What is the importance of deep tissue, treatment massage therapy following an injury caused from whiplash? This is a question that many people ask me as a doctor of chiropractic. As a specialist in postural correction and rehabilitation I often work with massage therapists to co-manage a patients condition immediately following a car accident.
The benefits attained from deep tissue, treatment massage therapy is very broad reaching. Some of the biggest benefits received from a medical massage which involves deep tissue work is the reduction in muscle tension, myospasms and the elimination of trigger points.
Muscle tension is a side effect from whiplash which almost all who have experienced a car accident can expect to experience. The muscles get twisted, pulled and stretched in ways that they were not designed to following an acute bout with whiplash. The higher the impact of the collision, the greater the damage to the muscles is a general rule of thumb. Massage therapy is very effective at alleviating the muscle tension and muscle guarding from acute injuries . Chiropractic care is also very effective at reducing muscle tension.
How do you know if you should seek chiropractic care or massage therapy after suffering whiplash? This is a question I hear all the time. The fact of the matter is that people generally need both forms of therapy in order to fully recover from their injuries. I have had plenty of patients who refused to get massage therapy during their rehab. What I usually see in this situation is slower recovery time due to excessive muscle tension.
Trigger points are also something that many people acquire after sustaining whiplash. The front of the neck has a couple muscle groups called the scalenes and the sterno-cleido-mastoid. These muscles often get damaged and have trigger points around them which need to be treated with deep tissue massage before one can expect the neck to relax and calm down.
I highly encourage anyone who has been involved in a sports injury, car accident or any form of whiplash to consider adding massage therapy to their treatment routine in order for a safe and speedy recovery.
