At The Function Chiropractic in Hayward, CA, our number one goal is to soothe and alleviate your pain, stiffness, and loss of normal mobility using all the natural medical methods at our disposal. As your local chiropractor in Hayward, we make use of many different treatments and therapies that have been proven to work over many years of practical experience, and in some cases, our methods have been in use for centuries. One of the most popular of those treatments, and one of the most effective, is massage therapy. Most people, when they think about a chiropractor, think about a doctor manipulating and realigning the spine in order to relieve back pain.
Massage Therapy in Hayward, CA
That perception is true as far as it goes, but it is a very limited understanding of what modern chiropractors can do. Chiropractic medicine follows a natural and holistic philosophy that is focused on treating the whole body to promote good health and general well-being in patients. The mission of chiropractic is to offer an effective, natural, and non-invasive alternative to the methods used by allopathic practitioners, which too often involve dangerous pain medications and drugs and risky surgical procedures. Spinal manipulation therapy along with changes in lifestyle and workspace habits, dietary changes, and a regular exercise routine can successfully treat many types of conditions.
But the healing effects of these fundamental chiropractic methods can be greatly enhanced and increased by personalized massage therapy applied by a highly trained and qualified massage therapist in Hayward. A therapists massage treatment can quickly and effectively relieve pain, relax muscle tension, promote much faster healing of many types of injuries, and leave you feeling energized and refreshed. When you’re in need of a chiropractor in Hayward that offers complete massage therapy services along with many other types of natural treatments, make your first call to The Function Chiropractic & Wellness Clinic in Hayward, CA.
What Is Massage Therapy In Hayward?
Massage therapy has been used all over the world for many thousands of years to treat various kinds of medical disorders as a way to promote good health and ward off disease. In some cultures, it has been considered a primary method to heighten spiritual awareness. One can almost imagine ancient Egyptian massage therapists being summoned by the Pharaoh and his queen to perform massage therapy in the shadow of the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx. The practice has evolved and been greatly improved over the centuries, and today patients can benefit from over 80 different types and styles of massage therapy. Many of these have been developed to accomplish specific purposes and to focus on specific locations and areas of the body. Licensed massage therapy practitioners have been trained to identify all the various muscle groups, tissues, ligaments, and nerve bundles in the human body, and the interconnected ways they relate and combine and interact with each other.
They learn through study and experience how stimulation of one area can affect another area of the body both positively and negatively. They use their fingers and hands and sometimes even their forearms and elbows to perform various movements, rubbing, poking, pushing, rubbing, and manipulating the muscles, soft tissues, and nerve bundles of a patient’s body to bring about a positive response in the area being affected by pain and tension. In the hands of a skilled massage therapist, massages can bring about immediate relief from pain, muscle tension, and stress, and create a deep feeling of relaxation and peace of mind, often within the first minute of massage therapy.
It has been shown many times that regular massage services, including tissue massage and muscle massage, can be a very effective way to bring patients long-lasting relief from their pain and discomfort. Many of our customers in Hayward come in to enjoy their therapists massage on a regular basis, making just a small amount of time available during their work day once or twice a week, and tell us that it has greatly improved their quality of life and their ability to do the things they love to do.
What Are The Benefits Of Massage Therapy In Hayward?
Stress relief, the release of muscle tension, the lessening of pain, the increase of mobility, and deep relaxation are all benefits that our patients receiving massage therapy in Hayward can enjoy. But regular massages from our trained and licensed therapists can have many other benefits beyond those immediate results. Studies have shown repeatedly that massage services are effective in treating pain in the joints, including the shoulders, elbows, and knees, and also in the back and neck. It can relieve the symptoms of arthritis as well as reduce the frequency and intensity of recurring headaches and migraines. The deep relaxation and stress relief that people experience with body massage has been shown to be effective in fighting depression and reducing anxiety.
Massage therapy has even been shown to help lessen the side effects of cancer treatments by reducing swelling, fatigue, and nausea. Those interested in boosting their immune systems during these times of pandemic anxiety should know that spending time with their massage therapist can do that too. The usefulness and effectiveness of massage therapy in Hayward, as well as all of the other chiropractic treatments we offer at our clinic to bring about positive results in so many areas of the body and in the general health and well-being of our patients, demonstrates the fundamental connectedness of the various physical systems with the mind. This philosophy of natural holistic treatment is the foundation of all of our work at The Function Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Hayward, CA.
Types Of Massage Therapy
It has already been mentioned above that there are many different styles of therapeutic massage therapy being practiced around the world, and you can find practitioners of most of them almost anywhere you go. However, the most commonly offered styles in the United States can be narrowed down to several of the most popular methods described below.
Swedish
This is by far the most common and popular type of massage and the type most therapists offer, and also the one people usually think of when they think of getting a massage. It is focused on the upper layers of the skin and muscles, and practitioners utilize slow, long, and soft stroking movements on the body while also applying light tapping and rapping, and gentle kneading. Therapists will also manipulate a patient’s joints to relieve the tension in stress points. People describe their feelings after completing a session of Swedish massage therapy in Hayward as being deeply relaxed and physically and mentally recharged.
Deep Tissue
Everyone knows how tense, stiff, tight, and aching your muscles can get after long hours of being forced to sit in the same position, such as when you’re driving for long periods of time or spending long hours bent over a computer at work. As the name implies, deep tissue massage therapists use slow, hard pressure on specific areas of their patient’s bodies to reach deep below the surface to stimulate the underlying muscles, tissues, tendons, and nerve bundles. This is very effective at alleviating pain resulting from muscle injuries and in areas that are regularly put under tension due to work or lifestyle requirements.
Sports
This specialized style of therapeutic massage therapy uses a technique that is very similar to the methods used in deep tissue massage, with the difference being that sports massage focuses on the muscle groups and parts of the body that athletes use the most while playing specific sports. In fact, many professional sports massage therapists will specialize in treating players involved in one particular sport or even one team. Sports massage therapy can not only be used to treat pain, stiffness, and discomfort resulting from injuries, it is also used during training as well as before, during, and after games to loosen tight and overused muscles and increase circulation, which can promote increased flexibility and help to prevent injuries from occurring.
Pregnancy
The female body goes through many stressful and unpleasant changes during pregnancy, and this style is focused exclusively on alleviating them, including relieving the joint and muscle pain and reducing the swelling and sensitivity of the arms and legs associated with being pregnant. Pregnancy massage includes both prenatal and postnatal treatments. Specially designed pillows have been developed that allow pregnancy massage therapists to place their patients into the most comfortable position during their sessions.
Lymphatic
This very specialized style of massage focuses on increasing the circulation and efficient flow of lymph fluids throughout the body. These fluids accomplish the essential function of helping to collect and eliminate waste products such as viruses, bacteria, and other particles and impurities from your body and carrying them to the renal organs to be flushed out of your system. Many medical conditions and ailments can be traced to the improper circulation of lymph fluids. It is essential to maintaining good health and the proper balance of your body chemistry.
Trigger Point Release
This is another type of very popular body massage that traces its origins back to ancient times. In fact, this massage therapy technique actually goes back at least 5,000 years to the ancient Egyptians, so the Pharaohs probably did enjoy the benefits of this effective treatment. Practitioners of this pain relief therapy focus their efforts on myofascial trigger points, or what most people would call muscle knots or charlie horses. These are actually small cramps in the muscle tissue. Trigger point therapists use hard pressure directly on these points along with rubbing and kneading to increase circulation and gently release these tight bundles of muscle, eliminating the pain and stressful feelings associated with them.
Shiatsu
Shiatsu massage has become very much in demand in recent years simply because it works so well to relieve many types of pain and physical ailments. It is a very old type of natural medicine that originated hundreds of years ago in Japan. It is considered to be a form of acupressure using many of the same principles as acupuncture. Practitioners apply gentle pressure to specific meridian points on the body to manipulate the flow of the body’s qi, or life energy force. It is used to lessen pain and bring relief to sufferers of many different types of ailments including arthritis, sciatica, digestive disorders, depression, and more.
Chair Massage
This type of relaxing massage has become very popular with our patients in Hayward because it can be completed in very short sessions, as little as 10-15 minutes, and it delivers phenomenal results. It involves using a chair, as the name implies, and then using soft pressure techniques and calming motions to totally relax the patient and induce a state of peace and well-being. The chair used is designed to facilitate a comfortable position that naturally brings about a sense of calm and quiet. Many people stop by our clinic location during their lunch break for quick chair massages to help them through their day.
The Function Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Hayward, CA, can provide you with massage therapy and many other types of chiropractic treatments to help you feel better and get more enjoyment from life. We guarantee that our service can bring you relief from your pain and discomfort and increase your mobility so that you can get back to living your life and engaging in the activities you love to do. Contact us today to book an appointment.
