It can be extremely difficult to deal with chronic pain — especially when there’s no obvious “cure” for that pain. There are many reasons why people have chronic pain issues, as you’ll see below. However, in many cases people who live chronic pain aren’t necessarily ill to the point that their actual health is affected — but the pain is demoralizing and in some cases truly debilitating. In this case, you may want to look for alternative ways of relieving that pain. While prescription medications can help, they aren’t for everyone. Side effects and the risk of addiction makes them unrealistic for certain patients; and for that matter, many of these medications don’t do enough to really help with the pain. Many patients want to seek out more natural and holistic options — and to do so, they consider things like therapeutic massages given by professional massage therapists. Massages aren’t just about relaxing; in fact, the best massages are often about rejuvenating people and treating an underlying problem. But it’s not as if you can go to a day spa and have a typical massage. Therapeutic massages are about much more than that, and require use of professional massage therapists.

Chronic Pain: What’s The Big Deal?

Unless it has to do with a life-threatening condition, chronic pain is often dismissed by the general population. Some don’t even believe it exists. This leaves sufferers feeling isolated and emotionally drained, with 51% reporting that they felt they had little or no control over their pain. Your quality of life can be seriously affected by chronic pain. In fact, six out of 10 patients said that they experienced “breakthroughs” of pain one or more times daily. For some, this means that they can’t even drive, as they’re so afraid of breakthroughs of pain occurring and causing an accident. Chronic pain can cause people to become depressed and anxious, and can exacerbate any previously existing mental illnesses a patient might be dealing with. Chronic pain often occurs in the back or limbs; it can also come in the form of headaches. In many cases, a theraputic massage isn’t necessarily about treating the exact place where pain occurs — it’s about helping the entire body relax. Due to this fact, a variety of different types of chronic pain can be treated through massage therapy.

Massage Therapy: Does It Actually Help?

Some do not see the health benefits of what a massage therapist can do — often in part because they themselves have never experienced massage therapy firsthand. Massages are again, seen as recreational by much of the population. But there’s a reason why you don’t want to leave a therapeutic massage to anyone but a qualified massage therapist — a massage is about dealing with the body, and on some level healing it. The difference between a typical massage and a therapeutic massage is more about the amount of healing taking place — both types of massages have their benefits. You would be surprised by how many people are already having massages for health reasons — in fact, between July 2014 and July 2015, 52% of adult Americans who had massages had them for health reasons. These reasons included pain management, muscle soreness or spasms, injury rehabilitation, and finally more generalized health benefits. Overall, it’s estimated that 59% of physicians recommend therapeutic massages, as do 49% of chiropractors, and 43% of physical therapists. The numbers are only going to increase as the health benefits of massage therapy are explored and further proven.

Massage Therapists: What Sets Them Apart?

While any masseuse you see you should be certified, there are different levels of qualifications. Massage therapists have been trained to deal with certain injuries and illnesses. There will be a level of care with massage therapists that you can’t expect from a masseuse working at a day spa. For that matter, a massage therapist will target your specific issues, rather than working on more generalized ones.