Massage Therapies

Massage Therapy

There are many types of massage therapies being used in rehabilitation therapies.
In MPS diseases and many other diseases, there is a lot of muscular and connective tissue pain happening in the children and adults. Jesse included to some degree. We incorporated Neuromuscular massage therapy and Connective tissue massage therapy into treatments for him. We started 2x weekly with this. Jesse used to have knots in his heel cords. They have been there since he was about 3 years old. No one wanted to do anything about them because he was not having serious issues with toe walking. Well after 2 sessions of massage therapy those knots are gone, and have stayed gone. (he had to put up with these knots for 8 years) We also noticed that Jesse benefits greatly from a more free range of motion as well. Jesse, since getting massages (now only 1 to 2 times monthly) feels wonderful overall, and rarely has movement limitations. A good therapist will first observe closely all posture and movements of the patient, and then give then do specific and thorough manipulation of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia to release contracted tissue, also increasing circulation, erasing trigger points, reducing nerve entrapment, and correcting or minimizing postural distortion. These techniques are proven very effective in the treatment of pain and stress, repetitive strain, postural distortion, and chronic neuromuscular conditions. (even carpal tunnnel problems) MPS can cause all of these. Jesse tends to carry most of his muscular stress in his front thigh muscle, (Sartorius) and shoulder areas. (Deltoids and Rhombid Major) This is due to the posture he has from his barrel chest. It puts a strong reverse arch in his back. (mild reversal of the lumbar lordosis). Therefore the massage and trigger point releases have benefited him much. You can see the comfort he enjoys since these therapies started for nearly a year now.

Deep Tissue massage is what I contribute the release of the knots in Jesse’s heel cords to. Deep tissue involves methods more like compression, kneading tapping, and gliding strokes over muscles. This promotes circulation and also helps release stress and promote relaxation. Also the compression combined with strokes of the cross fiber can help to release knots in muscles that come from repetitive strain or poor posture problems like Jesse has.

Connective Tissue massage is designed to target areas where there is no longer any muscle tissue and the connective tissue fibers become tendons or ligaments and connects when CT (connective tissue) connects bone to bone. Connected tissue also is the most abundant tissue in the body, making up more of the human than any other tissue type. CT directly influences myofascial functioning and indirectly influences all organs, tissues and cells touched by CT. The loose connective tissue just below the skin has capillary channels, lymph vessels and many nerves. Subcutaneous fat is attached to it as well. There is great potential to store excess fluid, metabolites, and breakdown products of hormones, neurotranmitters and other chemicals in the body. The gentle massage and pressure to these areas help to clear channels, stimulate tissues to soften, fluids to circulate and metabolic processes to return to healthy levels. Thus giving a positive state of function to all of these. Metabolic processes are important for all of us, but especially in MPS. As many MPS children have much joint and muscular problems, which limit range of motion and abilities. When activity is minimized, so is the circulation in their bodies, When circulation is minimized, our bodies need stimulation to keep functions working better overall. Pressure and manipulation from CT massage really does help this process for all areas of the body.

There are many types of massage targeted for specific problems. We have also tried Craniosacral Massage as well. We have come to the conclusion that it was not benefiting Jesse much. We had hoped it would. We were not sure if Jesse had optimal CSF fluid flowing through his brain to allow the ultimate brain function that he is capable of. After several months of treatments, we decided this was not helping one way or the other for him. (this therapy was used for Jesse to create optimal CSF flow through his brain) I know of many children who get relief from headaches from this therapy, and it is being used to help people with hearing issues and speech issues also. Some have received much benefit from it. So don’t overlook this therapy if it may have something to offer you or your child.

You can learn more about Massage at More about Massage Therapy

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