Massage provides relief to people of all ages—and from all walks of life, from the weekend or competitive athlete, to the home gardener or overstressed, overworked executive.
Massage therapy addresses a variety of health conditions, the most prevalent being stress-related tension, which, experts believe, accounts for 80%-90% of disease. Massage has been proven beneficial in helping to ease or aid with, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, acute neck or upper body discomfort, headaches, low back pain, immunity suppression, post-operative surgery recovery, age-related disorders, smoking cessation, occupational over-use strains, and depression, to name just a few.
Massage has many physiological effects, such as:
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- Increasing circulation, allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs.
- Stimulating the lymph system, the body’s natural defense, against toxic invaders. For example, in breast cancer patients, massage has been shown to increase the cells that fight cancer.
- Relaxing and softening injured and overused muscles.
- Reducing spasms and cramping.
- Increasing joint flexibility.
- Reducing recovery time for strenuous workouts and eliminating subsequent pains of the athlete at any level. Releasing endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller. For this reason, massage is being incorporated into treatment for chronic illness, injury and recovery from surgery to control and relieve pain.
- Reducing post-surgery adhesions and edema and reducing and realigning scar tissue after healing has occurred.
- Improving range of motion and decreasing discomfort for patients with low back pain.
- Relieving pain for migraine sufferers and decreasing the need for medication.
- Providing exercise and stretching for atrophied muscles and reducing shortening of the muscles for those with restricted range of motion.