Here are the top four:
1. Headaches - Many people suffer from headaches daily. But few know that massage can be a natural alternative to taking aspirin or ibuprofen, and possibly provide long-term positive results. There are four kinds of headaches, all of which affect clients regularly:
- Cluster - a series of intense painful headaches that occur in groups or in a cycle. These may be caused by high blood pressure, which can restrict the amount of oxygen supplied to the brain. These can be triggered by weather, time of year, or menstrual cycles.
- Migraines - Vascular headaches are caused by blood volumes and pressures changing in the brain. These headaches can often cause nausea and/or vomiting and make one sensitive to light, sound and movement, sometimes caused by hormones, tension (accompanied by a lack of sleep), skipping meals, or excessive fatigue.
- Tension - Tension headaches are often called stress headaches and are caused by tight muscles. The pressure is often around the forehead, jaw, neck and back of the head. It is usually described as a throbbing pain.
- Sinus - These headaches are located just above, below and/or behind the eyes. This may be accompanied by nose and sinus stuffiness. These are typically caused by low-pressure weather fronts, allergies, excessively dry air, moving air/blowing fans, or inflamed sinus cavities.
2. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) - Often people believe they have CTS, when actually they have Thoracic Outlet Syndrome or tightness in the pronator teres muscle in the forearm. Carpal Tunnel will cause a "painful numbness" in the palm and last two fingers. Many times clients will complain of their hands being tingling or numb when they awake from a night's sleep. Some pregnant women are diagnosed with CTS. Massage, stretching and often night wrist splints can help reduce the discomfort.
3. Plantar Fasciitis - When a client complains of foot or heel pain, the cause could be plantar fasciitis. Some symptoms include stiffness in the arch of the foot, or pain in the heel (especially first thing in the morning). This pain is caused by a shortening of the largest ligament in the bottom of the foot. Pain can be caused by direct injury to the heel or by repetitive impact on the feet. Massage therapists can provide deep, slow massage and stretching to the feet and calf muscles.
4. Prenatal/Pregnancy Massage - The benefits of prenatal massage are numerous, including contributing to shorter labor and reduced tearing for expectant mothers, as well as lessening the need for medication, minimizing depression and anxiety and shortening hospital stays. Massage has also been shown to enhance the production of immune system t-cells in the mother and baby.
There are of course many more that I treat such as
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic Muscle strain/pain
- TOS-Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- "Office Worker Syndrome" i.e. Upper Crossed Syndrome
- and many more
I treat Men Women Children Infants