Massage Therapy for Vertigo

Vertigo is the sensation that you or your surroundings are spinning, whirling, or moving and can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sweating, and involuntary eye movements. It is a symptom of something disturbing your sense of balance, not a disease in itself. There can be many causes to vertigo, including but not limited to inner ear fluid, Meniere's disease, cerebral hemorrhaging (bleeding in the back of the brain), multiple sclerosis, and head and neck injury. First off, if you are experiencing vertigo I recommend getting checked out thoroughly by a physician to determine the cause.

This article is for those of you who have already been checked out and yet no cause could be determined. One of the causes overlooked for vertigo is tension in muscles in the neck area, especially in the case in which one side is significantly more tense than the other. When muscles in this area tense up, they pull at their attachments at the base of the skull, frequently causing tension headaches. Tight muscles also decrease circulation in their surrounding areas. The affect of having one side pulling at the base of the skull more than the other and a decrease in circulation can cause not only headaches, but vertigo as well. So, what do you do to fix this problem? You guessed it! Massage therapy, of course. 

Visit a licensed massage therapist proficient in deep tissue work, preferably one with experience in medical massage and especially in treating this condition. For those of you in the Kingwood, TX area, I specialize in deep tissue massage and medical massage and do, in fact, have experience in treating tension that causes vertigo, very successfully. I do set up treatment plans for those who come to me with issues that require personalized treatment options. 

So, if you or someone you know is suffering with this issue, please send me an e-mail and let's get you taken care of.

Neelou Fletcher

Licensed Massage Therapist

Kingwood, TX

www.spiritoflotus.com

What's the deal with those knots?

Most people have heard of muscle "knots" and, for that matter, experienced the discomfort of said knots themselves. But I have a lot of clients asking me, "Just what is a muscle knot anyway?" Hey, good question. The truth is, there is no such thing as a muscle knot. Muscles just don't get tied up in knots. Not literally, anyway. What we typically are referring to is actually localized muscle tension.

Quite often a whole entire muscle gets tensed up and can feel hard as a rock. But seemingly just as often only a part of the muscle gets tensed up while the rest of it may be relatively okay. There are certain areas of particular muscles that are especially prone to this problem - mostly in the shoulders, neck, and mid to upper back regions, though I find them in various leg muscles as well, and sometimes in the arms. What does it mean when a muscle is tense? A simplified explanation is that the muscle is stuck in a state of contraction. Repetitive movements, stress, injury, overuse, etc., have caused the muscle to be unable to go back into a relaxed state after contraction, usually bit by bit, until it basically stays that way all the time. Or, in many cases, just a part of the muscle remains that way.

Keep in mind there are many causes and this is a simplified explanation, but you get the idea. The muscle fibers become, for whatever reason, stuck together and incapable of letting go. Once that happens, the problem will often increase over time as the area of tension grows larger and more toxins and debris get trapped in the hypertoned muscle zones. An excellent way to remedy this problem is, of course, massage therapy. Massage breaks up that tension, stretches and loosens the muscles, releases and flushes out toxins, and gets those fibers to let go of each other so the muscle can once again return to its natural relaxed state of being.

Neelou Fletcher
Licensed Massage Therapist
Kingwood, TX
www.spiritoflotus.com

So why get regular massages?

Many people greatly underestimate the benefits and necessity to receiving massage at all, let alone getting them on a regular basis. However, you'd be amazed to discover the plethora of health benefits to receiving regular massage - physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Massage is not just about relaxation. In fact, that is only a temporary, and dare I say, even the least of the many benefits it provides. Better yet is consistent pain management, and not just for your back. Regular massage can keep away headaches, repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel and thoracic outlet syndrome, relieve pain and numbness in the hands due to tight muscles squeezing nerves, do away with a "crick" in the neck, break up those stubborn muscles knots in your shoulders that keep you bunched up all day, and get that plantar fascia stretched back out the way it ought to be, to name just a few advantages.

Another great benefit - increased circulation. Increasing the circulation of blood allows the body to nourish itself more effectively with oxygen and nutrients, getting those vital elements to the organs and muscles where they should be. Tight muscles restrict blood flow, and massage is one of the most effective ways to resolve that issue. Increased circulation benefits not only the circulatory system, but the lymphatic system as well. Getting things moving in the lymphatic system decreases edema and swelling, and stimulates the production and circulation of white blood cells needed for fighting pathogens in the body. So, yes, massage can indeed boost the body's healing processes in more ways than one!

Massage increases range of motion and joint flexibility, reduces recovery time and helps the body prepare for strenuous workouts, can be used to realign and reduce post-surgery scar tissue after healing, exercises and stretches atrophied muscles and decreases shortening of those muscles, reduces spasms and cramping, and softens and relaxes injured and overused muscles.

Massage therapy is used to treat a variety of physical ailments, including carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, back and neck pain, frozen shoulder, arm/hand pain and numbness, plantar fasciitis, sciatica, tension headaches, pinched nerves, tennis elbow, golf elbow, whiplash, TMJ syndrome, shoulder pain, stress, ear and sinus infections, and more. Barring any contraindicated conditions, no matter who you are, chances are you will benefit from regular massage.

Neelou Fletcher
Licensed Massage Therapist
Kingwood, TX
www.spiritoflotus.com

Massage - Not Just For Pampering!

In the time since I humbly ventured into the world of massage therapy, I have become keenly aware of the many misconceptions and misinformation about this industry. The one most common is that many perceive massage as something only those with excessive disposable income seek as a form of pampering. This could not be more off-base. Only a very small percentage of my clients come to me for nothing more than to be pampered. On the contrary, the majority come to me because they are in pain, hence the "therapy" part of my trade. They suffer from stress and muscle tension, resulting in pain, low energy, and limited physical mobility. There is nothing more enjoyable about my line of work than to help improve the quality of life for my clients - especially the warm, fuzzy feeling I get as each client leaves my studio feeling refreshed, relaxed, and free of the torment in which they arrived.

I'd have to say that pain relief is the number one reason anyone walks through my doors. The caring, intuitive, high-quality service I give is why they come back. That, and to maintain a healthy physical and mental state of being. Many would be amazed at the numerous benefits that regular massage therapy has to offer.

Aside from relief of pain and maintenance to keep those muscles loose so it doesn't come back, massage increases blood circulation into the muscle giving it the nutrients it needs, releases trapped toxins to be filtered from the body, and increases flexibility and range of motion, which decreases the likelihood of injury to the muscle during activity. Keeping those muscles nourished keeps them healthy and functioning at maximum capacity. A tight muscle is a starving muscle, is not fully functional, and will fatigue more quickly than a healthy one. There are many more benefits to massage, but more on that later, as well as how to maintain healthy muscles on your own so you don't have to suffer between appointments!

Neelou Fletcher
Licensed Massage Therapist
Kingwood, TX
www.spiritoflotus.com