Massage is important for many reasons, including detoxification and stress relief. But one of the best reasons if you’re the type who is wired to push yourself is that regular therapeutic massage helps you get into better shape faster with less stiffness and soreness, allowing you to push your body harder. Perhaps most important is that massage helps prevent the injuries that will set you back.

We all know the benefits of regular exercise and moving the body. Anyone who routinely pushes their physical limits through any movement, sports, strength training and aerobics can benefit from massage. Whether you are a weekend warrior that fits in workouts between work and family or a serious athlete, massage is an important part of any sports regimen.

Both professional and college athletic teams use massage to heal and prevent the wear-and-tear and minor injuries that naturally occur with strenuous movement. The added physiological and psychological benefits of massage also add to the reasons to do it.

Heavily exercised muscles may also lose their capacity to relax, causing chronically tight (hypertonic) muscles, and loss of flexibility. Lack of flexibility is often linked to muscle soreness, and predisposes you to injuries, especially muscle pulls and tears. Blood flow through tight muscles is poor (ischemia), which also causes pain.

Massage helps the body recover from the stresses of strenuous exercise, and facilitates the rebuilding phase of conditioning. The physiological benefits of massage include improved blood and lymph circulation and muscle and general relaxation. These, in turn, lead to removal of waste products and better cell nutrition, normalization and greater elasticity of tissues, deactivation of trigger points, and faster healing of injuries. It all adds up to relief from soreness and stiffness, better flexibility, and less potential for future injury.

With regular massage for maintenance our massage therapists can zero in on particular muscle groups and work specific tissues. We can help maintain or improve range of motion and muscle flexibility. The overall objective of a maintenance program is to help you reach optimal performance through injury-free training.

Regular massage also gives our therapists a chance to find your unique trouble spots, perhaps from past injuries. They can pay special attention to these areas, monitor them for developing problems, and help keep them in good condition. Our experienced massage therapists can also complement treatment received from other health care professionals for various injuries. Massage for injuries can speed healing and reduce discomfort during the rehabilitation process. Deep tissue and trigger point massage breaks up the tissues in the muscle to speed recovery.

So to sum it up, make massage part of your wellness and fitness routine. You’ll get all the benefits of relaxation and if you’re that more intense personality, remember, you can push yourself a little harder with less injuries and get in shape a little faster.

With warmer weather just around the corner, people are starting to get more active which can include being more disciplined about running or training for a 5K. Getting back into the swing of things comes with some additional aches and pains, so we thought we’d discuss the best types of massage therapy for runners.

Swedish massage is perhaps the most well known of the common massage modalities and is often associated with relaxation and pampering. However, Swedish massage can also benefit runners, especially before big competitions.

Swedish massage utilizes long, flowing strokes of various pressure, although usually light, to release muscle tension and increase blood flow.

Swedish massage is best used in the days before big competitions or as a recovery tool after hard workouts. The lighter, relaxing strokes help relieve stress and muscle tension without damaging the muscles, which is important if you have a big race on the horizon. A Swedish massage before a race, especially if you’re coming off a hard week of training, can help you re-energize, relax, and get your legs back under you.

Most runners are familiar with deep tissue massage, which is often confused with deep pressure (e.g., when you tell the therapist to “go harder”). Deep tissue massage targets both the superficial and deep layers of muscles and fascia and are often quite intense as a result of the deliberate, focused work.

Deep tissue massages typically focus on a few specific problem areas and, unlike trigger point therapy, work the entire muscle. Because runners often have tight spots and interconnected issues when volume and intensity are high, deep tissue massage is often the modality of choice during hard training segments.

The frequency at which you get massage work done is completely up to you and depends on how much you like massage, how hard you’re training, and your budget.

If you’re able to afford it, getting a monthly or weekly massage can help prevent injuries by catching tight areas before they become problematic. If it isn’t possible to fit a recurring massage into your schedule (or budget), consider getting one or two during your hardest training block or if you’re doing a lot of speed work, which tends to elicit injuries that can be treated by massage, like tight hamstrings or hips.

It takes time to recover and not feel lethargic after a hard massage. If your legs feel a little dead the next day, that’s OK. This is why it’s important to schedule at least one easy day between a hard massage and a hard workout.

Runners love to get a massage. Not only does it feel great, but it can also help speed recovery, reduce muscles soreness and facilitate injury healing. If you’ve laced up those running shoes and want to get the full benefit of getting in better shape, remember to consider a regular massage as an important part of taking better care of yourself.

Most people wait until they’re in pain before coming to see for a massage, but did you know that regular therapeutic massage treatments can actually prevent the pain and soreness from happening in the first place?

It isn’t a big secret that life can be stressful. Massage therapy can be an excellent way to relieve the daily pressures that work, home, and family place on the mind and body, reducing physiological stress responses such as anxiety, mild depression and fatigue. This is a first step and goal in massage, because you must relax the mind, relieve the tension, calm the nervous system and the muscles will follow.

The time to address chronic patterns of tension in the muscles is after you’ve achieved a deep state of relaxation. Treating stress with massage helps to relieve the pain caused by muscle tension, as the soothing touch also promotes a feeling of well-being and calm. After creating the right relaxing atmosphere with music, using essential and carrier oils for scent and touch, our massage therapists will include a focus on and reduction of generalized body aches.

During a massage, your soft tissues, skin, tendons, and muscles are manipulated, which provides stress relief by stimulating the body’s relaxation response. Experts have scientifically proven the link to stress and the exacerbation, and sometimes the cause, of various diseases people suffer from regularly. The normal wear-and-tear of time on our bodies is bad enough, but nothing ages us quicker, internally and externally, than high stress. While eliminating anxiety and pressure in this fast-paced world may not be achievable, massage can help reduce stress to manageable levels. This directly translates into decreased anxiety, enhanced sleep quality, reduced fatigue, higher levels of daily energy and improved mental concentration.

Beyond just immediate stress or pain relief, a massage can also accelerate our own natural healing process by increasing healthy blood flow throughout the body and releasing various helpful hormones.

Relief from pain is the most common reason people seek massage. Our massage therapists integrate a variety of methods which may include a variety of pressure levels from light to deep targeting restoration of normal blood and lymphatic movement, normalizing connective tissue pliability to reduce stiffness, reducing trigger point activity and quieting the nervous system. Muscles can become so contracted that they press on nerves to the arms, hands or legs, causing pain or tingling.

Regular therapeutic massage can prevent these muscle spasms. Shoulder joints are at a high risk of sustaining injury from tight muscles. Due to our modern sedentary life, if you frequently slouch at your desk the muscles in your chest will tighten and contract which pulls the joints in your shoulders forward and causes joint problems to arise. Ankle joints are also at an increased risk of injury, reduced mobility and pain from tightened calf muscles.

Athletes, dancers, seniors and people who live an active lifestyle usually find that regular treatments of proper massage therapy improves the functions of their muscles, connective tissues, tendons, ligaments and joints. Joint flexibility is critical in creating balance in the body and improving mobility. Tight muscles constrict and prevent a joint from performing its full range of mobility and over time the joint may start to weaken. Adhesions are formed in muscles due to tightness and tension. They can cause knots and restrict flexibility. Massage helps to realign the muscle fibers and break down these adhesions. This release restores movement and increases flexibility.

The benefits of massage treatments are many, but in most cases, most of these will not be achieved by a single visit. Taking part in regularly scheduled self-care can play a huge part in how healthy you’ll be. Consider regular therapeutic massage treatments a necessary piece of your health and wellness plan, and work with our massage therapists to establish a treatment schedule that best meets your individual needs.

Most people agree a massage makes them feel good. But many probably don’t realize exactly how good a regular massage is for their overall health. Massage improves your performance, aids recovery, prevents and eliminates injuries, reduces stress and even enhances your metabolism and circulation.

It may simply look like a lot of pressing and kneading on skin, but massage is actually a scientific process. The reason you feel different after a massage is because it is healing and invigorating tired, aching or injured muscles. Massage increases blood land lymph circulation. Lymph is a fluid that rids body tissues of waste, is dependent on the squeezing effect of muscles. An active person has better lymph flow than an inactive person.

However, stimulation from vigorous activity can lead to increased waste, which can negate the benefit. This is where massage has a huge advantage. Massage can dramatically aid lymph movement, which together with blood, supplies nutrients and oxygen and rids wastes and toxins. It is easy to understand why good circulation is so important to our health and why massage can be so beneficial just for this purpose.

Regular massage can improve every form of sport or exercise. Unfortunately, many people believe aches and pains are an inevitable consequence to activity. But massage can actually reduce or eliminate what may appear to be exercise-induced pain.

It can increase endurance, control fatigue and help people feel better when used as part of a regular health program. Massage can also speed muscle recovery rates as it eliminates irritation from waste. By helping reduce fatigue and aid recovery, massage enables more productive training, with longer, more effective workouts. The ultimate spin-offs are better performance with fewer injuries.

Exercise changes the way our muscles work. Blood vessels become more intricate as the body demands more oxygen and nutrients and increases waste elimination. This takes time. While the muscles are getting into shape, they can struggle to get enough oxygen and nutrients, so waste collects.

Massage also helps recovery from soft tissue injuries such as sprains and strains. Tissue growth and repair is accelerated by efficient circulation and appropriate stimulation. Everybody experiences some form of stress through work, family, the environment and society. Mental tensions, frustrations, and insecurity cause the most damage. Hormones released by stress actually shrink the vessels, inhibiting circulation.

A stressed mind and body means the heart works harder. Breathing becomes rapid and shallow and digestion slows. Nearly every body process is degraded. Studies show stress can cause migraines, hypertension (high blood pressure), depression, some peptic ulcers, etc. In fact, researchers have estimated 80% of disease is stress related. Soothing and relaxing massage therapy can counteract the effects of stress.

Massage knows no age limits. It works wonders on young, old, and in between. It can be especially helpful to the elderly who are experiencing the physical effects of aging which can include: thinner and drier skin, reduced tissue elasticity, loss of mobility, slower nervous system response, decreased bone mass, sleeplessness, constipation, and a less efficient immune system.

Massage helps keep the body and mind functioning optimally by promoting well nourished and healthy skin, improving circulation of blood and lymph, improving immune system functioning, improving energy flow, enhancing general relaxation, reducing muscular tension and associated discomfort, reducing anxiety, improving sleep, increasing feelings of well-being, enhancing flexibility and strength, increasing range of motion in joints, reducing discomfort from arthritis.

Getting a massage can do you a world of good. And getting a massage frequently can do even more. This is the beauty of bodywork. Taking part in this form of regularly scheduled self-care can play a huge part in how healthy you’ll be and how youthful you’ll remain with each passing year. Budgeting time and money for bodywork at consistent intervals is truly an investment in your health. Just because massage feels like a pampering treat doesn’t mean it is any less therapeutic. Consider massage appointments a necessary piece of your health and wellness plan, and work with our massage therapists to establish a treatment schedule that best meets your needs.

A growing body of research shows massage therapy can be an effective part of pain relief and management.  This research data, and the experience of our physicians, massage therapists, and patients, should encourage pain specialists to consider incorporating massage therapy into their pain management programs.

Some hospitals are including massage therapists in patient care teams to fight pain. Their teams may include a physician, several nurses, a nutritionist, a yoga instructor, a chaplain, and a massage therapist.  Often, the hospitals are including massage because of public demand. These massage techniques are not only being incorporated into hospitals for serious injuries but can also be used to combat certain discomforts which someone may have. Contact Precision Wellness to evaluate the effectiveness of massage pain therapy and to determine which combination of therapies works best for different types of patients and different types of pain.

The effectiveness of massage lies in a simple and direct strategy: we work from the external, outer mechanisms of pain to the primary, root cause. Precision Wellness’ massage therapists utilize a holistic approach, focusing on the entire body system and its relationship to soft tissue.  Our care isn’t focused only on the site of pain.

Another benefit of massage therapy from a patient perspective is how it helps our patients become more aware of their bodies and better familiarize them with the pain they experience. Our massage therapists not only help relieve muscle and other soft tissue pain but also have an impact on the patient by virtue of human touch. One of our massages can help you feel comfortable with your body once again. This comfort level can improve your confidence and allows you to better deal with pain while benefiting from various other forms of massage that focus on lymph drainage and muscle pain, as well as other pain management therapies.

The potential for a positive impact on patients with acute or chronic pain is clear. As it stands, enough research exists to encourage pain management specialists and massage therapists to forge professional relationships.  These pain management relationships should exist in the hospital, in clinics, in private practice offices, and in-home care, as it exists in our team’s strategy.