“We take your pain away.”

More and more studies are proving that weekly massages can ease lower back pain. The latest, from the Annals of Internal Medicine in July 2015, touted benefits that take effect even after one massage and lasting six full months.

Local Asheville massage therapist Lawrence Hines isn’t surprised. He’s seen dramatic results in his 17-year career doing sports and therapeutic massage. “We help people out of back pain through soft tissue manipulation,” he says.

Therapeutic Massage Works

Your spine connects nerves to every part of your body, from your head to your heels. If you’re feeling back pain, it can be as simple as a tight muscle or as complex as a herniated disc. Therapeutic massage engages the muscles that hold your spine in place. The treatment relaxes you and your muscles, easing the pain.

Now obviously, massage can’t cure a herniated disc, but it can relax the muscles around the inflammation, which serves to ease your pain. You still need to get your condition treated. Most back pain does not originate with a herniated disc — those are much rarer and often caused by an injury or accident.

Back Pain Is Common

Lower back pain is quite common in this country. Nearly 80 percent of Americans are suffering, have suffered or will suffer back pain sometime in their lifetimes. 80 percent! Fortunately, very few of those cases end up in surgery. In most cases, the pain lasts only a few days. If you are experiencing low back pain that has lasted longer than four weeks, contact a therapeutic massage therapist in Asheville.

Massage can be a good place to start when you’re in pain. You can get relief by visiting your friendly neighborhood Asheville therapeutic massage therapist. Lawrence Hines specializes in relieving pain. He treats athletes and dancers, the chronically ill, the elderly and disabled, and everyone with pain issues.

Massage and Chiropractic

Massage also works great in conjunction with a chiropractic treatment. A chiropractor adjusts your spinal bones, called the vertebrae, so that they are back in alignment. Having a massage after your chiropractic treatment helps relax your muscles so that they don’t pull your vertebrae back out of whack.

You don’t need to do both, though. Therapeutic massage by itself, as shown in the studies mentioned at the top of this article, has proven benefits. Massage can relieve your back pain, although Lawrence, like other massage therapists, would argue for regular massages for best results. Regular massages could mean biweekly or even monthly.

Prevent Back Pain

Instead of waiting for the inevitable lower back pain to make itself known, you can take steps to protect yourself. Here are some common preventive actions:

  • Stretch before and after exercising.
  • Lift correctly: using your legs, not your back.
  • Sleep on your side with your knees pulled up.
  • Eat a healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight and get plenty of exercise.
  • Learn good posture and use it all the time.
  • Create an ergonomic desk, with your chair, computer and keyboard at correct heights.
  • Avoid high heels whenever possible.
  • Don’t smoke cigarettes.

If the worst happens and you do experience back pain, contact Lawrence Hines for a massage. His hands heal.