This concludes the series on conditions and post operative surgeries that massage has been beneficial to treat. Today we look at cardiac and thoracic surgeries that treats heart or lung disease and may involve splitting the chest open (open-heart surgery) or
minimally invasive procedures.
Some complaints and complication after these particular surgeries include:
Discomfort in the shoulders, back and neck
Shortness of breath due to tightness in the healing area.
Shoulder pain because of compensation in the pectoral muscles and decreased strength in the shoulder girdle.
Massage therapy reduces more pain than just pain killers would alone. Scar tissue can form near the incision area and even beyond, so scar tissue massage is effective. The management of stress levels also cannot be overlooked and regular massage can improve post operative outcomes such as healing and immune function. It is very important to note, however, that you should receive medical clearance before any treatments prior to 6 weeks after the procedure.
Our series for the last few weeks have highlighted just a few of the surgeries that massage therapy can address post operative and much thanks to the American Massage Therapy Association for the resources and knowledge in spreading the word about the many benefits massage therapy offers. There are many more procedures, pathologies and injuries that massage therapy has been proven to address effectively.
Ultimately, in my own experience, massage therapy, first and foremost needs to help the body relax. Whether you are experiencing deep tissue restorative massage or relaxing maintenance massage. That fight or flight nervous system has to be turned off while at the same time the rest and digest nervous system has to be activated. That is the cornerstone to ALL massage treatments. Thank you for reading.
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