Whether it’s from someone you love or a professional, many people appreciate a good massage once in a while. If you’ve never had one, learn its possible health benefits and what to expect during your first session.
What is a massage?
The term massage originates from the Arabic word “mass” meaning “to feel”. The therapy involves manipulating soft tissues of the body using the hands. Depending on your needs, a massage therapist will apply gentle or strong pressure on different parts of your body to ease tension.
There are different types of massage, including:
- Psoas massage: This technique focuses on the psoas muscle, including the lower back, hip and knee. It’s commonly used to relieve back and shoulder pain, TMJ problems and constipation.
- Reflexology: This type of massage involves applying different amounts of pressure to the hands, feet and ears. It’s used to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and stimulate self-regulation functions.
Swedish massage: This gentle massage focuses on tendons and joints to relax muscles. Since it can help relieve pain, it can benefit a person who has body aches.
Ayurvedic massage: This technique stimulates the 7 chakras to distribute energy in the body. It is beneficial for people suffering from a lack of concentration or insomnia.
Lypossage: This is a manual technique used to stimulate the flow of lymph (a clear fluid that circulates through the body via the lymphatic system). It helps relieve swelling and improve health.
Benefits of massage
Massage therapy is generally used to promote wellness. It’s increasingly used to complement standard treatment for a number of conditions, including:
- Stress
Stress, fear, anxiety is an integral part of our society. If you do nothing about it, it can cause other medical conditions. A good massage will allow you to focus on the present moment, which will reduce your stress levels. It will also relax your body and help you sleep better.
- Sore muscles
Many people have sore muscles caused by too much physical activity, sprains or hereditary conditions. A therapeutic massage can help you get rid of this pain. The findings of a study conducted by Canadian researchers in 2012 indicated that massage therapy blunts muscle pain by the same biological mechanisms as most pain medications.
Immunity
If you have a weak immune system, you might want to schedule regular massage sessions. Researchers from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai (Los Angeles) have reported that people who receive massages experience measurable changes in their body’s immune and endocrine response.
Other massage benefits
While more research is needed to confirm these benefits, some studies have found that massage can be beneficial for: –
- Headaches
- Digestive disorders
- Nerve pain
- Joint pain
- Low back pain
- neck pain
What to expect during a massage session
Before a massage, you will be asked to fill out a health questionnaire. Your therapist will take a few minutes to review it with you and discuss your expectations. You can express your needs such as the pressure you desire (low, medium, high), talk about your fears.
Your therapist will show you a room where you can undress and put your personal belongings. You can keep your underwear on or take it off. For women, however, it is best to remove the bra so that the therapist can easily access your back.
You will then lie on the massage table with your head on the headrest. Your therapist might put on some soft music to enhance relaxation. Then, the massage will begin.
During the session, focus on your breathing and the therapist’s touch to enhance relaxation. You’ll actually be able to drift off because it feels so good to have someone rub lotion and aromatic oils on your body.
Conclusion
As you have seen, massage has several benefits, including reducing stress, which will lead to a reduction in minor pain and an increase in well-being.
To achieve these benefits, schedule a relaxing massage with Dr. Jaqueline Kane. You will get to enjoy a healing nurturing touch that will allow your body to relax deeper than ever before and release any tightness so that you can feel more flexible.
