To be frank, the rehabilitation process following an injury can be frustrating, painful, and downright exhausting. Fortunately, massage therapy can serve as an influential supplement to standard rehabilitation and chiropractic procedures. What Is Massage Therapy? While many people might view massage strictly as a luxury service, several scientific studies over the years indicate that massage therapy is actually an effective way to prevent and treat injured areas. A certified therapist can manipulate the soft tissues of your body — muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, and skin — using varying degrees of movement and pressure to ease pain and minimize your odds of injuring yourself. This type of therapy is being offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and injuries with increasing frequency. How Does It Help With Sports Injuries? From a sprained ankle or twisted knee to muscle spasms or broken bones, massage can provide the opportunity for faster recovery. With the pressure of the therapist's hands improving blood flow, muscles become warmer. By stretching tight tissues and breaking down adhesions, massage can help flush out swelling in joints, allowing for quicker healing. For hamstring injuries, in particular, the effect of stretching out tightness and loosening scar tissue can aid in recovery. Additionally, if you're recovering from a broken bone, you'll want to eliminate stiffness and improve mobility in the Massage Therapy What It Is and How It Helps Heal Sports Injuries
RUNNING: A LOVE STORY Use Cues to Create a Running Habit
Since the ‘70s, devotees have referred to the elusive rush of euphoria they feel during and right after a run as a “runner’s high.” Your friend who claims to “love” running despite how exhausted she looks at the finish line of her 10K might be experiencing the effects of this phenomenon. This post-workout boost has long been linked to a rush of endorphins entering the brain, but a recent study from researchers in Germany suggests that a more likely cause is an increased production of serotonin and other feel-good neurotransmitters. Because of these physiological effects, running may help to improve your body’s ability to stand up to stress while also making you feel good. For seasoned runners, that sweet call of serotonin might be enough to lace up their sneakers week after week, but the rest of us might need a little more convincing. Research into the psychology of habit formation, which has allowed companies like Procter & Gamble to make millions, has found that habits are often linked to a specific cue. Calling on the insight of psychologists, marketing campaigns have used this tactic to sell products like Febreze, and you can use some of the same techniques to adopt a running habit. Most cues fall into one of four categories: temporal (linked to a specific location or time of day), action-based (one of a series of actions), emotional (linked to a mood or emotion), or social (linked to a particular group of people). So if you want to create a running habit, develop prompts that will cue you to engage in it. For example, you can use temporal cues to make a habit of running every day after work, or you can make it a necessary step in your routine: Wake up, brush teeth, coffee, run, shower. Documenting how you feel after a run will help your mind link the good feelings it gives you to the action, which will then cue the habit. Next time your drinking buddies suggest happy hour, suggest a run instead. Maybe they’ll even pick up the habit.
problem area. Sports injury massage or any injury massage therapy can help reduce stiffness, restore movement, and provide relaxation that helps you focus on healthy healing instead of soreness and anxiety.
We have amazing massage therapists on staff here at Louisville Sports & Injury Center, and they are eager to help reduce your pain and expedite your recovery time. Don’t hesitate to give us a call at 502-451-5959 to set up an appointment.
Go on now. Let running sweep you off your feet!
2 | www.usinjurydr.com
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