CHARLOTTE, NC – How do we incorporate massage in our core muscular health?  It’s easy, kind of. Personally, the first modality that comes to mind is neuromuscular massage. Neuromuscular massage works not only with the muscles themselves but with the nerves associated with the muscle and its performance. BUT, any massage by a qualified and licensed therapist should see remarkable improvements. Sometimes getting stagnant blood out of the muscle in order to allow fresh blood and lymph in is all you need to manage pain and make you feel better (but that’s another column).

What can massage do to make your core muscles feel better and perform better? Whole muscle manipulation from origin to insertion, moving it around, working the belly of the muscle (looking for trigger points) can be done in one session and relief can be almost immediate. Your therapist can also work with your core muscles combining positional stretching with general massage to encourage your brain to rethink the way it’s functioning and make it go back to the way it was meant to function (instead of compensating).

What conversations should you have with your massage therapist? Tell them what your goals are. Tell them what your activities include in relation to your core. Are you doing weight training in relation to your core muscles? Are you targeting certain muscles? How is your body responding to the attention your core is getting?

Remember, core issues weren’t made overnight, and there might be several sessions before significant progress is maintained.