We had a great response on our recent blog outlining which therapies we offer for both Home Health and Hospice care here at Aspire Home Health and Hospice. Because of that great response and a few questions we’ve received from our readers, we’ve decided to make a blog series of sorts going into greater detail on what exactly each of those therapies entails. Today, we’re going to dive into massage therapy and learn about what it is, what it does, and why we do it.
At Aspire Home Health and Hospice, we typically provide massage therapy to our hospice patients. Hospice is care administered after a patient receives a terminal diagnosis and is at the end of their life; its purpose is to alleviate as much pain as possible to help make the end of the patient’s life as fulfilling and painless as possible.
What is Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy’s primary purpose is to relax the muscles, relieve tension, and alleviate pain. In massage therapy, a licensed massage therapist will come to our patient’s home to administer this care. They will use effective massage techniques on our patients to try to help them relax as much as possible.
What Does Massage Therapy Do?
Massage therapy relaxes muscle tissue. This relaxation can have a myriad of benefits apart from its primary use of pain alleviation. For example, it can reduce muscle contractions and spasms, which can be very painful and uncomfortable. Massage therapy also helps reduce nerve compression. When muscle tissue is not relaxed, it’s compressed. When muscle tissue compresses, it can compress on the nearby nerves – a phenomenon called nerve compression. Nerve compression can be incredibly painful, and massage therapy is an effective method of remedying or even preventing it.
Why Does Aspire Offer Massage Therapy?
At Aspire Home Health and Hospice, we are committed to doing anything and everything we can for our patients. The purpose of hospice care is to alleviate pain as much as possible and leave the patient feeling comfortable. Medications can certainly do this, but many patients prefer a more holistic approach in addition to medication. Massage therapy is an effective holistic method of alleviating pain and preventing future muscle spasms or nerve contractions. Because of this, massage therapy is one of the most critical and well-received therapies we offer at Aspire Home Health and Hospice.
If you’d like to know more about massage therapy or Aspire Home Health and Hospice, please give us a call today!
