High Blood Pressure and Massage Therapy
High Blood Pressure or hypertension is caused by too much pressure in blood as it moves through arteries and veins.Over time, if the force of the blood flow is continually high, it causes: Vascular Weekness Vascular weekness is caused by overstretching of the vessels, creating week areas, making them more susceptible to rupture. Ruptures cause aneurysm and stroke. Trapped blood causes clots which can break off and clog vessels, cutting off blood supply to parts of the body. This often causes heart attack or stroke. Plaque Plaque build up can also cause clogged vessels and decreased blood supply, leading to heart attack or stroke. Most of the time there are no symptoms of hypertension. However, some people do have signs such as:
Relaxation massage techniques can be therapeutic for those with hypertension. If the patient has not been treated by their physician, however, massage could be detrimental as it tends to increase blood flow which can cause more harm. Learn more about massage continuing education webinar courses that teach about high blood pressure and heart disease. Is there proof that massage can lower blood pressure? Many studies have shown that massage therapy can effectively reduce high blood pressure: •Researchers from the Touch Research Institute, conducted in a 1999 study that high blood pressure symptoms were reduced by regular massage therapy sessions. Results indicated that while two study groups (one who received regular massage therapy sessions and the other who practiced various relaxation techniques) had lowered anxiety levels, only the group that had massage therapy decreased their diastolic and systolic blood pressure. •In 2006, National University of Health Sciences began a study to examine blood pressure changes after certain types of massage therapy was performed. They concluded that Swedish, relaxation massage had the most effect in lowering blood pressure, while deep tissue massage and other more painful techniques might actually increase the hypertension. Always consult your doctor if you suspect you have hypertension. Massage therapy may be a natural solution to bring your blood pressure down, but this is a potentially serious medical issue that should be addressed by a healthcare provider. This book by Tracy Walton Medical Conditions and Massage Therapy is one of those "just have to have it" books for massage therapists everywhere. It provides an easy way to assess and manage pain syndromes and medical conditions, including blood pressure, to help decide what massage to use in therapy. An amazing tool that is part of this book is a helpful chart called "The Decision Tree", an easy chart which that helps you learn the best type of massage therapy for certain medical conditions. A "Decision Tree" is included for more than 50 medical conditions discussed in the book, with many additional conditions discussed briefly. The text also includes suggested questions therapists can ask their clients before the massage to help better understand the condition.
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