MASSAGE
Continued from Page C8
If an issue is lurking in the mus-
cles, she said she usually finds
it before the athlete.
People also use massage
to maximize physical perfor-
mance and decrease recovery
time.
Smarr said massage works
as a way to flush the muscles
because it increases blood
flow. Doing so allows athletes
to recover quicker after stren-
uous activities.
When a muscle has a knot,
it also becomes less efficient.
Smarr said muscles work
through the contraction and
expansion of the tissue, but
when it is knotted, only a por-
tion of the muscles can con-
tract and expand.
Massage therapy loosens
the knot, she said, allowing an
athlete to fully use the muscle
again.
Eagle photos/Sean Hart
Rose Smarr explains how vertebrae can become compacted at her office in John Day. Massage
therapy can remove pressure from bones, allowing them to slide into place, she said.
Pain
Smarr recommends any-
one dealing with ongoing pain
who has decided to live with
it to consider massage therapy.
“I’d just challenge them to
look at life a little different
and see if they need to live in
pain,” she said.
Old injuries that are un-
treated can often lead to
new injuries, which become
more difficult to treat, she
said.
Sometimes, she can ad-
vise a patient over the phone
whether she believes massage
therapy will be effective to
treat a certain condition.
Whether dealing with a
sprain or whiplash, carpal tun-
nel syndrome, plantar fasci-
itis, a traumatic injury or any
other type of pain, Smarr said
massage may provide relief.
“If it doesn’t work, it
doesn’t work, but you’d find
out,” she said.
Rose Smarr is a licensed
massage therapist in Oregon,
practicing in John Day. She
can be contacted at 541-620-
4496.
Massage therapy can be beneficial for
carpal tunnel syndrome.
Massage therapy promotes healing by improving
blood flow.
Questions about massage therapy?
People who have never tried massage therapy may have many ques-
tions, and Smarr encourages people to ask them.
“They’re in control of this,” she said. “They usually don’t feel like they
are, but they are. It’s definitely their session because it’s their body.”
Smarr said many people may not realize that only about half of the
therapeutic massage techniques require skin-to-skin contact so people
can often leave their clothes on.
She said it is important for a patient to feel comfortable with their mas-
sage therapist and recommends knowing their expertise. Patients should
interview their therapist, she said:
• What type of training did they complete?
• How much experience do they have?
• How often did they treat this condition?
• How often is this successful?
• How many treatments are expected?
“Be an active part of the process,” Smarr said. “You’ll get a lot more
out of it.”
Rose Smarr works on the calf
muscle of a patient using a
deep-tissue technique.
Family Health Guide 2018 // 9