomfortable with. One of the recommended ways that have been around us for centuries is a massage. Massage, as a manipulation of body's soft tissues (muscle, tendons and ligaments) in order to achieve a specific positive effect on human's body and mind, is not only a good remedy but it's also a very effective way of prevention against many health problems. Massage can help us to get rid of our daily dose of stress and the human body, mind and soul can benefit from it in many ways.

There are way too many massage styles and techniques but the most common in the western culture are Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue and Sports Massage.

It might seem as a bit of problem for some of us to decide which style is most suitable for us but that shouldn't be considered as an issue as every massage should start with the initial consultation and assessment and there are many places where we can get an advice on what's best for us.

The real problem we might face is where we can get a treatment that can offer us the most benefits and would feel most comfortable. People usually think that the only place where they can enjoy this experience is a Massage Spa or Saloon. But the truth is that not all of us would be happy to go to places like that or not all of us could fit the massage appointment in the sallon to our busy and sometimes unpredictable daily schedules.

Well, the good news is that there are many outcall massage service providers out there these days. The companies I'm talking about can send a professional who can give you a well deserved and much desired massage treatment to your home, hotel room or an office.

This can provide us not only with the benefits that we can get from the treatment in the Saloon or Spa but also with a few more.

It's the simple fact that not all of us are keen to visit public places for a treatment like that as we don't feel comfortable using a public changing rooms or changig rooms used by many people on a daily basis. It could also be our aversion to the public shower facilities. Another of benefits we could get is that we can save a lot of time by getting a mobile treatment as we don't have to travel to spa and back again and also we can arrange a massage to fit in our busy schedule. Of course it's not just about the time that we could save but what could be the best as to have a nice, hot and relaxing bath at the comfort of our own home or hotel room after the massage treatment oppose to stressfull travelling experience on our way home in a busy traffic or transport conditions? This way we could deepen our relaxing experience even more and get really the most out of our massage experience to promote our happy state of mind, to pamper our soul and reward our body.

Everyone of us is an individual with the genuine needs and desires. Each one of us has different preferences and thus we shouldn't forget the option of outcall massage service when we are deciding on how and where to enjoy our next therapeutic massage treatment.

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Discover How You Can Learn To Massage

Massage therapy has been well documented in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. This ancient art has been practiced for many centuries and has many healing benefits attributed to it.


Over the years the principles behind this ancient art have remained the same. The main focus is to relieve the body from pain and to promote overall well being. There are many benefits to massage and these include amongst others, to de-stress the body and mind, increase energy levels and circulation, promote healing of injuries and muscle strains, improve sleeping patterns and help to flush out toxins.


There are many different massage therapies and many different techniques are practised all over the world. Massage can also simply focus on one particular area of the body or can be a full body treatment. A massage can concentrate on the muscles of the upper or lower body, head and scalp massages and facial massage.


If you would like to learn how to massage quickly and easily then read on and discover that learning this ancient art is much easier than you may think.


If you learn how to massage you will have a powerful skill at your finger tips. You can learn how to improve the well-being of friends, family and loved ones.


One of the most important factors in a beneficial massage, both to the giver and the receiver, is that the environment in which the massage is carried out is one of complete comfort and tranquillity. The greatest results will be achieved if the body and mind are completely at ease.


Before commencing any massage treatment, ensure you have located a peaceful area at home where there will be no disturbances. Once you have located a quiet area in which to carry out the treatment, and you or the person receiving the massage is comfortable then the massage can begin.


Massage oils are widely used. These not only help to keep the strokes and movements smooth but certain oils will have certain effects on the receiver. Some oils will calm and relax whilst others will energize and awaken. Other oils can be used to treat injuries and strains. Once you have chosen your oil, apply a little to the hands and begin to massage the desired area.


Massage techniques vary worldwide. Depending on the desired outcome, the treatment can vary greatly. For small children and infants only light movements should be used with little pressure. For a relaxing treatment, the movements will be gentle with light to medium pressure. The stokes are intended to calm and soothe and the treatment can cover the entire body. For a deep tissue massage, the pressure will be strong and the movements more firm. If the massage is intended to treat an injury the movements are likely to focus on just one area.


Massage is recognized world wide as a healing therapy and its popularity is increasing rapidly. New techniques are continually being introduced to the Western world, and along with these come many new benefits and results. More and more people want to learn how to massage quickly and easily in their own home, so that they have the resources to enrich the lives of not only those around them but also themselves throughout complete relaxation of mind and body.

Neuromuscular Therapy Explained

Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) is used to relieve muscle pain by using focused pressure on your body's soft tissue to alleviate pain and limitation in your body's ability to move. Your body's soft tissue is manipulated to create an equilibrium with your central nervous system and the reason neuromuscular therapy works is because when you've suffered an injury there's stress that is induced on your nerves causing them to transmit signals to your muscles at an inhibited pace, making your body susceptible to pain and discomfort. When you receive neuromuscular therapy your body's nervous system will begin to stabilize the transmissions of signals from your nerves to your muscles.

There is a difference between neuromuscular therapy and massage therapy.Both methods of treatment are massage treatments, but the key difference is neuromuscular treatment is applied in a semi-static fashion meaning that pressure is applied to specific area on your body for longer periods of time where you are feeling the most pain whereas massage therapy is a fluid motion focussing on your entire body.

How Does Neuromuscular Therapy Work?

NMT is a thorough program of recovery from acute pain from a recent injury and chronic pain from constant stress to body misalignments which utilizes massage therapy in conjunction flexibility exercises to eliminate the causes of your pain. When you receive neuromuscular therapy treatments your body's systems will become balanced and will boost the endorphins that get released into your system. Endorphins are what your body produces to relieve pain.

Neuromuscular Therapy focuses on physiological facts, there are 6 things NMT focuses on:

1. Ischemia

Ischemia (is-KE'me-ah) is a condition where the blood flow through your body is constrained. This is usually caused by blockages in blood vessels in specific parts of your body.

2. Trigger Points

A trigger point is an extremely agitated location in your muscle, which activates pain. Often trigger points cause pain in other areas of your body. To give an example, you could have a trigger point in your neck which triggers headaches. Trigger points themselves may not cause massive irritability themselves but cause you to feel extreme discomfort in other areas of your body.

3. Nerve Entrapment or Compression

Nerve entrapment, sometimes referred to as nerve compression, happens when a nerve in your body gets pinched. Nerve entrapment typically causes the sensation of numbness.

4. Postural Distortions

Postural distortions from too much stress from overworked muscles cause the vertebrae to misalign and pinch and compress your nerves.

5. Nutrition

A neuromuscular practitioner will recommend a healthy diet to promote your return to full health

6. Emotional Wellbeing

Your emotional state of mind is examined with neuromuscular therapy to help alleviate stresses that can trigger physiological muscle and joint pains.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Kingford

8 Easy Steps to the Perfect Foot Massage

Just about everybody I have ever met loves having their feet massaged! In some cultures, foot massage is considered a medical therapy. In all cultures, it is considered a wonderful indulgence!

Why does foot massage feel so good? Reflexologists believe it's because different areas of the foot are connected to different areas of the body. As such, a reflexology practitioner believes they can treat your entire body through a well administered foot massage.

Here are some simple steps to help you give a great home foot massage:

Step 1. Make sure your "patient" or friend feels completely comfortable and relaxed. Arrange the right chair or bed until they feel able to sit or lie comfortably for at least 30 minutes.

Step 2. Soak the feet in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes. Feel free to add some fragrant essential oils for an aroma therapeutic benefit.

Step 3. Apply a lubricant. (Note: if your patient has sensitive skin, or prefers not to use a lubricant, that's OK. A lubricant simply makes the massage easier to complete). Use the cream, lotion or oil of your choice. Do not apply it directly to the foot. Instead, apply it to your hands first and rub it between your hands to warm the lubricant before placing your hands onto your patient's foot.

Step 4. Begin at the top of the foot. Now, use a gentle, long-stroke style massage from toe up to the angle. be sure to work gently along the instep. Next, work on the sole of the foot. Make small circles with your fingers or thumb and increase the pressure gradually. Always ask your friend how they are feeling to check if your pressure is too hard or too soft. As you move to the heel and ball of the foot, more pressure may be required. If you get lost at anytime, always remember you are working from toes-to-heel and top-to-bottom. You should also include the sides of the foot, being careful as the sides are often more delicate and sensitive.

Step 5. The next step is to cradle the foot one hand and use your other hand to apply a stretch and flex to your friend's foot. Begin at the ankle, then do the ball. You can repeat this 3 or 4 times and change directions for a full stretch of the foot.

Step 6. Now your attention switches to the sole of the foot. Using your thumbs or knuckles, apply a firm but gentle kneading motion. It is most important that the arch of the foot is your focus.

Step 7. Toes! Beginning with the big toe and working towards the pinky toe, squeeze the toes one at a time and apply small stroking massage to each tow. If your patient likes, you may always massage between each toe. You may also "snap" or "flick" each toe gently, but briskly between your fingers.

Step 8. Complete the foot massage by briefly revisiting the sole of the foot with light, circle strokes. Then bring your hands out and over to make long strokes along the top and instep of the foot. This time work down from the ankle and end at the toes.

That's it! Of course, you need to go ahead and massage the second foot. It's most important that the giver of the massage enjoys the process as much as the receiver. To enhance your own pleasure, make sure you are relaxed and well-hydrated. Playing your favorite music in the background will also make for an enjoyable experience.

Tag : massage,oil massage,massage therapy

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Massage Chairs Feature Foot Reflexology Massage

There many different types of alternative medicine that are available today. One particular type of alternative medicine which has been practiced for centuries is reflexology. Reflexology utilizes different movements such as massaging, squeezing and pushing different parts of the feet. Reflexology has evolved in our knowledge of it with it. Although the concept of reflexology is not new its availability in massage chairs has occurred in just the last few years.

Reflexology is unique in certain respects as it utilizes what are known as the trigger point on the feet. It is thought that these trigger points are related to different organs in the body. As with many alternative medicines, sufficient studies have not been conducted to prove or deny these claims.

One of the good things about reflexology massage is that there are no known side effects. The worst that can possibly happen is that your feet are massaged for too long. If your feet are over massage then it is possible that they could be a little bit sore afterward.

The manufacturers of massage chairs have extensively studied many of these alternative medicines including reflexology. Many of the concepts of reflexology have now been duplicated with technology in massage chairs. This is a convenient way to receive reflexology foot massage on-the-fly.

Massage chairs come with leg rests that contain foot wells. The foot wells are specially designed to deliver an effective reflexology foot massage. Located under need the feet are either reflexology plates or airbags with reflexology nodes. These are designed to gently stimulate the trigger points on the soles of the feet.

To provide a soothing foot massage, most manufacturers of massage chairs utilize an air massage system. Specially designed airbags are located in the foot wells to provide a compression massage. Compression massage delivers a soothing and relieving massage for the feet.

In order to coordinate all the action going on in the foot wells, massage chairs utilize a computer board. Customized programs have been developed to deliver the reflexology foot massage. This enables the massage chair to activate and deactivate the different systems to provide a relieving reflexology foot massage.

The reflexology foot massage is activated by using the remote control. The remote control then starts the software program for the foot massage. These coordinate the airbags and the stimulation of the trigger points of the feet.

Some massage chairs use reflexology plates. The airbags are used to push the feet downward onto the reflexology plate. This is one method to stimulate the trigger points on the feet. Other manufacturers use reflexology nodes on the airbags. The air bags inflate underneath the feet which push the nodes into the trigger points on the soles of your feet.

Practitioners have reflexology have developed different maps of the feet. These maps show the location of different trigger points and their corresponding organs. As these areas are stimulated it helps to relax its related organ.

There are really two parts to receiving a reflexology foot massage in massage chairs. One is to write a thorough and relieving foot massage. The second is to stimulate the trigger points which induce its corresponding organ to relax. By systematically massaging the feet, it helps to relax the entire body.

If you are interested in learning more about reflexology foot massage, then check out some of the models from Omega, Panasonic and Sanyo. These are the top manufacturers of massage chairs and they have developed effective reflexology foot massages. Many of their models contain reflexology foot massage as a standard feature.

These companies understand the importance of the seat in providing a full body relaxation. Massage chairs also contain a number of other massage and therapeutic treatments in addition to foot reflexology.

Tag : massage,massage chairs,massage oil,foot massage

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