Sometimes you just can’t make it in for your regular massage therapy session. Maybe you are just too busy right now or perhaps your extended health care benefits have ran out. Whatever the reason, we are still here for you! Here’s 5 things you can do if you can’t get in for your massage:

1. Do your homework: Our therapists will always send you off with some homework. We want to see you feel better and evidence shows that the number one approach to most MSK complaints is manual therapy in combination with exercise. Do your exercises, they will help you!

2. Get some rest: Insomnia and short sleep duration are risk factors to developing chronic pain. Our bodies heal while we sleep. Keep your room cool, dark and quiet. If you are a light sleeper try wearing ear plugs. Turn off all screen devices at least one full hour before bedtime. Get more sleeping tips HERE.

3. Check your posture: Our inner state will influence our outer state, and vice versa. Being slouched over will change the dynamics of your breath, your mental state and the state of your muscles. Check out our top tips for posture HERE.

4. Put your head down and rest: Turn off your devices, close your eyes and just breathe. Ten minutes of rest is almost as good as a massage when it comes to calming the nervous system. Taking a rest break can help lower blood pressure, lower breathing rate and increase feelings of relaxation. Add a little visualization (may we suggest the beach at Inverness) and you’ve got yourself a peaceful moment in time!

5. Change your breathing: Sometimes during times of stress our breathing becomes rapid and shallow (thanks to the sympathetic nervous system). You can change what nervous system you are activating (sympathetic or parasympathetic) by addressing the way you breathe. Try slowing down your breath to counts of four (in for four, hold for four, out for four and hold for four) or trying the phragmatic sigh (two quick inhales via the nose and a slow release via the mouth). Read more breathing suggestions HERE.

Speaking of extended health care benefits, there are 8 weeks left until the new year! This means most plans will turn over to a new cycle. Time is running out, use them or loose them!

**It is important to note that following these guidelines is best when prescribed by your chiropractor or physician. If you have underlying medical conditions, please consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new regimes. None of the information provided on this website should be substituted for medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment from a licensed healthcare practitioner. This information is simply for interest and comfort.

References:

Ellen Generaal, PhD, Nicole Vogelzangs, PhD, Brenda W.J.H. Penninx, PhD, Joost Dekker, PhD, Insomnia, Sleep Duration, Depressive Symptoms, and the Onset of Chronic Multisite Musculoskeletal Pain, Sleep, Volume 40, Issue 1, 1 January 2017, zsw030, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsw030

Maria Meier, Eva Unternaehrer, Stephanie J. Dimitroff, Annika B. E. Benz, Ulrike U. Bentele, Sabine M. Schorpp, Maya Wenzel, Jens C. Pruessner. Standardized massage interventions as protocols for the induction of psychophysiological relaxation in the laboratory: a block randomized, controlled trial. Scientific Reports, 2020; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71173-w

University of Konstanz. "Ten minutes of massage or rest will help your body fight stress." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 September 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200918104305.htm>.