Dealing with chronic pain can make one’s life extremely difficult. Chronic pain is referred to an injury that has prolonged longer than 6 months after recovering from the initial injury that occurred. Knowing how to be in tune with the body and taking the time to do self-care techniques at home, it can help one who deals with chronic pain.
Massage therapy has been demonstrated to help clients with musculoskeletal dysfunction by reducing chronic pain through positive, skillful touch and the effect of parasympathetic state. Typically, clients who are managing pain need less stimulation. In addition, clients suffering from pain may have dysregulation of their body awareness in time and space. Giving time in the massage session to have clients move around, activate the tissues that were being treated, and integrating new movement pattens is essential. This helps the brain remap where it was touched and to correlate that touch into the landscape of their body. This aids in pain relief.
There are at home self-care techniques that help chronic pain. Self-care tools, like foam rollers and trigger point balls, are designed to help you maintain supple tissues in between massage sessions. There are many reasons why diaphragmatic breathing is beneficial for everyone, but especially for those with chronic pain. To practice diaphragmatic breathing, inhale through the nose and feeling the air move through the nostrils and into the abdomen. Keep in mind to keep the chest relatively still. Then, exhale slowly out of your mouth by pursing your lips and feel the stomach gently contract.