Massage therapy is a great way to manage many aspects of your health all in one. Here are 5 reasons to receive regular massage. Decrease in musculoskeletal pain, lowers stress levels, aids in lymphatic movement and drainage, the act of prioritizing self-care improves mental health, and improves circulation.
1. Decreases Musculoskeletal Pain
Finding non-pharmaceutical ways to manage pain is important. Our bodies are telling us something is not quite right by sending the pain signal. Musculoskeletal pain can often be from day-to-day activities, these aren’t going away, so we don’t want to use pharmaceuticals to manage daily (or regular) pain.
The evidence behind non-pharmacologic treatments includes massage therapy, exercise, and acupuncture in the study referenced. However, there are even more ways to manage pain than those mentioned.
2. Lowers Stress Levels
Stress is something that is inevitable, and we are all trying to find healthier ways of managing it. The study I read suggest the stress-alleviating effects (decreased cortisol) and the activating effects (increased serotonin and dopamine) of massage therapy on a variety of medical conditions and stressful experiences. So, massage is actually lowering stress hormones and increasing our happy hormones!
3. Lymphatic Movement & Drainage
What is lymph? Lymph is a colorless fluid containing white blood cells, which bathes the tissues and drains through the lymphatic system into the bloodstream. The lymphatic system is closely associated with our immune system. It has no pumps or valves but depends on movement to circulate. Exercise is a great way to do this as well as massage, because massage is manually moving the lymph throughout the tissue. The movement of lymph supports detoxification as well as immune support.
4. Prioritization of Self-Care
I actually found a study to support the act of prioritizing self-care actually improves mental health. We need to make sure we aren’t frying our bodies by asking them to do too much. By making self-care a priority you are improving your mental health as well as benefiting from all the other amazing things massage offers.
5. Improves Circulation
So much happens through our blood. Nutrients are delivered, waste is removed, oxygen is delivered to cells, regulates body temperature, clots, and fights infection. To oversimplify, we need good circulation to help with all of the above. By receiving massage, blood flow is increased to those areas. If you have a particularly tight muscle, by applying pressure then releasing, more blood flow returns to that area. This helps to reduce tightness in muscles.
Other Physical Benefits of Massage
- reduced muscle tension
- relaxation
- increased joint mobility and flexibility
- improved skin tone
- improved recovery of soft tissue injuries
- heightened mental alertness
- reduced anxiety and depression
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Sources
Swedish Massage: A Systematic Review of its Physical and Psychological Benefits – PubMed (nih.gov)
Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy – PubMed (nih.gov)
Fibromyalgia Pathogenesis and Treatment Options Update – PubMed (nih.gov)
Massage – Better Health Channel
Blood: Function, What It Is & Why We Need It (clevelandclinic.org)