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Deep Tissue Massage and Post Concussion
Deep Tissue Massage and post concussion symptoms. Can this style of treatment help to alleviate symptoms associated with post concussion symptoms? Our set of videos answers 8 questions related to this.
Post Concussion and Tight Muscles
Massage can be a least expected form of treatment when it comes to post concussion symptoms. It is most likely because the issue is related to the brain and massage treats the muscles and fascia. And this is what people generally associate massage with. However, massage, specifically deep tissue massage and treatments to the fascia can alleviate symptoms related to the primary issue.
Typically, a patient who comes in for treatment with post-concussion symptoms may experience several issues. These issues can include headaches, jaw pain, and neck and shoulder pain. All of these symptoms are treatable via massage.
A patient can complain of “head” symptoms such as dizziness, concentration, focus, headaches, vision problems and issues with hearing. These symptoms can be from the post concussion injury. These symptoms can also be aggravated by tight muscles and fascia.
Pain and dysfunction can increase stress and anxiety, especially if the issue is long-standing. This stress and anxiety can magnify the symptoms of pain. The pain increases and again it feeds into this pain-anxiety cycle.
One of the goals of treatment is to decrease stress and anxiety. Decreasing these factors can help to alleviate symptoms. Basically the cycle is broken, so to speak.
Deep tissue massage and post concussion symptoms is a wonderful fit. Deep tissue massage is an aggressive form of massage. It is a great tool where the patient is encountering substantial tightness. The fascia will also require treatment. Generally, chronic muscle tightness can be relaxed to a greater degree when the fascia is treated.
What are the typical muscles involved?
- The neck and shoulder muscles: Many of the neck and shoulder muscles can refer to the head and face. For example two common muscles are the Sternocleidomastoid and the Trapezius muscle group. These two muscles can cause local pain and tightness along with referrals into the head and face. In fact the Sternocleidomastoid can refer issues such as ringing/plugging of the ears and dizziness. Deep tissue massage and post concussion symptoms can be diminished by treating these two muscles.
- The Jaw muscles: Deep tissue massage and post concussion muscular symptoms can be alleviated by treating the jaw. In fact the patients that have been treated with post concussion symptoms have the commonality of having Temperomandibular (TMJ/Jaw) issues. There is a link between the jaw and the neck. When one is chronically tight, it can eventually negatively impact the other. Symptoms that can hint to this is chronic tightness and pain of the neck. This is especially true when the neck has had local treatment with minimal results. When the jaw muscles are relaxed there typically is a more pronounced relaxation of the neck. This can help alleviate headaches and other annoying head symptoms. The second picture below shows the jaw muscles and their typical referral patterns.
What can Deep Tissue Massage do for you?
Deep tissue massage and post concussion symptoms is a great treatment fit. It is a great adjunct to other treatments that one is using if they are suffering with post concussion symptoms. The key goal is to release muscular tightness and tightness of the fascia to significantly decrease symptoms.
Please contact us to discuss your case and we can teach you about how we can help.
More Resources:
Did you know that treating tight jaw muscles can assist with migraine symptoms? Watch this video to learn more. We have shorter educational videos on our Instagram. Visit our page now.
