Benefits of Massage:

Why get a massage?

There are both physical and psychological benefits to massage. Massage reduces muscle tension, stiffness and blood pressure and helps increase overall movement. The psychological benefits include the reduction of stress and anxiety, which could lead to enhanced self esteem.
Most of all it feels good and you deserve it!

Massage is designed to relax the mind and body and also to enhance or aid various systems of the body improve overall health and vitality. Our bodies repsond to massage therapy in severals ways. During massage, there is an incease in the production of endorphins, the body's natural pain relievers, creating a feeling of well being and relaxation. Concurrently, serotonin, a naturally occurring muscle relaxant, is released in the brain. Massage also initiates the release of high levels of lactic acids that build up in muscle tissue when we are tense or the muscles are overworked. This also aids in achieving a more restful state of mind.The calming effect that skilled human touch has on the nervous system is another major benefit of massage.

Research has verified:

• Office workers massaged regularly were more alert, performed better and were less stressed than those who weren't massaged.
• Massage therapy decreased the effects of anxiety, tension, depression, pain, and itching in burn patients.
• Abdominal surgery patients recovered more quickly after massage.
• Premature infants who were massaged gained more weight and fared better than those who weren't.
• Autistic children showed less erratic behavior after massage therapy.

According AMTA, massage helps both physically and mentally.

"Often times people are stressed in our culture. Stress-related disorders make up between 80-and-90 percent of the ailments that bring people to family-practice physicians. What they require is someone to listen, someone to touch them, someone to care. That does not exist in modern medicine.

One of the complaints heard frequently is that physicians don't touch their patients any more. Touch just isn't there. Years ago massage was a big part of nursing. There was so much care, so much touch, so much goodness conveyed through massage. Now nurses for the most part are as busy as physicians. They're writing charts, dealing with insurance notes, they're doing procedures and often there is no room for massage any more.

I believe massage therapy is absolutely key in the healing process not only in the hospital environment but because it relieves stress, it is obviously foundational in the healing process any time and anywhere."

Joan Borysenko - Massage Journal Interview, Fall 1999

Physical Benefits of Therapeutic Massage

• Helps relieve stress and aids relaxation
• Helps relieve muscle tension and stiffness
• Alleviates discomfort during pregnancy
• Fosters faster healing of strained muscles and sprained ligaments; reduces pain and swelling; reduces formation of excessive scar tissue
• Reduces muscle spasms
• Provides greater joint flexibility and range of motion
• Enhances athletic performance; Treats injuries caused during sport or work
• Promotes deeper and easier breathing
• Improves circulation of blood and movement of lymph fluids
• Reduces blood pressure
• Helps relieve tension-related headaches and effects of eye-strain
• Enhances the health and nourishment of skin
• Improves posture
• Strengthens the immune system
• Treats musculoskeletal problems
• Rehabilitation post operative
• Rehabilitation after injury

(Source:AMTA)

Mental Benefits of Massage Therapy

• Fosters peace of mind
• Promotes a relaxed state of mental alertness
• Helps relieve mental stress
• Improves ability to monitor stress signals and respond appropriately
• Enhances capacity for calm thinking and creativity
• Emotional Benefits
• Satisfies needs for caring nurturing touch
• Fosters a feeling of well-being
• Reduces levels of anxiety
• Creates body awareness
• Increases awareness of mind-body connection

(Source:AMTA)