How Massage helps elders
Massage for elderly people brings blood to the limbs and joints, this is important as we get older as our awareness of where our limbs are becomes more difficult and our bones become less firmer; falls can happen and we can easily break our bones from falls. Massage helps bring blood to our limbs thus improving our awareness where our limbs are in relation to our surroundings and helps to prevent falls. Massage helps move all the nutrients from the blood to the bones thus it can help with knowledge of how we move our limbs.
Post-Surgery
Massage treatment post-surgery can be exactly what the doctor ordered with regards to the healing process. Due to the intrusive nature of surgery, damage to soft tissue is unavoidable. Upon injury or damage, scar tissue is produced. Scar tissue is adhesive and can affect the functioning of surrounding structures such as muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia. Massage involving moderate strokes and whole palm cupping movements can be used to target and breakup the formation of scar tissue, this will enable the tissue structures to be operating and functioning much quicker.
Improving posture and movement
Massage therapy can be used when an elderly person is rigid and feeling bound. Tight muscles can cause disruption in gait, posture and overall function. It is important to have and keep pliable muscles in order to be fully functioning and pain free. Massage techniques involving moderate pressure strokes, softly lifting the body, rolling the body from one side to another half way can address tightness within muscle fibres by stretching and aligning groups of muscle fibres. Massage can also target constraint in fascia, ie, a layer of connective tissue surrounding each muscle which, when tight, can restrict functioning and movement.
Relieving pain
Massage for elderly people helps with relieving arthritic pain - easing the constant pain in joints by assisting blood flow the joints and bringing warm blood to the area. Massage therapists use essential oils with heat which can be applied with massage oil. Massage with essential oil added can increase blood flow to the joints and help ease pain of arthritis.
In my practice I use DoTerra essential oils, I find Lemongrass a great source to add with the massage to relieve and ease aches and soreness.
