Ever heard of the peripheral nervous system? It’s the system of nerves responsible for sending signals to and from your brain and your spinal cord (aka the body’s central nervous system). And what are they for? They help you feel the sensation when your skin touches something (sensory nerves). They also play a role in controlling muscle movement (motor nerves) and other bodily functions (autonomic nerves).
Now, imagine what happens when this system of nerves becomes damaged: Your ability to feel sensation will be impaired or completely lost. Your muscles become weak, so movement gets affected and limited. Worse, you may even experience lingering pain. That is what you call neuropathy. One (mononeuropathy) or more (polyneuropathy) peripheral nerves may become damaged and affected by neuropathy. Either way, varying and often multiple symptoms of neuropathy present quite a challenge when it comes to managing and coping with this condition.
Disclaimer: While massage therapy presents several beneficial effects, especially to patients with hypertension, first make sure to get professional clearance and medical advice regarding your condition. Get regular checkups and find out if there is an underlying disease that may be causing your hypertension.
So, you just had your regular check-up and you’ve recently had your blood pressure taken. The healthcare professional tells you that it reads somewhere above the average (120/80 mm Hg). In other words, you’ve been advised that you are pre-hypertensive and that you should observe the necessary lifestyle modifications and precautions. Suddenly, you think about the massage session you recently booked. And you’ve heard stories about people not wanting to get a massage because they are hypertensive. Should you cancel it?
Now, before you go ahead and completely remove massage therapy from your vocabulary, let’s first look at the relevant facts. Where should you start? How about getting