Are Medical Massages Necessary?
34% of people believe that massages are only a form of pampering. But did you know it can greatly improve your health? More people are turning to medical massage to improve certain conditions. This form of therapy can relieve muscle tension, decrease pain, and improve circulation. It also improves your mental health by managing stress and anxiety. When used alongside medical treatment, massage can decrease pain and stress.
What Is Medical Massage?
This form of therapy is prescribed by a doctor to complement a patient’s existing medical treatment. Most patients receive a prescription after enduring a chronic injury, an accident, or are in severe pain.
Massage therapists focus on the problematic areas of the body and use different techniques to heal those areas.
Does Health Insurance Cover Massage?
Every health insurance plan has different medical massage coverage options. Whether or not your insurance covers massage depends on your insurance provider’s definition of massage and the reason for receiving a massage prescription.
Your medical massage treatments may be covered if:
- It is considered a “habilitative treatment”
- It is medically necessary
Fortunately, more health insurance providers are starting to cover massage. In addition, you may be able to use your health savings account (HSA) to cover your massage costs.
What Is the Difference Between Medical Massage and a Swedish Massage?
Medical massage differs from many types of massages, such as a Swedish massage. Medical massage requires a doctor’s prescription and only focuses on a problematic area of the body. There are also other differences that first-time clients should know.
Swedish massage is a type of therapeutic massage. It uses long strokes to stimulate blood flow to the heart. It’s the most popular and widely-performed therapeutic massage technique.
While Swedish massage offers many physical benefits, relaxation is the ultimate goal. Swedish massage also focuses on the whole body instead of a specific area. This helps clients feel revitalized and rejuvenated.
Massage therapists also make the experience more enjoyable and serene. Playing peaceful music is the most famous example.
While massage can be relaxing, the goal is to relieve pain and tension to a specific part of the body. Massage therapists may use specific techniques to achieve this. For example, they may use long, relaxing strokes to loosen the muscles before applying more pressure to engage treatment.
Medical massage focuses on an injured or painful area of the body to heal and decrease pain. This type of massage therapy complements a patient’s existing medical treatment to heal a certain area of the body.
Our Clinic
While we do not offer massage therapy, our office specializes in chiropractic and decompression therapy. If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment for these services, please click the link below. We look forward to helping you achieve optimal health and wellness!
