Category: Massage Therapy

3 Massages for Pressure Points in Your Feet

Whether you spend all day standing or complete hard workouts daily, your feet really take a beating. But did you know that all that walking doesn’t just affect your feet? It affects your whole body. Targeted foot massages can ease tense areas that cause problems throughout your body, lower stress, aid digestion, and improve sleep through reflexology.

Continue reading to learn more about reflexology and three foot massage techniques you can do at home.

What is Reflexology?

Reflexology is a type of alternative therapy that involves applying varying pressure levels to the feet, hands, and ears. It is believed that pressure points in these areas correspond to different parts of the body. By releasing tension in the trigger points, reflexology helps restore balance and encourage healing in other places.

Pressure Points in the Foot

Reflexology charts can show you a full breakdown of pressure points within the foot. Here’s a general guide for corresponding body parts on the foot:

Toes: The head, specifically the brain, side neck, and sinuses

Inside surface (along the arch): The spine

Outer edge: The shoulders, arms, hips, knees, and legs

The entire bottom of your foot corresponds with various organs.

Top third (near the ball of your foot): Chest organs, including the lungs and heart.

Middle third (near your arch): Abdominal organs, like the stomach, spleen, liver, and intestines

Bottom third (near the heel): Pelvic organs, such as the bladder, colon, reproductive organs, etc.; the sciatic nerve

Three Foot Massage Techniques

1. For Anxiety

Stimulating the cardiovascular system can promote relaxation and ease some effects of anxiety.

• Curl your toes and identify the small dip between your 1st and 2nd toe right beneath the ball of your foot.
• Use your thumb to massage the area in a circular motion.
• You can also firmly press down on the area for 10 to 15 seconds.

2. For Lower Back Pain

Some people report that reflexology on the foot can relieve lower back pain even better than an actual lower back massage. You’ll want to focus on the arches along the inside of your foot for this massage technique.

• Move your thumb in short strokes from your heels to your toes.
• You can also walk your thumbs along the arch.

3. For Full-Body Reset

This technique doesn’t focus on one area. Instead, you will use a tennis or golf ball to identify areas of tightness all over your foot and release them. This method is one form of myofascial release therapy, similar to what you’ll experience during massage therapy in Bend.

• Roll your foot around over a tennis or golf ball until you find a sensitive spot.
• Press down to apply pressure until you feel it soften.
• Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds.

Reflexology works best in conjunction with other full-body treatment methods, like chiropractic care or acupuncture. Your massage therapist in Bend can help you identify tense areas of your body and offer suggestions for at-home maintenance, including the above techniques. We offer the best chiropractic care in Bend that combines several alternative therapies to help you feel your best even after your visit.

How Chiropractic and Massage Work Hand in Hand to Maximize Healing

Are you one of the many people who choose either chiropractic care or massage therapy for pain relief and comfort? Why not both? You see, chiropractic care and massage therapy work hand in hand as back and joint pain treatment in Bend. Not to mention, when used together you may experience stronger results than you would from simply using one method.

Continue reading to learn how pairing chiropractic care and massage therapy in Bend can maximize your healing.

First, let’s look at how these treatment methods work together to provide care to the whole body.

Chiropractic care generally focuses on hard tissues, like your vertebrae and joints. On the other hand, massage targets your soft tissues, such as muscles, ligaments and tendons. And all of these structures work together to allow proper function and movement. So, when you only focus on one tissue type, the other is still hindering your ability to perform at your highest level.

When you opt for chiropractic and massage as part of your holistic care routine, these treatment options give the best results, including:

1. Quicker recovery

During your adjustment, your chiropractor may address your injuries by restoring your natural alignment. Then, massage therapy will increase healing blood flow to these newly adjusted areas, meaning faster and more complete recovery.

2. Easier adjustments

Has your chiropractor ever mentioned that you are particularly tight or “not moving well” during your visit? Getting a massage before your adjustment allows your joints and vertebrae to move more freely, so your chiropractor in Bend can work on a more intense level.

Not to mention, relaxed muscles are less likely to pull your joints out of alignment, meaning your adjustments last longer.

3. Increased range of motion

Chiropractic care itself helps restore your ability to twist, bend and lift like you should. However, massage therapy takes this a step further with stretching techniques that increasing your flexibility, even in injured and impacted areas.

4. Enhanced comfort

You are likely to experience pain after your adjustment, and in some cases after your massage. Often times, this feeling is because the unaddressed tissues are still causing discomfort. By working on the inflammation and tension present in your hard and soft tissues, you’re more likely to experience all-encompassing comfort longer.

5. Improved circulation

Massage therapy helps release the buildup of toxins and lactic acid in the muscles, while promoting better circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid throughout the body. This not only helps relieve soreness, but it also increases healing. Likewise, by releasing pressure off compressed nerves, chiropractic care allows the nervous system and its counterparts to encourage proper circulation to injured areas.

At Total Body Chiropractic & Massage in Bend, we offer a holistic treatment plan, including adjustments, massage therapy, nutrition and exercise, that complement each other and help you feel your best. So, whether you’re looking for a chiropractor for neck pain or a massage therapist in Bend for soreness, Total Body has you covered for both.

Treat Yourself to a Massage on National Relaxation Day

In celebration of National Relaxation Day on August 15, treat yourself to a massage at Total Body Chiropractic & Massage. In just one hour (or longer if you prefer), you can experience complete relaxation of the mind and body and emerge feeling zen and rejuvenated.

Benefits of Massage Therapy for Relaxation

Massage therapy of all kinds can relieve mental and physical stress in a few ways:

A Tranquil Environment

Perhaps the biggest perk of booking a professional massage is the serene environment during your session. Typically, the lights are turned down, soothing music plays in the background and there may even be an element of aromatherapy. These tranquil surroundings allow your brain to rest and recharge and give you time to unplug from the fast pace of everyday life.

Mental Relaxation

Most of the day, your body is on edge, mobilizing your sympathetic nervous system to keep you safe from danger. The act of massage therapy activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which decreases your heart rate, slows your breathing and improves your blood circulation. After a session, you will feel calmer and rest more peacefully thanks to the activation of your PNS.

Even just 45 minutes of massage therapy can reduce the level of stress hormones in the blood, while also increasing “feel-good” hormones like dopamine and serotonin. These mood-boosting hormones help you feel happier and more relaxed rather than stressed.

Physical Relief

Stress can cause knots, and conversely, these knots can also increase your stress. So, not only does massage aim help you relax mentally, but it also works to release muscle tension to help you feel more at ease throughout your day.

Your massage therapist will identify areas of tightness and apply gentle pressure to encourage the muscles to relax, increasing your range of motion, reducing pain and easing physical stress on the body.

Best Massage Techniques for Stress Relief

There are several types of massage techniques to address problems from sports injuries to migraine and even chronic stress. The two most common options for stress relief are Swedish massage and deep tissue massage. One focuses on providing superficial touch to encourage mental relaxation, while the other penetrates deeply for physical alleviation, both of which can help you feel more carefree and relaxed.

Swedish massage utilizes long gliding strokes toward the heart to improve circulation and promote tranquility and peace. Deep tissue massage focuses on deeper layers of muscle tissues to ease pain, which gives you a boost of endorphins and can relieve stress.

Treat yourself to all the benefits of a massage by booking your session with Total Body Chiropractic & Massage. Your massage therapist in Bend will not only aim to help you relax mentally and physically but also promote healthy recovery and encourage balance. Schedule your self-care appointment today and celebrate National Relaxation Day in peace!

5 Benefits of Monthly Massage Therapy

Receiving a massage on your birthday, anniversary, or a holiday is a prized present and an extra special treat. But did you know that scheduling regular massages weekly or monthly can optimize your well-being from head to toe? Monthly massage therapy in Bend, Oregon may feel like just a luxurious form of self-care, but it is actually an affordable option to keep your health in check with these five benefits of massage:

Stress & Anxiety Relief

Whether you recognize it or not, each day you deal with stressors big and small that initiate your body’s fight or flight response and increase the stress hormone, cortisol. High levels of cortisol are associated with headaches, fatigue, anxiety symptoms, a weakened immune system as well as an increased risk for heart disease and cancer.

Studies suggest that massage therapy can decrease cortisol levels by 31% on average. However, these levels will rise again in the days and weeks following your session. Instead, regular massage therapy can give your body a necessary reset on a consistent schedule to keep you happy and healthy and provide stress relief.

Boosts Mood

Regular massage therapy can improve your quality of life and promote a more positive outlook. Researchers found that while therapeutic massage reduces cortisol, it also increases dopamine and serotonin levels. These “feel-good” hormones are naturally released when you are feeling happy or relaxed, so massage therapy facilitates the production of these elements in the blood to mimic these feelings after your appointment.

Alleviates Pain

From sedentary and physically demanding work environments to sports and age-related injuries and discomforts, regular massage can address varying levels and forms of pain and allow for muscle relaxation. Massage techniques, like stretching and myofascial release, target contracted or tight muscles, commonly known as knots, relieve muscle tension, and improve muscle pain. By manually relaxing these areas, your licensed massage therapist helps relieve pressure and pain in the neck, shoulders, and back while improving flexibility and mobility. When your muscles are moving freely and properly, you can prevent injury from basic movements and feel more comfortable.

Massage therapy also relieves inflammation in the joints and other areas of injury with increased blood flow. This increased blood circulation allows for proper healing and the resolution of the immune response in certain areas to ease pain. Massage therapy sessions can also assist with pain management and alleviate chronic pain.

Relieves Insomnia

Millions of people in the United States experience trouble getting a sufficient amount of quality sleep each night. Massage therapy encourages relaxation and may improve your sleep patterns, allowing you to get restful and refreshing sleep. According to studies, weekly massages can reduce the severity of insomnia. Many people even fall asleep right on the massage table during the session.

Strengthens the Immune System

If you are looking to give your immune system a boost, regular massage is a relaxing way to do so. Massage therapy not only reduces stress levels and improves sleep to help you better fight off illness, but it also encourages the production of white blood cells that protect from foreign bodies. In the same way, the gentle strokes diffuse lactic acid and other waste build-ups in the muscles to stimulate the immune system, reduce fatigue and pain, and improve immune function. Chiropractic and massage therapy techniques also improve lymphatic circulation to better prevent infection and keep you feeling healthy.

These are only five ways regular massage can help you feel your best, but there are plenty of unique outcomes for each client. Chiropractic and massage therapy in Bend is even integrated into many treatment plans for a variety of conditions and recoveries. A trained massage therapist will discuss your lifestyle, discomforts, and health history to determine the best techniques and schedule to help you keep you well.