Massage Therapy Benefits

Massage therapy has changed a lot over the centuries, and it is just that – therapy - the act of caring for someone. In the times of the Greeks and Romans, massage was used to help with injuries and muscle problems for soldiers returning from battle. Today, it is a means of helping someone regain and maintain good health.

Massage has moved from something expected in red light districts and given by people of questionable cleanliness to a part of mainstream healthcare. Licensed massage therapists are trained for hundreds of hours in anatomy, physiology, healthcare, pathology, and several styles of massage. Their goal is to help a person regain a level of heath that they may have had before being injured, and help people with no injuries maintain health simply by the beneficial effects massage has on the body.

Although a part of mainstream healthcare, massage is contained under the umbrella of 'holistic' treatments.  In a massage session, the skin and muscles are moved, rubbed, and pounded to bring them back to and keep them in proper health.  The movements used bring muscles into proper function, help remove pain, improve circulation, and many other things.  These effects of massage are good for anyone whether they are in good condition or not.  In cases where someone is in pain, it may be the answer to help bring them back to good health.  Where someone has no problems, massage can help a person relax and de-stress.

When an injury occurs, massage movements can help to reduce pain and speed up healing.  Problems like muscle pulls, back pain, stiff neck, tight shoulders, leg pain, and others can be lessened through massage.  Sometimes, depending on the seriousness of the problem, that area may not be able to be worked on during the acute stage (the first 24 – 48 hours).  During that time, the areas around the injury may be worked to make them stronger and increase blood flow to the injured area.  (Increased blood flow equals faster healing.)  The massage movements will lengthen muscle fibers and make them more pliable.  Making them pliable makes them give and bend easier so they won’t knot up and cause more pain.  After the acute stage, the injuries may be worked on directly to speed up healing and bring a person back to full health. 

Massage can be a great tool to help a sore body feel better when it is hurting, but it can also help a body maintain good health even when it is not in pain.  The massage movements help a person relax and become calm.  They help relieve stress and give a person a little ‘quiet time’ where they don’t have to think about things in the world rushing around outside.  Massage can help keep muscles toned even when one does not exercise.  (It works even better when paired with a good exercise program.) 

Massage also improves blood flow.  The blood circulating through the body delivers oxygen and nutrients to all bodily systems.  By improving the flow of blood, massage improves the body’s ability to stay healthy.

While the needs of each individual vary, massage therapy can:

• Provide anything from a soothing relaxation to deeper therapy for specific physical problems
• Relieve stress and anxiety
• Increase the nourishing blood supply to your tissues.
• Improve energy and alertness.
• Aid in your recovery from pulled muscles or sprained ligaments.
• Ease many of the uncomfortable stresses of child bearing, including edema, backaches and exhaustion.
• Relieve certain work related repetitive motion injuries.
• Greatly reduce your pain if you suffer from such problems as temporal mandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ) or carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Compensate, in part, for lack of muscular contraction if you are forced to remain inactive due to age, injury or illness.

Healthy Responses You May Expect
Once your massage is underway, a range of beneficial reactions is set in motion. The therapy can:

• Hasten the elimination of waste and toxic debris that are stored in your muscles.
• Increase the interchange of substances between the blood and tissue cells.
• Heighten the oxygenation of the tissues.
• Stimulate the relaxation response within your nervous system.

Together these responses can:

• Help strengthen your immune system.
• Improve your posture.
• Increase your joint flexibility and range of motion.
• Lower your blood pressure.