Why Massage?

Massage: Get in touch with its many benefits

Massage can be a powerful tool to help you improve your health and well-being and recover or prevent injury.

The recent past has changed the availability of massages, services that were only available in luxury spas are now available in medical offices, airports, businesses, and in the privacy of your own home. Massage is no longer available only through luxury spas and upscale health clubs.

What is massage?

Massage is a general term for manipulating your skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Massage may range from light stroking to deep pressure. There are many different types of massage, including these common types:

1. Swedish Massage is a mild style of massage that uses elongated strokes, gentle kneading, resounding movements, pulsing vibration, and rhythmic tapping to create balance, harmony, and overall relaxation.
2. Deep Tissue massage techniques use slower, more forceful strokes to target the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue, commonly to help with muscle damage from injuries.
3. Sports massage is similar to Swedish and Deep Tissue massage but is generally for people involved in sports activities to help prevent or treat injuries.
4. and MANY MORE MODALITIES

Benefits of massage

Massage is usually considered part of complementary and alternative medicine. It is increasingly offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and situations. Studies of the benefits of massage demonstrate that it is an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain, and muscle tension. While more research is needed to confirm the benefits of massage, some studies have found that massage may also be helpful for:

• Anxiety
• Digestive disorders
• Fibromyalgia
• Headaches
• Insomnia related to stress
• Myofascial pain syndrome
• Soft tissue strains or injuries
• Sports injuries
• Temporomandibular joint pain

Beyond the benefits for specific conditions or diseases, most people enjoy massage because it often produces endorphins while providing feelings of caring, comfort, and connection.

Risks of massage

Most people can benefit from massage. However, massage may not be appropriate if you have:

• Bleeding disorders or take blood-thinning medication
• Burns or healing wounds
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Fractures
• Severe osteoporosis
• Severe thrombocytopenia

Discuss the pros and cons of massage with your doctor, especially if you are pregnant or you have cancer or unexplained pain.

Some forms of massage can leave you feeling a bit sore the next day. But massage should not be painful or uncomfortable. If any part of your massage doesn’t feel right or is painful, speak up right away.