Decreased flexibility and mobility is often considered a normal part of aging. Stretching and practices like yoga can help, but often progress is slow if flexibility has greatly decreased or been lost. Massage offers a way to increase your flexibility since it helps loosen your muscles and connective tissues. The following are a few specific therapies that can help.   

Sports Massage

Sports massage is a good choice for athletes that have noticed decreased flexibility due to age or from a past injury. In sports massage, the therapist assesses the current health of the soft tissue and joints, along with the type of activities that the client is involved in. They then work on the tendons, ligaments, and muscles that are directly affected by the flexibility issues. Sports massage can also help you avoid certain injuries that are common in your chosen activity since the therapist will be tailoring the work to the activity.

Thai Massage

This is a more active form of massage. It combines deep tissue techniques, such as long strokes and muscle manipulation, with stretching forms that are based on traditional yoga practices. The patient is passive during the stretches – they simply lie on the massage table and the therapist moves their body into the necessary stretches and helps them hold the position. This works especially well for those that have balance issues and cannot hold stretching poses easily on their own. It is also a good start for those that have not exercised or participated in flexibility practices for some time since the therapist will ensure you have good form.

Visceral Manipulation Therapy

Unlike other forms of massage that primarily focus on muscles and ligaments, VMT focuses on the connective tissue, called viscera, between organs and muscles. The idea is that this tissue is just as prone to tightening and knotting as muscles and other connective tissues, so it also can benefit from being massaged and manipulated. If the viscera are tight, then it can pull on muscles and impact your flexibility. This form of therapy can be combined with other types of massage therapy or used on its own. It works well for those that have been working on their flexibility but haven't noticed any progress since it can help free up deep internal tightness that has been holding them back.

Talk to a massage therapist (such as one from Integrated Therapeutics) in your area if you are interesting in pursuing any of these therapies to help improve your flexibility.