Imagine lying on a table with skilled hands working their magic, erasing knots of tension in your muscles. That’s what therapeutic massage is, and it’s a powerful treatment for many conditions.
Massage increases circulation by allowing blood, oxygen, and rich nutrients to move throughout the body and eliminate waste products more efficiently. It also promotes proper function of organs and tissues, helps heal injuries, and relieves stress and anxiety. Contact Flow State Massage for professional help.
The practice of massage involves the use of touch to relieve stress, tension and anxiety. It has been shown to improve the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, resulting in a decrease in BP (blood pressure) and heart rate, as well as improving overall blood circulation. It can also release “feel good” hormones such as oxytocin and endorphins, which can alleviate feelings of depression and increase overall happiness.
When a person feels stressed, their body tightens muscles and tenses up to prepare for fight or flight situations. A tense body and mind can lead to chronic stress, which can have many negative health effects including high blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, as well as feelings of sadness or depression. When a person receives a massage, the body produces oxytocin and endorphins, causing a feeling of euphoria that helps to reduce these feelings as well as lower cortisol levels.
Stress may be caused by a number of factors, from work to family and financial concerns. A study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry showed that receiving a massage reduces the level of cortisol, the stress hormone. It increases the level of serotonin, which is responsible for the relaxation response, and reduces the symptoms of stress and anxiety.
Studies show that massage decreases the levels of cortisol in the body, and the production of serotonin, which is known to boost mood and reduce feelings of stress and sadness. A massage also triggers the release of other hormones such as dopamine and glycerol, which help to increase energy levels, allowing people to overcome stressful situations with more ease.
In addition, a massage stimulates the peripheral nervous system, which is the communication relay between the brain and the extremities. This allows messages of calmness and relaxation to be sent to the brain, decreasing the level of stress hormones. It is almost as though a massage gives you an hour long hug, which is soothing and comforting to the body and soul. It’s no wonder that it is considered a natural form of therapy.
Improves Circulation
The body’s circulation system is a key element to your overall health. A proper circulatory system allows blood, oxygen and other rich nutrients to travel throughout your body as they should. It also helps drain excess fluids and metabolic waste, which can cause swelling and prevent healing. Massage improves circulation by increasing vasodilation, capillarisation and venous return.
Circulation is controlled by a complex system of blood vessels, muscles, joints and skeletal structures. It depends on a number of variables, including heart rate, blood pressure and the movement of fatty acids, which are used to transport nutrients. These are all factors that can be affected by lifestyle choices, such as diet and exercise.
Many types of massage have been shown to aid circulation, but the most effective may be a Swedish-style or deep tissue massage. These styles are especially helpful for reducing tension and stiffness in the muscles and improving flexibility.
Massage increases circulation by causing the smooth muscle cells that line blood vessels to relax. This allows the walls of the vessels to expand, which increases the space for blood flow. Increased space for blood flow increases the speed at which it moves through the vessel, which also improves circulation.
Another way massage improves circulation is by releasing the hormone serotonin, which helps the body to control blood pressure. Serotonin has also been known to improve sleep, which is essential for a healthy body. Poor sleep is linked to a variety of health issues, including weight gain and low immunity.
Lastly, massage can also help reduce edema, which is the buildup of fluid in the tissues and fluid-filled body cavities. This can be caused by a range of conditions, including heart failure and kidney disease. Massage can help reduce edema by encouraging the release of the fluids into lymphatic flow, where they will be transported to the liver for excretion.
It’s worth noting that while massage does promote circulation, it’s important to consult a physician if you have an underlying condition that could affect your circulation. For example, people with uncontrolled high blood pressure should avoid massage. It’s also not recommended for people with a blood clotting disorder or fever. In such cases, a doctor can develop a treatment plan that includes medications and other therapies.
Relieves Tension
When we are stressed, our body tightens up involuntarily which causes muscle tension and pain. Massage therapy can alleviate this pain by triggering the body’s natural relaxation response, which is the parasympathetic nervous system. This in turn, decreases stress and anxiety.
Studies have shown that massage can reduce cortisol, the stress hormone by 25%, and increase serotonin which improves your mood. Moreover, it also improves your sleep and enhances the immune system.
The main reason for this is that massage increases your blood flow and circulation. This, in turn, enables the body to distribute its resources better and allows oxygen and nutrients to reach your organs and muscles properly. In addition, massage encourages your lymphatic system to eliminate waste products such as toxins, carbon dioxide, and excess water from the body.
In addition, it helps relieve a lot of the tension caused by accumulated activities in the body. Daily activities such as driving, typing, and housework trigger the activation of some muscles while others remain dormant, causing chronic tension and pain over time. In many cases, these tense muscles can affect the joints of the spine, leading to back and neck problems. Massage reduces this tension by allowing the muscles to relax, and it also helps improve posture and flexibility.
The feel good hormones that are released during a massage, such as endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine, have a positive effect on the autonomic nervous system. This, in turn, alleviates stress and anxiety, boosts self-esteem, and prevents depression.
Furthermore, they help control pain by blocking the nerve signals from reaching the brain. Moreover, this pain relief is even more effective when coupled with other treatments such as physical therapy or chiropractic adjustments.
Moreover, regular massages can prevent muscle soreness and improve the recovery period from exercise. This is because, after a workout, the body has a higher level of lactic acid in the muscles which can cause soreness. By increasing the blood flow, massage can reduce the lactic acid levels and speed up the recovery process. This is why it’s advisable to get a massage at least once every week.
Relieves Pain
The stroking, kneading, warming, rolling and pressing of skin and muscles during massage helps relax the tension that builds up in our tissues as a result of stress, comorbid health conditions, poor posture, repetitive movement injury and deconditioning. As a result, the body can more effectively heal itself.
A scientific study that involved measuring hormone levels found that the primary stress hormone, cortisol, was reduced in the participants who received therapeutic massage. Cortisol is the hormone that causes stress and when it’s lowered, it allows your body to relax and feel more energized.
It is also important to note that massage reduces inflammation. This is a positive finding since chronic inflammation is linked to pain, fatigue and decreased function.
One of the ways massage reduces pain is through the gate control theory. This theory states that pain signals need to pass through certain gates in our nervous system to arrive at the brain for processing. It is believed that massage stimulates larger nerve fibres near the surface of the skin causing them to take priority and block or interrupt the painful messages.
Another way massage relieves pain is through its ability to improve circulation. This is a great benefit for all of our organs and tissues as it allows our blood to transport oxygen and other essential nutrients to where they’re needed most. It also aids in removing waste products such as carbon dioxide and excess water.
Finally, the improvement of circulation also helps alleviate muscle and tissue pain by allowing your muscles to move more freely. This will also allow you to recover faster after a workout and reduce your risk of injury.
The aforementioned research on the effects of massage is promising but there are some limitations. For example, many of these studies didn’t report a variety of important aspects such as allocation concealment or intention-to-treat processes which can significantly impact the overall quality of the results. Additionally, a lot of the studies that were compared to an active comparator didn’t have clear descriptions and justifications for their comparators which again can impact the overall quality of the research.