A combination of massage and physical therapy may be necessary for clients recovering from an injury.

The combination of massage with physical therapy can optimize treatment and rapid rehabilitation. Both manual therapies reduce pain and inflammation and improve muscle mobility and function. Massage can also be a useful adjunct to physical therapy as a way to manage the stress that comes with constant pain or injury.

In combination, both massage therapy and physical therapy can serve as a holistic comprehensive treatment that provides a number of short-term and long-term benefits.

What is physical therapy?
Physiotherapy, also called physiotherapy, restores and supports muscle and joint health to help clients function better and have less pain.

Physiotherapy is performed by a physiotherapist. These Allied medics use physical manipulation to:

• Pain relief
• Improved mobility and joint function
• Improve balance and coordination
• Avoid repeated damage
Treatment of pain in chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis and heart disease
• Restoration of the health and function of the bladder and pelvis
• Prevention and convalescence after sports injuries
 

In addition to manual manipulation, physiotherapy may include other procedures, including electrical stimulation for nerve and muscle pain, light therapy, heat and cold therapy, and hydrotherapy.

The difference between physical therapy and massage therapy
Both physical therapy and massage therapy are similar in that they both use manual manipulation to treat inflammation in the body. However, where massage therapy focuses on the soft tissues, tendons, muscles and fascia of the body, physical therapy focuses on the entire musculoskeletal system.

Another difference between physical therapy and massage therapy is that the former is usually used for specific conditions that require rehabilitation. While massage therapy can also be used to treat injuries, it is preferred as a form of maintenance therapy that can be used in combination with physical therapy for best results.

The benefits and importance of massage therapy are incorporated into

physical therapy
Improve flexibility and range of motion
How flexible it will be depends on the capacity of your soft tissues (muscles, tendons and connective tissues). If these areas are tense or swollen, you may have difficulty tilting, reaching objects, throwing the ball, or moving fully when lifting weights. Flexibility and range of motion go hand in hand. Movement is often prevented by poor joint function or damage to the muscles that support the joint.

Physical therapy and massage therapy can be used together to increase flexibility by stretching and relaxing muscle fibers.

Improving posture
Massage can do a lot with your posture as it helps to get your body back to order. Modern lifestyle habits, such as texting, computing, or sitting for a long time, can lead to muscles that are overworked or weak. This can result in a bad position that looks like this:

• Kneeling, shrugged shoulders
• Swayback
• The head is turned forward
• Pelvic inclination
 

Poor posture can result in many health problems, including head, neck, shoulder and back injuries and irregular walking or running. Both massage therapy and physical therapy can be used to manipulate hyperactive or subdued muscles to bring the body back into harmony.

Reduce scarring
When you are injured, the body forms a scar around the injury. These adhesions can cause pain, limited mobility, and a feeling of prolonged tension, itching, or swelling. If left untreated, it can prevent recurrence of the damage, which can delay healing for a long time. Massage therapists and physiotherapists can straighten and break adhesions using a variety of tools and techniques. Regular treatment can remove scar tissue, resulting in greater mobility and reduced pain.

Improving circulation
The better your blood circulation, the better your muscles will recover. This is because healthy circulation provides the muscles with oxygen and nutrients that help with stiffness and tension.

The combination of massage therapy and physical therapy can significantly improve blood circulation. The massage helps the blood move through the accelerated areas and gives them the oxygenated blood they need to heal.

Muscle relaxation
One of the biggest benefits of massage therapy is muscle relaxation. For an athlete or someone recovering from an injury, it can be beneficial to their physical and mental well-being.

Suffering from constant muscle pain and stress, whether due to exercise or injury, can be detrimental to a person's physical and mental health. Muscle relaxation through massage can support physiotherapy treatment by helping these overworked muscles to stop and relax.

Massage techniques are included

Release the trigger point
Massage therapists can use trigger therapy to relieve painful tension and nodules in muscles and fascia.

This form of myofascial relaxation helps to properly balance the fascia around the muscles and provides relief to tense and painful trigger points in the body. Loss of the trigger point can be applied to areas such as the elbow, pelvic floor, shoulders and lower back.

Massage therapists use a thumb, elbow, palm or support to focus on these motivational points by forcing them.

Massage into soft tissues
Soft tissues include all the muscles, tendons, skin and connective tissues in the body. Thus, soft tissue massage restores the flexibility and weakness of tense, stretched and overloaded muscles.

Soft tissue massage involves varying depth, pressure and duration to achieve this and can help people with muscle, headache, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, tension, poor posture and arthritis.

Active release technique
Massage therapists can use the active release technique (ART) to help break down the scar and inflammation in the body.

Active release helps to treat various soft tissue injuries along with the intended pain of these injuries. Like deep tissue massage, ART can be used to treat pain and other symptoms caused by soft tissue injuries.

Myofascial release
Myofascial relaxation is a manual massage technique to relieve fascia tension.

The fascia is the layer of tissue that connects the back and muscles. When the fascia is tense, in cases such as myofascial pain syndrome, muscle acceleration, restriction of movement and chronic pain can occur.

Myofascial relaxation works by applying a soft, longer-lasting pressure to the sore muscles. The manual and maneuver are therefore used to stretch all areas of the ridges until the tension is completely released. While many people may benefit from a separate massage or physiotherapy approach, the combination of these two treatments can help them recover better and faster.

Massage therapy combined with physical therapy will ensure that the client has access to a range of techniques and treatments to regain strength, reduce pain and gain greater mobility.