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Benefits of Routine Therapeutic Massage

massage therapist rubbing a clients back with forearm

Therapeutic massage offers many potential health benefits including increased blood flood and circulation, decreased tension in the muscles, and increased endorphin levels. These benefits are helpful in the healing process by bringing nutrition to muscles and easing anxiety to reduce pain and speed recovery. However, one session of therapeutic massage may not be enough. Routine therapeutic massages can have significant additional benefits.

Prevention of Injury

Massage can be a very powerful asset for preventive care. By seeing a massage therapist regularly, you can prevent minor skeletomuscular injuries from becoming major problems that could lead to loss of mobility or flexibility later in life. Therapeutic massage specifically works to lengthen muscles that are stuck in a pattern of chronic shortening. If you’re worried about the cost of regular massage sessions, consider how costly prescription drugs, doctor visits, and surgeries would be. The cost of prevention may be better than the cost of a cure.

Improved Posture

Poor posture often develops over time as a compensation related to joint and muscle discomfort. Routine therapeutic massage combats this by loosening muscles. It also provides relaxation for joints. This allows the body to return to its natural position.

Promotion of Circulation

Therapeutic massages help blood and other essential body fluids to flow throughout the body. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to organs and muscles within the body for optimal functioning. Lymph is a fluid that carries away toxins and impurities from tissues. A regular massage routine could help to lower blood pressure, potentially preventing chronic illnesses.

Strengthened Immune System

Therapeutic massages can help boost your immune system by increasing the activity level of the body’s defensive cells. Routine massage treatments promote the body’s ability to naturally fight bacteria and infection. If you are always getting sick, or just tend to feel “under the weather” more than most people, a regular massage routine might help you bounce back.

Can Massage Therapy Help Me?

Hands-massaging-a-back

Generally, people use massage for either general relaxation and wellbeing, or to address a specific complaint, such as pain or limited range of motion. Research suggests massage therapy may contribute to both goals.

Some of the general benefits of massage therapy may include:

  • Physical relaxation
  • Improved circulation, which nourishes cells and improves waste elimination
  • Relief for tight muscles (knots) and other aches and pains
  • Release of nerve compression (carpel tunnel, sciatica)
  • Greater flexibility and range of motion
  • Enhanced energy and vitality
  • Some clinical styles may help heal scar tissue as well as tendon, ligament, and muscle tears

What specific conditions can massage therapy help?

Massage therapy may help the body in many ways.  Massage can relax muscle tissue, which may lead to decreased nerve compression, increased joint space, and range of motion. This may lead to reduced pain and improved function.

Massage therapy may also improve circulation, which enhances the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscle cells and helps remove waste products. These circulatory effects of massage may have value in the treatment of some inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis or edema (an excessive accumulation of fluid in body tissues, which may be reduced using manual lymph drainage).

Massage therapy is also thought to induce a relaxation response, which lowers the heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure; boosts the immune system, and generally decreases the physical effects of stress.

These effects suggest that massage may be helpful for a wide range of conditions.  Some of these are listed below.

Decreases pain and increases functioning in these conditions:Helps treat and manage symptoms or complications of:Other psychological,  emotional, and physical benefits:
Carpal tunnel
Sciatica
Tension headaches
Whiplash
Scoliosis
Torticollis
Tendon and muscle tears
Thoracic outlet syndrome
Varicose veins
Pregnancy-related back pain and other discomforts
Myofascial pain
Sore or overused muscles (prevents and treats)
Muscle injury (offers rehabilitation)
Gout
Rheumatoid arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Muscular dystrophies
Raynaud’s Disease
Diabetes
Hypertension and congestive heart failure
Reduces risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes autoimmune diseases
Improved mood
Reduced anxiety
Lower stress levels
Lessening of depression
Reduced anger and aggression
Improved sleep patterns and decreased sleep disturbance
Reduced fatigue
Enhances immune system
Improves athletic performance and enhances recovery

Benefits of Massage

Therapist-giving-foot-massage

We know that there are many benefits to massage therapy. One main benefit is relaxation but there is much more than that. Here are some ways massage therapy will help you stay fit.

1 – Counteract all that sitting – Most of us are dealing with postural stress. Often, this type of stress tends to settle in your shoulders and neck. You have a ‘desk job’, you may notice postural stress as pain or weakness in the low back and gluteal area caused by prolonged periods of sitting.

2 – Reduce pain – Sore muscles? Massage therapy can help with that! Massage increases and improves circulation. Just like when you knock your elbow on a table, you rub it to help relieve the pain. A professional massage therapist will be able to accurately target the source of your pain and help achieve the perfect massage regimen.

3 – Improve Circulation – Loosening muscles and tendons allow increased blood flow throughout the body. Improving your circulation can have several positive effects on the rest of your body, including reduced fatigue and pain management!

4 – Improve Flexibility – Massage therapy will loosen and relax your muscles, helping your body to achieve its full range of movement potential.

5 – Reduce Fatigue – Stimulation of the lymph nodes re-charges the body’s natural defense system.

6 – Improves Sleep – Not only do the benefits of massage encourage a night of restful sleep, but it also helps those who cannot otherwise comfortably rest. Going to bed with relaxed and loosened muscles promotes more restful sleep, and you’ll feel less tired in the morning!

7 – Eliminate Toxins – Stimulating the soft tissues of your body will help to release toxins through your bloodstream and lymphatic system.

Now that you see the benefits of regular massage therapy, book your massage with Precision Wellness!

Can Massage Therapy Help with Low Back Pain?

Massage-therapist's-hands-putting-pressure-on-a-person's-lower-back

For most of us, the answer is probably ‘yes’. Massage is non-invasive and very low risk for most people. In addition to physical benefits, certain types of massage can help psychologically through relaxation and increased production of ‘feel good’ chemicals. These chemicals (also known as endorphins) are naturally produced by the body and are helpful for people with both acute back problems and chronic back pain.

Benefits of Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is now more widely accepted in the medical community than ever before. Massage is a credible treatment for many types of back pain and has been recommended alongside other treatments. Research shows that massage therapy has several potential health benefits for back pain sufferers, including:

  • Increased blood flow and circulation, which brings needed nutrition to muscles and tissues. This aids in the recovery of muscle soreness from physical activity or soft tissue injury (such as muscle strain).
  • Decreased tension in the muscles. This muscle relaxation can improve flexibility, reduce pain caused by tight muscles, and even improve sleep.
  • Increased endorphin levels (the “feel good” chemicals in the brain). This mood enhancer can ease depression and anxiety, reducing pain and speeding recovery. This is particularly important for those suffering from chronic back or neck problems.

Back pain is a very broad statement. There are numerous types of back problems and many may benefit from massage therapy, including:

  • Muscle strain in the lower back or upper back/neck. Most episodes of acute lower back pain are caused by muscle strain, such as from lifting a heavy object, a sudden movement or a fall. Low back pain can be very severe and last for several hours, several days or even a few weeks. When back muscles are strained or torn, the area around the muscles can become inflamed. The muscles in the back can spasm and cause both severe lower back pain and difficulty moving. The large upper back muscles are also prone to irritation, either because of lack of strength, or overuse injuries (such as repetitive motions). Upper back pain may also be due to a specific event, such as a muscle strain, sports injury, or auto accident. Therapeutic Massage can calm the spasm/irritation and improve range of motion.
  • Osteoarthritis of the spine. Spinal arthritis is the breakdown of the cartilage between the aligning facet joints in the back portion of the spine. The facet joints become inflamed and progressive joint degeneration creates more frictional pain as bone rubs on bone. Muscles will tighten and become fatigued while trying to stabilize the spine. Massage therapy can help reduce osteoarthritis pain by improving circulation and reducing stress and muscle tension.
  • Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia can affect people differently but is usually characterized by pain, stiffness, fatigue and/or non-restorative sleep. The patient typically feels both widespread pain and pain in specific “tender points” as evidenced by physical examination. Massage can target both the tender points and the more broadly distributed pain and stiffness. Relaxation massage goes a long way to helping reduce the symptoms of Fibromyalgia.

Benefits of Sports Massage

Man-getting-a-massage-on-his-back

The sports massage actually came from the Swedish massage technique. Geared specifically to the athlete, this massage focuses on muscles that have seen a large degree of stress and use, often to the point of overuse. Normally, these are muscles that have seen repetitive and aggressive movement as a part of the overall sport or competition.

Sports massage is now recognized by many in the training industry as an accepted component of an overall regimen of training and competition. This means the athlete can enhance pre-competition and reduce the required recovery period, which means a better and more intensive training session after a competition. Flexibility, a necessary component of any athletic completion, is also a part.

Many do not realize it, but sports massage has certain characteristics that make it ideal for athletes. The targeting of the muscle and tendons within the body is key for athletic training. A study in 2010 in America found athletes who had massages before and after strength training saw a definite decrease in soreness after activity.

There are several key elements to sports massage. To better understand each of these, let’s look at them separately.

  • Motion and Flexibility: Professional and superior athletes often overtrain and this leads to muscle rigidity. Sports massage can help relax overly tense muscles and provide additional flexibility. Used before a competition, it will relax the muscles for flexibility, improving performance.
  • Shortens Recovery Time: Exercise and competition is stressful on the body. This will lead to injury if proper precautions are not taken. Sports massages are ideal to help the body deal with this stress and injury prevention. A proper massage increases blood flow and lymph fluid, both assisting in the body’s natural healing process, speeding waste removal and general health improvement. Swelling and inflammation associated with physical activity is also reduced. Scar tissue, normal from a severe injury, can be lessened with massage.
  • Supply of Oxygen and Nutrients: Blood flow into muscles is vital to creating new tissue and increased strength and stamina. Massage increases blood flow for additional oxygen and nutrients.
  • Helps Eliminate By-Products of Exercise: Lactic and uric acids are natural by-products of exercise. Each can be lessened with blood and lymph flow in the body and increase the waste output by a sports massage.
  • Psychological Benefits: There is much to be said about psychology and sports. Many do not realize the value of a massage with sports and how a quality massage has more than just physical benefits. The body is only as strong as the mind, so having a strong mind that is relaxed and focused is a definite edge in highly competitive sports. A stressed athlete is not nearly as capable as one with a clear mind.
  • Reduces Pain: A body in pain is a sign of overworked muscles and is not healthy. Massage increases blood and lymph fluid flow, thereby speeding the injury rehabilitation process. A massage also helps with pain from spasms and cramps, common with elite athletic training.

Massage and Summertime

Massage-therapist's-hands-putting-pressure-on-a-person's-lower-back

Many of us are now eagerly engaged in getting our gardens planted, our yards mowed, and our flower beds cleaned up from our long and very wet winter. We may also be experiencing new aches and pains from muscles and joints that haven’t been utilized in quite this way for many months.  This is a good time to consider massage therapy to keep you going and to keep your muscles, bones, and connective tissue in good working condition.  Here are some of the many benefits massage therapy provides.

  • Relieves stress, pain, pain induced anxiety, and muscle congestion
  • Improves range of motion increasing flexibility and muscle tone
  • Improves sleep patterns
  • Improves metabolic waste removal strengthening immune function
  • Improves alertness
  • Reduces swelling
  • Clears thinking
  • Encourages faster healing time
  • Relieves tension headaches
  • Provides a sense of well-being
  • Reduces fatigue
  • Supports white blood cell proliferation aiding our immune system
  • Reduces depression
  • Relives symptoms of nausea and vomiting for the cancer patient
  • Enhances body image

Equally important as the season changes is to maintain adequate hydration.  Muscles and tissues require lots of fluids as well as good wholesome nutrition to function properly and to avoid spasms and sprains.  When we work or exercise hard our muscles build up lactic acid.  This is normal but often can become lodged within the tissues when spasms or strains occur.  This creates those painful “knots” we often experience that can shorten our range of motion as well.

Massage therapy can release these pockets of lactic acid and return muscles to their optimal best functioning.  If left unattended, lactic acid can become more toxic to the body.  This causes an inflammatory response by the immune system and the pain cycle advances.

A professional massage therapist will apply the right kinds of techniques to muscles and joints to release tightness, cramping, spasms, and knots.  Oftentimes you will only require what I call “regional massage” – working on shoulders, necks, arms, backs, or legs only rather than a whole-body massage.  These shorter sessions are just as effective in providing the benefits of massage, feel great, and are affordable.

Keep yourself going great all summer, consider regional or full body massage to be your optimal best, and complete all your summertime tasks with ease and comfort.

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