It’s no secret that military service puts a lot of demands on your body. Long days in gear, physical training, running, lifting, carrying equipment, and repeating the same movements can leave you feeling sore and tight. Sometimes the pain goes away with rest, sometimes it doesn’t.
At Wholistic Healing Experiences, we work in a community with a large military presence, so we understand the physical demands that can come with military life. That local connection is important when providing active duty military massage in Colorado Springs. Working with service members and veterans has also given our team a better understanding of the pain, tension, and injuries they may deal with. Medical massage is one part of the care we use to help you move better and feel better.
Common Pain From Military Training and Service
Every service member’s experience is different, and the same physical demands can affect people in very different ways. Your back may hurt after years of lifting, carrying, running, or sitting in one position. Your neck and shoulders may stay tight from carrying equipment or spending long hours in a physically demanding position. You may also notice that your body does not move the way it used to. As your body gets older, it is also normal for the way you move and recover to change. Your body at 45 may not move or bounce back the same way it did at 25, and that can be part of what you are feeling.
Some of the concerns we commonly see in active duty service members at Wholistic Healing Experiences include:
- Low back pain and stiffness
- Neck and shoulder tension
- Headaches related to muscle tension
- Tight or restricted muscles
- Limited range of motion
- Pain that lingers after an injury
- Nerve irritation or compression
- Muscle tension that keeps coming back
- Pain that makes exercise or daily activities harder
Back, Neck, and Shoulder Pain May Be Connected
When something hurts, your body may tighten certain muscles to protect the area and you may start moving differently without even noticing it. Over time, those changes can create more tension somewhere else. Your pain might start with a sore lower back and then eventually you notice that your hips, shoulders, or neck are bothering you, too. The same thing can happen with neck and shoulder pain. The daily tasks of active duty military members can all contribute to muscle tension. Looking at those connections can be an important part of figuring out what your body needs.
Additional Treatment Options For an Old Injury
An old injury does not always stay in the past. Even after the original injury has healed, you may still move differently because your body learned to protect that area. Maybe you put more weight on one leg or maybe your shoulder does not move the way it used to, so your neck and upper back have to do more work. Eventually, those changes can lead to new areas of tightness or discomfort.
At Wholistic Healing Experiences, we also offer several treatment options along with massage therapy for active duty military in Colorado Springs. Two of these are SoftWave Tissue Regeneration Therapy and STIMPOD Neuromodulation Therapy.
SoftWave Therapy for Slow-Healing Injuries
SoftWave uses acoustic waves to stimulate the body’s natural repair processes, encourage blood flow, and support tissue healing. This non-invasive treatment may be considered for certain musculoskeletal injuries and persistent soft tissue problems. It can be especially relevant when an old injury continues to limit movement or interfere with everyday activities.
STIMPOD Therapy for Nerve-Related Pain
Not all lingering pain comes from muscles or connective tissue. Sometimes, nerves contribute to symptoms such as burning, tingling, numbness, or persistent discomfort. These symptoms can continue even when imaging does not reveal an obvious cause.
STIMPOD is a neuromodulation treatment that uses a specialized electrical waveform called trans-pulsed radiofrequency (tPRF) to target dysfunctional nerve pathways. The goal is to support normal nerve function rather than focusing only on the surrounding muscles and soft tissue. For active duty military members and veterans dealing with persistent nerve-related symptoms, STIMPOD may be another option to discuss during an evaluation.
How Can Active Duty Military Massage in Colorado Springs Help?
Medical massage is more than a massage designed to help you relax. It is focused on specific areas of pain, tension, restricted movement, and soft tissue problems. Medical massage may be helpful when restricted soft tissue, muscle guarding, or changes in movement are contributing to your symptoms. Wholistic Healing Experiences’s Pain Solutions services also include approaches for post-injury and post-surgical concerns.
Massage is not the right choice for every injury and that is why an evaluation matters. It can help determine what may be contributing to your symptoms and whether medical massage is appropriate for you. At Wholistic Healing Experiences, medical massage is part of a larger approach to care. A Functional Neurology evaluation can help identify neurological and soft tissue patterns that may be contributing to what you are feeling. Depending on what your body needs, treatment may include myofascial release, neuromuscular therapy, trigger point therapy, active-assisted stretching, or other forms of clinical massage.
Why Functional Neurology Is Part of the Wholistic Healing Experiences Approach
At Wholistic Healing Experiences, we do not look at the muscles and nervous system as completely separate things. Your brain and body are constantly communicating and that communication plays a role in how you move, balance, and respond to pain.
Functional Neurology gives Wholistic Healing Experiences another way to look at those connections. An evaluation can look at how your brain, nervous system, muscles, and connective tissues are working together. You may know exactly where you hurt, but that does not necessarily mean the painful area is the only thing that needs attention. Our goal is to understand what is going on with your body so your care can be more specific to you.
Active Duty Military Massage in Colorado Springs
Active duty service members have a unique set of physical demands. Training schedules change. Your body has its own story. So, your treatment should take that into account. If you are stationed around Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, or the U.S. Air Force Academy, having access to care close to home can make it easier to stay consistent.
Active duty military massage in Colorado Springs can be part of a treatment plan for muscle tension, pain, movement restrictions, and discomfort related to physical activity or previous injuries.
At Wholistic Healing Experiences, we take the time to understand what may be contributing to your symptoms before creating a treatment plan. Your first visit is about understanding what is going on with your body. New patients begin with a Functional Neurology evaluation that looks at neurological and soft tissue factors that may be contributing to their symptoms. From there, your provider can determine what type of care makes sense for you. Medical massage and other services we provide can then be used based on what your body needs.
If you are tired of working around pain and want to understand what may be contributing to it, contact us to learn more about Medical Massage at Wholistic Healing Experiences and take the next step toward feeling better.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is medical massage different from a regular massage?
Yes. Medical massage is focused on specific areas of pain, tension, restricted movement, or soft tissue problems. It can still feel relaxing, but the goal is to address a particular concern.
Can massage help with military-related pain?
It can. Medical massage may help reduce muscle tension and address soft tissue restrictions that are contributing to discomfort.
Can massage help with neck and shoulder tension?
Yes, especially when tight muscles are part of the problem. Your neck and shoulders can take on a lot of extra tension from carrying equipment, training, working in the same position, or compensating for another area of the body.
Can medical massage help with an old injury?It may. Even after an injury has healed, you can still have tight muscles or changes in the way you move. Medical massage can be one part of addressing those lingering issues.
Do active duty service members use medical massage?Absolutely. Active duty service members may use medical massage to help with the physical demands of training, work, exercise, and previous injuries. Every person’s needs are different, so treatment is based on what is going on with your body.
How does Functional Neurology fit into medical massage?
Functional Neurology gives us another way to understand what may be contributing to your symptoms. It looks at how your brain, nervous system, muscles, and connective tissues work together.
Do I need a referral to schedule a medical massage?
You can contact Wholistic Healing Experiences directly to learn more about scheduling an evaluation and what type of care may be appropriate for you.
How long does a medical massage appointment take?
That depends on your treatment plan and what you need to address. Your provider can go over the details with you when you schedule your care.
Do you offer a military discount? We offer an extra $10 off our wellness plan pricing for active duty and veterans.
Is massage therapy covered under TRICARE?
Massage therapy is billable and paid by TRICARE when it’s provided through a physical therapy office. VA coverage works differently: it covers massage for veterans who see a licensed massage therapist directly, and that’s the benefit that applies to visits with us.
Because TriWest now processes claims for both the VA and TRICARE, it’s common to assume that coverage under one means coverage under the other. It doesn’t. The two programs have different rules for massage, so check with your plan before booking.
