Colin Cook
When do you think it’s time for a massage? When you have back pain? For relief from neck pain? Or maybe you’re an athlete, and you seek massage to recover from an intense workout or competitive event. Those are all good and valid reasons for getting a massage. But did you know you don’t need any reason to get a massage beyond enhancing your health? I am talking about massage for wellness.
Benefits of Massage
The general benefits of massage are fairly well established. Massage can
-
- relax you and reduce your stress
- relieve your tension and reduce pain and soreness
- increase your energy and alertness by improving circulation
- lower your blood pressure and heart rate
- improve your immune function.
Even the healthiest among us can sometimes be subject to the slings and arrows of modern life: indigestion, headaches, insomnia, nerve pain, muscle strain. The Mayo Clinic, which ordinarily dispenses medical orthodoxy, has a web page devoted to massage. It says more research is needed, but that studies have shown massage can be helpful for all of those complaints. It also says, “massage can be a powerful tool to help you take charge of your health and well-being, whether you have a specific health condition or are just looking for another stress reliever.”
Massage for Pain Management
The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), the professional organization for massage therapists, reports that massage is so effective in managing pain that it can be an alternative to opioids. In addition, “Consumers continue to value massage therapy as 92% consider it to be effective for reducing pain. In fact, pain relief is the top reason consumers talk to their physicians about massage.”
Are there any times that massage isn’t useful? Yes. There are a number of common conditions that may make massage inappropriate:
-
- a bleeding disorder or the use of blood thinners
- a burn or a wound not yet healed
- deep vein thrombosis
- infection
- bone fracture
- osteoporosis
- very low platelet count.
If you have, or suspect you have, any of these conditions, you may want to check with your doctor before booking a massage. At the very least, you should bring it up with your massage therapist before the massage begins.
Massage for Wellness
Massage isn’t just for physical complaints. According to AMTA, a growing body of research has found that massage can relieve stress, anxiety, and depression. Massage increases the level of anxiety-lowering neurotransmitters at the same time it lowers the level of stress hormones. Some studies have shown that for many cases, it is as effective as psychotherapy.
No matter where you are in terms of stress, pain, circulation, blood pressure, and immune function, massage can make you better — even if you’re already good! You don’t need an occasion for a massage. You can book a massage at Peak Recovery & Health Center and get healthier right now.
