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Benefits of Swedish Massage

Benefits of Swedish Massage

Did you know that the massage therapy industry reached a revenue of nearly $18 billion in 2018 alone? Between 2017 and 2018, nearly 60 million Americans received a therapeutic massage at least once. If you’re new to massages, a Swedish massage is a great starting point! Read on to learn about  the benefits of Swedish massage.

What Is a Swedish Massage?

This particular massage is a gentle therapy applied to your body. The therapist uses soft techniques like circular motions, kneading, and flowing strokes towards the heart. This helps alleviate muscle tension and mild pain. Sessions typically last 60 to 90 minutes, and you can keep your underwear on during the massage.

Top Benefits of Swedish Massage

A Swedish massage aims to help you relax and reduce stress. The therapist applies minimal pressure, ensuring comfort and a painless experience. This massage can relieve minor pains, improve blood circulation, reduce muscle tension, and provide a sense of calm and well-being.

What Is The Difference Between Swedish And Therapeutic Massage

Various massage types exist, including therapeutic massage, which targets specific body areas with tension or injury. For instance, if you suffer from a stiff neck or shoulder muscles due to prolonged computer use, therapeutic massage might help. Those with reduced mobility in their legs or back may also benefit from this type.

Conversely, a Swedish massage is often recommended for reducing stress, achieving relaxation, and easing overall body tension.

Swedish Massage vs Deep Tissue

Deep tissue massage is another popular option. It’s ideal for relieving chronic tension and pain. The therapist applies more pressure to reach deeper muscle layers. While deep tissue massage isn’t necessarily painful, you should be comfortable with more intense pressure.

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!

Benefits of Shiatsu Massage

Benefits of Shiatsu Massage

One great massage to try out is a shiatsu massage. But, what is a shiatsu massage? What are the benefits of this type of massage? Check out this guide to discover everything you need to know about the benefits of shiatsu massages.

What is a Shiatsu Massage?

Shiatsu is actually a Japanese word that means “finger pressure”. During your massage, your therapist will use rhythmic, varied pressure on precise points of the body. To apply pressure, they’ll use their fingers, thumbs, and palms, and the exact pressure points will depend on the patient’s needs.

These points are known as acupressure points, and they’re known for playing an important role in the body’s vital energy, known as qi (pronounced: chi). Proponents of this type of massage say that the techniques used can help relieve blockage at acupressure points.

Shiatsu massage is actually a centuries-old practice. It’s said to have been brought to Japan in the 6th century by a Buddhist monk.

What Does a Shiatsu Massage Do?

While shiatsu massages originated in Japan, the techniques used during a massage are actually based on traditional Chinese medicine philosophies.

Chinese medicine philosophy views illness and health problems as an imbalance of the body’s qi life force energy. During a massage session, a therapist will place pressure on the body in order to restore balance. There are also different styles of shiatsu that your massage therapist may implement. These include:

Movement: This technique involves normal shiatsu interchanged with exercises and different movements to help with chronic conditions

Macrobiotic: This is a holistic approach to shiatsu that combines several different multidisciplinary elements

Zen: This is a form of bodywork that primarily focuses on restoring the body’s energies

Namikoshi: This is a traditional Japanese finger pressure massage

Hara: This technique primarily focuses on the abdomen, or center of a person

Healing: This technique focuses on rebalancing energy to achieve healing in the body

Your therapist may incorporate one or more of these techniques into your session.

What Are The benefits?

In addition to being deeply relaxing, shiatsu massage offers many different benefits. Some conditions that this type of massage can help treat include.

  • Sprains
  • Sciatica
  • Joint problems
  • Poor posture
  • Acute and chronic pain
  • Stress
  • Sinusitis
  • Blood pressure irregularities
  • Sleep issues
  • Arthritis
  • Bronchitis

This type of massage can also boost your immune system and improve your body’s ability to heal. It also stimulates your circulatory system, hormonal system, and lymphatic system. Many patients choose shiatsu massage because it’s a natural and holistic approach to dealing with health problems.

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!

5 Unexpected Ways to Herniate a Disc

5 Unexpected Ways to Herniate a Disc

Did you know that per 1,000 adults in the United States, there are up to 20 cases of herniated discs every year? They are extremely common and can be quite painful.  But just because they’re common doesn’t mean they always have normal causes.  Read on to learn five unexpected ways that you could herniate a disc and end up with back pain.

1. Grocery Shopping

Everyone goes grocery shopping, and it’s a fairly safe errand. Still, you can herniate a disc while doing it. How?

Common causes are lifting heavy items the wrong way and deterioration from frequent lifting. 

When shopping, it’s not usual for people to try to lift heavy items, especially when you only want to make one trip out to the car when bringing your groceries in. You also do a lot of bending and lifting when picking up and setting down grocery bags and items.

2. Shaving Your Legs

If you shave your legs by bending down, it’s time to change that routine. Bending in half to shave your legs in the shower puts a lot of strain on the part of your back most susceptible for a herniation – your lumbar. 

Worse yet, showers are slippery. If you fall while shaving in that position, one of your resulting injuries will likely be your lumbar. 

3. Sneezing

As you probably know, sneezing causes an uncontrollable and forceful reaction. This reaction causes you to hunch over in a way that can actually herniate a disc. 

While this cause is rare, it’s a result of discs that are already degenerated and in poor condition due to other causes, including bad posture, being overweight, heavy lifting, and so on. 

Herniated disc symptoms also include back pain when you sneeze. If you experience this, you should see a doctor.

4. Office Work

Office workers and other individuals who work at a computer for long periods throughout the day without getting up or stretching are also at risk. 

Looking at a computer all day causes you to bend your neck in a way that can result in tech neck. Symptoms of tech neck include neck pain, bad posture, and herniated discs. 

You can also get tech neck from looking at your phone screen too often.

5. Exercising

Exercising is good for your health and can even help strengthen your back muscles to prevent injury.

At the same time, the wrong type of exercise can do more damage. This is because your discs absorb the shock your back experiences when exercising. Very intense workouts that put a lot of strain on your back can wear down your discs. 

To prevent this, avoid overly high-impact back exercises and those that put pressure on your lumbar in particular. 

Avoid These Herniated Disc Causes

Herniated disc causes aren’t always what you would expect. Your discs can wear down over time from everyday activities until one day you’re surprised by an injury. 

While you can’t stop exercising, shaving, working, sneezing, or grocery shopping, you can work to limit your disc deterioration and risk of unexpected ways to herniate a disc. 

If you’re interested in how to maintain a healthier spine, check out our services today. We offer chiropractic and decompression therapy, among other specialties.

Common Factors That Impact Injury Recovery Time

Common Factors That Impact Injury Recovery Time

Recovering from an injury can be a frustrating experience, especially if recovery is limiting your mobility. There are various factors that can impact how well or how fast you might recover from an injury and knowing what they are can increase your chance of feeling better faster. 

Common Factors That Impact Injury Recovery

  • Pushing yourself physically: Depending on the injury in question, you can slow your recovery if you are doing too much with the injured part of your body too quickly. For example, if you have sustained a leg injury, pushing yourself to walk on it before you are ready can compromise your recovery significantly. It is important to follow the instructions of your medical provider when it comes to how much you can do after an injury and when you can do it. You should also listen to your body and if you are in pain or feel too uncomfortable while engaging in physical activity, you might be doing too much too fast. This kind of overexertion can significantly set you back in the recovery process. 
  • Expending too much energy too soon: Expending too much energy too soon can also compromise your recovery. Rest is important during recovery even from the seemingly smallest of injuries. It is the way that your body heals. If you expend too much energy too soon, then your body cannot regenerate energy effectively to heal the injury in question. Therefore, energy conservation should be a priority as you recover from an injury of any kind.
  • Poor nutrition: Poor nutrition and lack of hydration can also compromise healing from an injury. This is similar to the body’s need for rest in that it operates more effectively when you are taking care of it. If you are not eating properly, then your body’s systems are not firing on all cylinders and you are likely to heal much more slowly than you otherwise might. 
  • Improper medication management: Improper medication management is also a common reason for healing slowly from an injury. Taking too little or too much of any medication provided for an injury can derail your healing. This is the reason it is imperative to take any medications prescribed for healing exactly as directed and check in with your healthcare provider often to determine how effective any medication might be as you recover.

Supplemental Assistance

While the speed of your recovery is important, so is the efficacy of it. The last thing you want is for an injury to heal improperly or cause issues elsewhere in the body. This is the reason that supplemental assistance during the healing process can make a huge difference in your physical outcome. 

Chiropractic care, physical therapy and other forms of supplemental assistance can help tremendously during the healing process to both help you recover faster and better. 

If you are frustrated with the speed of your recovery or just want to know how to make lifestyle changes that can help, reach out to Amazing Life Chiropractic to learn more. 

Different Imaging Technologies

Different Imaging Technologies

The imaging services sector is among the fastest-growing industries in the U.S. It was estimated at approximately 134 billion dollars in 2020. Ideally, most people prefer medical imaging since it remains a fast and safe way to obtain vital medical information. Whether you require interventional radiology or diagnostic radiology, radiologists will use different imaging technologies for accurate imaging results.

Different Types of Imaging Technologies

Medical imaging has revolutionized diagnostic and intervention treatment due to the presence of interfacial intelligence in radiology. Imaging technologies include imaging modalities such as MRI, X-ray, and CT scan that promote timely diagnosis for different health conditions. Here is a list of the top imaging technologies radiologists use to obtain accurate images:

X-rays Imaging Technology

This medical imaging technique utilizes electromagnetic waves to capture images of the hard tissues. This common form of radiology is useful in fracture diagnosis or bone tumors. When a person enters the X-ray machine, a radiologist exposes their body to high energy light radiation that remains invisible. As the light passes through the target region, hard tissues such as bones absorb most waves. The X-ray machine transfers images of the film for interpretation.

When do you Use X-ray Imaging Technology?

  • An x-ray scan helps orthodontists and dentists to inspect your teeth.
  • Radiologists recommend X-ray scans to diagnose bone tumors.
  • X-ray scans are common in guiding surgeons in detecting broken bones and guiding operations.

Computerized Tomography (CT)

Unlike an X-ray machine, the CT scanner uses additional software to create 3D images of internal structures. It picks subtle body parts that remain invisible in X-rays.

What Are Some Common Uses of CT Scans?

  • Radiologists use CT imaging technology to locate soft tissue tumors and estimate their size.
  • CT’s scans are also essential in monitoring progress on developing conditions such as tumors and cancers.
  • CT scans can be used in diagnosing broken bones from landscaping activities.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technology (MRI)

An MRI uses both radio frequency (RF) and magnetic waves to create images of the internal body structures. MRI imaging technology produces high-quality cross-sectional images for radiographers to differentiate various tissues. A patient lies in a long tube with magnetic fields. However, doctors also recommend open MRIs for claustrophobic patients.

What Are Some Common Uses of MRI Imaging Technology?

  • MRI scans provide a more detailed image of internal body parts such as blood vessels and the brain.
  • MRIs are essential in diagnosing or monitoring health conditions and preparing treatment plans by doctors or chiropractors.

Nuclear Medicine Imaging Technology (Positron Emission Tomography)

Radiologists use radioactive tracers to detects irregular body tissues. A PET scan is often preferred because it creates a 3D image of the internal body organs. When focused on specific body parts and combined with MRI and CT scans, PET scans provide an accurate diagnosis.

Common Uses of PET

  • They are used to monitor the progression of health conditions such as cancer.
  • Radiologists use PET to diagnose dementia.
  • Doctors use PET to plan surgeries.

Ultrasound (Sonography)

Medical practitioners utilize high-frequency sound waves to create images of soft tissue, organs, and muscles.

Uses of ultrasound Scans

  • Doctors use an ultrasound scan to monitor the progress of unborn babies.
  • Medical practitioners use ultrasound scans to plans and guide surgeons during surgery.

Expert Imaging in Mill Creek, Washington

You can not proceed with your daily activities if you suffer from internal pain caused by medical conditions or injuries. Amazing Life Chiropractic and Wellness’s talented staff provide you with preventive care or a treatment plan.

 Schedule an appointment with us and learn more about different imaging technologies to help you detect health conditions early with accuracy. Also, call us at 1(425)-737-5343 for high-quality services.

 

Video: Seattle Y-Strap Chiropractic Adjustment

Video: Seattle Y-Strap Chiropractic Adjustment

Watch how the Y-Strap brings this gentleman the ultimate relief after months of pain and discomfort. The Amazing Life Chiropractic and Wellness is one of the handful of clinics in the greater Seattle area that treat patients with the Y-Strap.

0:00 Intro

0:25 Interview

1:40 Range of Motion Tests

3:10 Chiropractic Adjustment

6:10 Y-Strap!

7:30 Mobility Test

10:00 Outro

For more information or if you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us or visit our clinic at the Mill Creek location in Washington State.

Live without health problems – Because you’re worth it!

1(425)-737-5343

800 164th St SE Ste O Mill Creek, WA 98012

[email protected]