MASSAGE : Benefits

“Whether seeking relief for a medical condition, searching for a method to help deal with the stresses of daily life or wanting to maintain good health, more and more Americans are turning to therapeutic massage.

Massage doesn’t just feel good. Research shows it reduces the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, relaxes muscles, improves range of motion, and increases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. Therapeutic massage enhances medical treatment and helps people feel less anxious and stressed, relaxed yet more alert.”

Physical Benefits of Therapeutic Massage:

  1. Helps relieve stress and aides relaxation.
  2. Promotes deeper and easier breathing.
  3. Relaxes muscles – massage reduces excitability in the sympathetic nervous system.
  4. Helps relieve muscle tension and stiffness.
  5. Helps relieve tension-related headaches and effects of eye strain.
  6. Massage relieves muscular restrictions, tightness, stiffness, and spasms. These effects are achieved by direct pressure and by increasing circulation, resulting in more flexible, supple, and resilient muscle tissues.
  7. Fosters faster healing of strained muscles and sprained ligaments; reduces pain and swelling; reduces formation of excessive scar tissue.
  8. Massage can stimulate the release of endorphins, a natural pain killer, in the body.
  9. Massage increases serotonin levels. It is believed that serotonin inhibits transmission of noxious signals to the brain indicating that increased levels of serotonin may also reduce pain.
  10. Reduces muscle soreness and fatigue – Massage enhances blood circulation thus increasing the amount of oxygen and nutrients available to the muscles. Increase oxygen and nutrients reduces muscle fatigue and post-exercise soreness. Massage promotes rapid disposal of waste products, further reducing muscle fatigue and soreness. A fatigues muscle recuperates 20% after five (5) minutes of rest and 100% after five (5) minutes of massage.
  11. Reduces muscle spasms.
  12. Improves posture.
  13. Massage reduces trigger point formation.
  14. Massage improves posture and balance. Many postural distortions are removed when trigger points are released and when muscle tension is reduced. Range of motion increases; gait becomes more efficient; the posture is more aligned and balances; and, improved performance is the net result.
  15. Provides greater joint flexibility and range of motion.
  16. Massage increases range of motion. When muscular tension is reduced, range of motion is improved. The freedom of joints is dictated by the freedom of the muscles.
  17. Massage increases mineral retention such as nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus in bones. If bone is fractured, the body forms a network of new blood vessels at the break site. Massage increases circulation around the facture promoting healing.
  18. Enhances athletic performance.
  19. Tones weak muscles. Massage is passive exercise. Muscle spindle activity is increased during massage strokes. An increase in muscle spindle activity creates muscle contraction, helping to tone weak muscles.
  20. Massage improves muscular nutrition as a result of an increase in blood-transported nutrients; massage improves muscular nutrition. This hastens muscle recovery and enables muscles to function at maximum capacity.
  21. Improves circulation of blood and movement of lymph tissue.
  22. Promotes lymph circulation. Lymphatic circulation depends entirely on pressure; from muscle contraction, pressure changes in the thorax and abdomen during breathing, or during pressure from massage.
  23. Reduces blood pressure.
  24. Enhances the health and nourishment of the skin.
  25. Massage improves skin condition, as superficial blood vessels dilate and circulation increases, this brings added nutrients to the skin, improving the skin’s condition, texture, and tone.
  26. Strengthens the immune system – fewer colds and viruses.

Mental Benefits of Therapeutic Massage:

  1. Fosters peace of mind.
  2. Promotes a relaxed state of mental alertness.
  3. Helps relieve mental stress.
  4. Massage increases the dopamine level. An increase in dopamine is linked to decreased stress levels and reduced depression.
  5. Improves ability to monitor stress signals and respond appropriately.
  6. Enhances capacity for calm thinking and creativity.
  7. Satisfies need for caring – nurturing touch.
  8. Fosters a feeling of well-being.
  9. Reduces levels of anxiety.
  10. Increases awareness of mind-body connection.
  11. Therapeutic massage can be used to promote general well-being and enhance self-esteem, while boosting the circulatory and immune systems to benefit blood pressure, circulation, muscle tone, digestion, and skin tone. It has been incorporated into many health systems.

All information courtesy of the American Massage Therapy Association and Massage Therapy: Principles and Practice, 2nd Edition. By Susan G. Salvo. Copyright 2003.