Benefits of Massage
Research in massage therapy has been ongoing for more than 120 years.
Here are some reported benefits of massage:
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Medical school students who were massaged before an exam showed a
significant decrease in anxiety and respiratory rates, as well as a
significant increase in white blood cells and natural killer cell activity,
suggesting a benefit to the immune system. |
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Preliminary results suggested cancer patients had less pain and
anxiety after receiving therapeutic massage. |
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Women who had experienced the recent death of a child were less
depressed after receiving therapeutic massage, according to preliminary
results of a study. |
Studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found massage
beneficial in improving weight gain in HIV-exposed infants and facilitating
recovery in patients who underwent abdominal surgery. Researchers have found
that massage is helpful in decreasing blood pressure in people with
hypertension, alleviating pain in migraine sufferers and improving alertness and
performance in office workers.
An
increasing number of research studies show massage reduces heart rate, lowers
blood pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, relaxes muscles,
improves range of motion, and increases endorphins, enhancing medical treatment.
Although therapeutic massage does not increase muscle strength, it can stimulate
weak, inactive muscles and, thus, partially compensate for the lack of exercise
and inactivity resulting from illness or injury. It also can hasten and lead to
a more complete recovery from exercise or injury.
Research has verified that:
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Office workers massaged regularly were more alert, performed better
and were less stressed than those who weren't massaged. |
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Massage therapy decreased the effects of anxiety, tension,
depression, pain, and itching in burn patients. |
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Abdominal surgery patients recovered more quickly after massage. |
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Premature infants who were massaged gained more weight and fared
better than those who weren't. |
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Autistic children showed less erratic behavior after massage
therapy. |
Massage helps both physically and mentally.
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"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."
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Physical Benefits of
Therapeutic Massage
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Helps relieve
stress and aids relaxation |
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Helps relieve muscle tension and stiffness |
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Alleviates discomfort during pregnancy |
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Fosters faster healing of strained muscles and sprained ligaments;
reduces pain and swelling; reduces formation of excessive scar tissue |
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Reduces muscle spasms |
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Provides greater joint flexibility and range of motion |
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Enhances athletic performance; Treats injuries caused during sport
or work |
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Promotes deeper and easier breathing |
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Improves circulation of blood and movement of lymph fluids |
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Reduces blood pressure |
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Helps relieve tension-related headaches and effects of eye-strain |
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Enhances the health and nourishment of skin |
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Improves posture |
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Strengthens the immune system |
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Treats musculoskeletal problems |
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Rehabilitation post operative care |
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Rehabilitation after injury |
Mental Benefits of
Massage Therapy
