How Massage Therapy Can Help You

There are numerous conditions that massage therapy can resolve,
can have a beneficial effect upon, or be supportive to while receiving other therapies.

This page will be constantly updated as Bruce Schaefer, LMT addresses additional ailments
and as new research is published -- so check back often. Also, please read note at the bottom of this Web page.

Please call Bruce at 541.556.7148 if you have any questions.

Conditions that Bruce has treated (with positive outcomes)
or has provided supportive care for:

Alzheimer's Disease -- massage administered as a supportive therapy

Ankle Sprain -- treatment administered during subacute stage

Back Pain

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, symptoms resembling -- pain, tingling, numbness, and/or weakness in the hand

Elbow Pain -- see Golfer's Elbow and Tennis Elbow

Foot Pain -- pain on the sole of the foot (due to Plantar Fasciitis)

Golfer's Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis) -- pain on the inside area of the elbow

Headache, Tension

Heel Pain -- pain on the bottom surface of the heel (due to Plantar Fasciitis)

Hip Pain

Hip, Difficulty Flexing -- feeling of weakness or difficulty lifting the leg/knee forward and upward

Insomnia

Muscle Strain

Muscle Spasms/Cramps

Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Neck Pain -- pain and difficulty turning the head to the side

Neck/Shoulder Pain -- constant tightness and pain from the lower neck to the upper shoulder

Numbness/Tingling in Hand -- due to nerve impingement from hypertonic muscle

Plantar Fasciitis

Sacroiliac Joint Pain -- often experienced as pain in the lower back and/or hip

Shoulder Pain/Weakness -- difficulty lifting the arm out sideways from the body

Shoulder Blade Pain -- pain adjacent to or under the scapula

Stress -- Read Bruce's article about the effects of long-term stress.

Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis) -- pain on the outside area of the elbow

Wrist Pain

Other Conditions Reported to Benefit from Massage Therapy

Numerous publications state that people with the following conditions may benefit from massage therapy techniques. The sources used to compile this list below were A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology, by Ruth Werner, 2005, Clinical Massage Therapy, by Fiona Rattray and Linda Ludwig, 2000, Traditional Chinese Medicine Cupping Therapy, by Ilkay Zihni Chirali, 2007.

Achille's Tendinitis -- experienced as pain (and possibly inflammation) on the back surface of the heel and/or ankle

Anxiety

Asthma

Bell's Palsy

Cerebral Palsy

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Constipation

Depression -- See what studies say about the effect of massage therapy on depression.

Dislocations -- treatment administered during subacute stage

Fatigue

Fibromyalgia

High Blood Pressure/Hypertension -- for borderline or mild cases

Hyperthyroidism

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Lupus -- treatment administered while Lupus is in remission

Lyme Disease -- treatment administered during subacute stage

Osteoarthritis -- treatment administered during subacute stage

Raynaud's Syndrome

Rheumatoid Arthritis -- treatment administered during subacute stage

Scar Tissue -- treatment administered during subacute stage

Shin Splints -- if pain is not due to stress fractures or exertional compartment syndrome

Sleep Disorders

Sprains -- treatment administered during subacute stage

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders -- commonly referred to as "TMJ"

Tendinitis -- treatment administered during subacute stage

Tenosynovitis -- treatment administered during subacute stage

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome -- treatment is effective if TOS is due to muscle tightness

Torticollis

Whiplash -- treatment administered during subacute stage

Important Note

Please know that outcomes from massage therapy will vary from person to person based on the severity of the condition, the underlying causes, the amount of time the condition was left untreated, any pharmaceuticals currently being ingested, the presence of coexisting pathologies, and/or any congenital issues.

This page was last updated on May 8, 2010.