Chronic pain hits older adults, especially hard. According to Michael Ashburn MD, Director of Pain Medicine at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, “As we get older pain becomes a part of our life.” However new evidence is surfacing that says our traditional Western model of pain treatment, taking opioids, injections and having surgeries may not be treating chronic pain as well as it should. Our attempts to treat chronic pain with medication have led to an opioid abuse epidemic so severe that overdoses are now among the leading causes of death for adults ages 50 to 70. (AARP Bulletin, June 2024). According to Salahadin Abdi, MD a pain specialist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, “Chronic pain can easily spiral, causing depression and anxiety, sleep deprivation, social isolation and even ven economic and financial burden"
In my own practice at Massage Refresh and in other integrative therapies, we opt less for the Western model and more for the Eastern model of pain management. Meaning, instead of treatment for an ailment, we focus on preventative medicine and other non pharmaceutical options.
Massage therapy is a wonderful option to consider for chronic pain.
“The goal of treatment is to reduce, not necessarily cure completely your pain as much as possible so that you have a better quality of life and can do what you normally do”, says Dr. Abdi.
Based on my own practical experience, chronic pain is something that we don’t necessarily cure but manage instead. Even after the best massage, the relief, unfortunately, does not last forever. I like to say that “life happens” between massage sessions and the end goal is sustained relief. However, eventually the relief wears off. You have to manage and maintain your body. The good news is when you visit me the first time after an injury or after experiencing chronic pain, the next goal moves from a repairable angle to more of a maintenance angle.
Regular routine massage may mean different things for different people. Some people are able to have weekly sessions and others may feel better after their quarterly session. In any case, my rule of thumb is to get a massage as often as you change the oil in your car. You don’t want to treat your car better than you do your body. 😉
Routine maintenance on your body refreshes the pain relief experienced in prior sessions.
Book your first session with me online at Massage Refresh and let’s get you on the road to feeling good again.
Comments