Medically Necessary Massage

Medical massage sessions are designed to address and treat a specific medical condition for a prescribed amount of time. In a medical case your medical team (you, your massage therapist, your surgeon, your physical therapist, etc.) has a predetermined goal and outcome expectation.

For example if you break your ankle, your physician may prescribe massage therapy as an adjunct to setting and casting the area. The massage treatments would not be expected to heal the break, but to assist in functional scar tissue formation, pain reduction, and range of motion improvement.

If you have been in a car accident and sustained a whiplash injury, your chiropractor may prescribe massage therapy to assist the healing process. The expectation might be to deactivate trigger points, reduce pain, and improve range of motion.

Prior to back surgery your surgeon may prescribe massage therapy with the expectation that treatment would reduce trigger points, pain and tension in the spinal muscles allowing for a more complete recovery after a successful surgical procedure.

Only your doctor can determine if massage is medically necessary. A prescription will be necessary if you wish to have your insurance billed. A prescription does not guarantee your insurance will reimburse for massage. You can work with the front desk (503.282.8600) to determine your out of network insurance benefits. Each case is unique, so you are invited to call me at 503.516.2108 to see if massage may be a good option for you. You may also wish to follow the case studies in the Soft Tissue Detective Blog.