Benefits of Massage

As a massage student I was taught about the many benefits of massage therapy and there are many very long lists of things like this on massage therapist websites:

*Increases circulation
*Decreases Stress
*Speeds healing time of strained/sprained muscles
*Reduces scar tissues
*Enhances athletic performance
*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 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
*Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
*Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays.
*Ease medication dependence.
*Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body’s natural defense system.
*Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
*Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
*Improve the condition of the body’s largest organ—the skin.
*Increase joint flexibility.
* Lessen depression and anxiety.
* Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
* Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
* Reduce postsurgery adhesions and swelling.
* Reduce spasms and cramping.
* Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
* Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body’s natural painkiller.
* Used to heal sprains/strains, sports injuries, repetitive strain injuries such as tendonitis and carpal tunnel, thoracic outlet syndrome, headaches, fibromyalgia, arthritis, migraines, back pain, neck pain, knee pain, elbow/wrist pain, heel pain, plantar faciaitis, stress, anxiety, depression, fear.
Touch helps bring the felt sense into feelings
Greater awareness and mindfulness

But what does all that really mean to you? Simply put massage can help you get back to your body.

There are many benefits of massage and research is now supporting the many claims of how massage can help various conditions. The thing is that massage varies so much from therapist to therapist, from school to school that the benefits will vary from person to person.

One of the best studies done on massage was a meta-analysis which is a study of all of the studies about massage and their findings were that massage helped more with depression, anxiety and emotional issues than with physical issues such as pain.

Resources:Read the actual study at anatomyfacts.com (pdf)

Under the Microscope A Meta-Analysis of Massage Therapy Studies By Shirley Vanderbilt www.massagetherapy.com

How has massage helped you? If you are a massage therapist, how do you think your massage benefits others?

Have a website with a great page on the benefits of massage? Share it!

Have a great story of how massage has helped you with a condition, disease or injury or emotional awareness?