Did you know that hands-on massage therapy treatments help you do more than simply relax?
While having a massage is certainly a relaxing and soothing experience, having a professional massage therapist expertly work the muscles of your body provides innumerable benefits to your overall health.
And these benefits extend beyond just the physical – massage treatment can address your mental and emotional needs as well.
Many individuals around the world have turned to this form of therapy to address a variety of health concerns. As a result, massages have become so much more than a service available at luxury spas and upscale health clubs.
If you’ve never tried massage, especially from Grey Method – Physiotherapy & Massage Therapy, you could be missing out on these wonderful benefits:
1. Massage Helps With Posture
With many individuals transitioning to a work-from-home situation, more and more people are sitting at computers during the day.
This creates a potential for posture issues such as back and neck pain, joint issues, and rounded shoulders.
A registered massage therapist can help improve your posture by helping the body get back into proper alignment and by allowing the muscles to loosen and relax. This allows the body to position itself back to a natural and pain-free posture.
2. Massage Alleviates Joint Pain
Through treatment, a masseuse can help to alleviate joint pain, especially the pain and stiffness caused by conditions such as arthritis.
This works by improving circulation and helping to reduce inflammation by enhancing blood flow to the sore joints. The result is improved movement and reduced pain.
Through soft tissue manipulation, muscle tension can also be released to provide not only pain relief but also better flexibility.
The reduction of pain and increase in flexibility can help you move more easily while preventing sedentary habits (which can lead to more stiffness and pain).
3. Massage Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Professional massages not only stimulates patients on a physical level but on an emotional level as well.
The reduction of stress and anxiety experienced by RMT patients may be the result of the therapeutic benefits of safe and professional human touch.
It may also be contributed to the fact that regular massage sessions, over a prolonged period of time, can boost energy levels and reduce pain.
Overall, it has been proven that therapeutic massages decrease cortisol levels, which is a hormone related to stress responses. High levels of cortisol can lead to health issues such as low mood, poor sleep, impaired brain function, and a weakened immune system.
Reducing these levels helps to alleviate stress and anxiety and can improve the quality of your life.
4. Massage Can Relieve Insomnia
We’ve seen how hands-on treatment can reduce your cortisol levels which, at high levels, can interfere with your sleep.
When it comes to sleep issues, especially insomnia, massages can also increase your levels of serotonin – this hormone is a precursor to melatonin which controls your sleep and wake cycles.
Therefore, opting for treatment from a professional RMT not only puts your body in a relaxed state but can also increase your production of serotonin and improve your quality of sleep.
5. Massage Helps with Digestive Issues
Massage is not only limited to the back of your body – abdomen massages can be highly beneficial in addressing digestive issues!
Abdominal massage can increase the rate of digestion, relieve constipation, ease bloating and even calm an upset stomach.
This form of treatment is carried out through a combination of gentle stimulation and light pressure.
6. Massage Boosts Your Immune System
While reducing your cortisol levels can help with your immune system and further boost its effectiveness.
One way massages help boost your immune system is by increasing your body’s white blood cell count – these blood cells are important in helping your body defend itself from disease.
Additionally, regular sessions can help to flush toxins from your body as well as increase blood flow throughout your body.
7. Massage Can Lower Your Blood Pressure
The increase in blood flow caused by hands-on treatment can also have a long-term positive impact on high blood pressure and hypertension.
After only 20 minutes of massage, the body begins to release endorphins that relax the blood vessels and reduce the intensity at which your heart is pumping.
This all creates a temporary increase in blood flow, allowing the blood to carry oxygen and nutrient-rich cells around the body to help it heal and decreasing the wear and tear on your body.
8. Massage Minimizes Back Pain
Have you ever bumped your elbow or knee and immediately started rubbing it to relieve the pain?
There’s a reason so many of us do this instinctively – massaging and rubbing an area helps to increase circulation which, in turn, helps alleviate pain and promote healing.
The same goes for hands-on therapy, especially when it comes to back pain. It aids in the recovery of muscle soreness and improves your body’s range of motion.
So, not only do you experience a reduction in pain, but you can continue to be active and mobile which reduces the chances of stiffness and more pain.
9. Massage Can Alleviate Headaches
The increase in circulation and decrease in stress caused by massage therapy can also help in alleviating the pain associated with headaches.
Massage therapy can also help to decrease the pain caused by trigger points, which are areas of highly irritable and tender tissue, as well as loosen chronically tight muscles around the base of the skull.
Loosening these muscles can help relieve tension headaches and constricting headaches.
Massage Therapy – A Holistic Approach to Improved Health
Isn’t it amazing how the benefits of massage therapy are all interconnected?
While you may be seeking massage therapy to combat one health struggle, you are going to reap the benefits for your entire system!
Whether you are a chronic pain sufferer, or simply seeking to find some relaxation and stress relief in your life, massage therapy has proven to be an effective and beneficial form of treatment.
