Three Reasons To Take Your Elderly Parent For A Massage Therapy Appointment
Posted on: 4 January 2016
People of all ages can benefit from the skilled hands of a massage therapist, but senior citizens who are dealing with age-related issues can often see a marked improvement in their quality of life after a massage. If you have an elderly parent who is experiencing a diminished quality of life because of various health issues, give your local massage therapy clinic a call and explain the predicament your parent is in. In many cases, the massage therapist can specifically gear his or her treatment toward providing relief for many age-related problems and help your parent feel better without having to use medication. Here are three age-related issues for which massage therapy can provide relief.
Arthritis
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability among Canadian women and 4.6 million adults across the country suffer from this painful condition. If your parent is contending with arthritis pain, a visit to your local massage therapist can be advantageous. Massage therapy works the painful muscles and tissues, while also applying pressure to relieve the pain in sore joints. Many massage therapists also place hot stones over the patient's body, which can provide pain relief. As such, many massage patients suffering from arthritis report an improvement in their discomfort and their range of motion, while also noting a reduction in their grip strength.
Dementia
An elderly parent living with dementia can be troubling for the family, but the good news is that turning to massage therapy can often improve the life of the dementia patient. "Massage Today" magazine notes that hand and back massages, in particular, have positive results for dementia sufferers. These specific treatments can decrease the patient's anxiety and overall agitation level, reduce physical pain and even safely lower the heart rate to promote greater relaxation. Hand massages are often ideal for dementia patients because there's a familiarity in holding hands. Finally, the caring attention of the massage therapist can often help to reduce the patient's feelings of isolation.
Joint Replacement
If your parent has recently had a joint replaced, he or she will often be going through a lengthy period of rehabilitation that is often characterized by a considerable degree of pain. Massage therapy is beneficial because it can help soften the tissues in the vicinity of the replaced joint while also pushing away the built-up fluid to help reduce the uncomfortable swelling that is common after an operation of this magnitude.
For more information, talk to a massage therapist, such as those at Temple Crossing Chiropractic.
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