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Can Regular Massage Really Help a Pinched Nerve?
Oh no, there it is… That sharp pain in your arm, that strange tingling in your back.
If you’ve ever had a pinched nerve, you know that at their best, they’re annoying. And at their worst, they’re utterly debilitating.
A pinched nerve is the result of too much pressure on a nerve by surrounding tissues. Those surrounding aggressors can be bones, cartilage, muscles, or tendons.
Pressure from surrounding tissue prevents the nerve from functioning properly, usually resulting in pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness. Pinched nerves can linger and make you desperately seek relief.
So the question is, can massage really help with a pinched nerve?
Much of the time, the answer is yes!
For pinched nerves caused by muscle pressure, massage can be a very effective treatment option.
Here’s how regular massage can help with pinched nerves:
4. Massage Eases Muscle Tension
Since the primary cause of a pinched nerve is muscle putting pressure on a nerve, reducing tension in a muscle is a key step in reducing that pressure.
Massage relieves tension by stretching connective tissues and improving elasticity. This improves our mobility, and when we’re able to open up restricted movement, we can effectively address the root cause of the pinched nerve.
Furthermore, massage also loosens the tissues surrounding compressed nerves by increasing heat and allowing tightness to subside. To amplify this loosening of tense muscles and tissue, a heated massage can be immensely beneficial.
3. Massage Promotes Relaxation
Massage releases endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine, and also decreases cortisol levels.
This helps you feel more relaxed, which makes you feel great, naturally. But also, it allows for the body to physically relax in a deep and restorative way.
When you treat your body to regular massage, you feel calmer and your nervous system stops sending out stress signals. This encourages your muscles to loosen further, as you let tension melt away that you were unknowingly holding everywhere in your body.
Massage summons deep relaxation that reaches right into every part of your body, relieving pent-up pressure causing the pinched nerve.
2. Massage is Effective in Pain Management
The release of serotonin and endorphins help the body limit its pain signals from the site of the pinched nerve.
This actually changes your pain perception and distracts the mind from the discomfort. Simply put, massage can reduce the pain from the pinched nerve while concurrently working to heal the issue. Sounds like a win-win!
1. Massage Summons Restful Sleep to Encourage Healing
Along this same vein, massage also improves your sleep quality. This is great news if the pinched nerve is keeping you up at night.
Regular massage can make you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. Not to mention, better quality sleep allows for the body to recover from injuries quicker. Your muscles can repair and the body will have a chance to work out all the kinks during restorative sleep.
In Conclusion
Regular massage is not only an effective treatment for pinched nerves; it can be a useful preventive measure, too.
With a regular massage routine, the combined benefits effectively prevent nerves from becoming compressed in the first place. By keeping our muscles and connective tissue loose and balanced throughout our bodies, pressure from surrounding areas is reduced.
This easing of tension makes it less likely for any undue pressure to cause pinched nerves. An added bonus of having a limber, loose body is that injuries are less likely to occur, which can spark pinched nerves within themselves.
Bonus:
How to Treat Pinched Nerves with Massage
For a pinched nerve, light- to medium-pressure massage is the most effective in reducing the tension and pressure caused to the surrounding tissue.
The easy fix for pinched nerves?
Tailor the perfect massage for your needs with the Slabway Full Body Massage Chair. With its fully customizable programs, intuitive compression air bags and targeted heat, you can zero in on the areas you need relief with the ideal pressure.
Regular massages can simultaneously make you more relaxed, aid in your recovery process, and help reduce pain.
