What is Massage Therapy?
The official definition of massage therapy is soft tissue manipulation. However, massage therapy is much more than that. There are many types of massage therapy, and every therapist is different. Your massage therapist is more knowledgeable than you think. In Maine, LMTs must complete a 500-hour massage therapy course. This course teaches them about muscles, bones, nerves, joint movement, postural assessment, common health problems, body systems, and many other things, such as ancient medicine and natural healing. The significant benefits of receiving Massage are reducing common issues such as muscle fatigue, anxiety, high cortisol, muscle tension, headaches, arthritis, Sciatica, and more. Massage benefits the human body by moving blood and lymph throughout it. This aids the body in the disposal of toxins and the circulation of oxygen, which is the lifeline of our cells. Massage is typically given with a specific goal in mind. This goal could vary from limited ROM to insomnia and stress reduction. Massage has countless benefits and aids in all the body systems. Below, I’ve highlighted two of the most popular systems that clients typically seek out for Massage.
Massage for the muscular system:
Massage is not just a luxury, it’s a necessity for our muscles. It circulates fluid within the tissues, stretches the muscles to maintain flexibility, and provides much-needed relief from pain and discomfort. For most people who have muscle pain, it comes from a build-up of lactic acid and muscle adhesions. Muscle adhesions are small collagen fibers in the tissue that stick to the muscle and fascia. Think of fascia as the duct tape that holds our body together. Often, fascia becomes stuck to itself and becomes tight and crinkled. This causes the muscle to become fatigued quicker and creates limited ROM. If left untreated, the adhesions continue to get bigger. With Massage the therapist can manually separate the fascia and the muscle fibers apart. While separating the fascia, the therapist circulates oxygen-rich blood throughout the muscle tissue. Another common problem people face is pinched nerves (ex, Sciatica). This happens when a muscle becomes tight and pinches a nerve between the muscles. This can be extremely painful and can be accompanied by numbness, tingling, and sharp shooting pain. Your therapist can manually release and relax the muscle, which will naturally release the nerve. Tight muscles will also pull our bones out of places causing pain. Muscle memory is a real thing, and our posture shows it. When receiving a massage, your therapist can stretch and use muscle energy to reset the muscles. This can cause your posture to improve significantly; however, without regular treatment, your muscles will revert to their holding place due to poor posture. To put it in perspective, the weight put on our neck by gravity is increased by 10 lbs. For every inch forward, the head is. This can add up to thirty extra pounds, which can cause pain and fatigue in the head, neck, shoulders, and back.
Massage for the Nervous system:
Two essential parts of the nervous system are the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system prepares our body to expend energy in an emergency (Fight or flight), and the Parasympathetic nervous system conserves energy and reverses the body’s reaction to the sympathetic response (Rest and digest). Often in our lives, our sympathetic nervous system is active. This could be a reason for your stress, anxiety, insomnia, teeth clenching, and many other psychological issues. This is caused by an excess amount of the hormone Epinephrine/adrenaline. Massage causes homeostasis within the body and the internal balance; once this happens, the body begins to burn the adrenaline and regulate cortisol levels (stress hormone). While doing this, the manual Massage pushes the fluid to lymph nodes, where it can be filtered and expelled. Living in a constant fight-or-flight state can be detrimental to our health. One hour of relaxing Massage can equal 3 hours of REM sleep, the most restorative sleep we can get. Once your body reaches homeostasis, everyday functions become easier, and the brain can function to more capacity.
In conclusion, a consistent massage therapy regimen is not just beneficial, it’s vital to the restoration of the body and aids the body in self-healing. The human body was designed to heal itself, given the right conditions. Most people are pleasantly surprised to find that with the help of massage therapy, they can fix common problems such as high blood pressure, edema, migraines, hormonal imbalances, sinus and immune systems, anxiety, and depression, and can even affect metabolism and can help relieve thyroid issues. Massage is extremely beneficial for both the mental and physical body. Once we calm the war zone in our bodies, we can begin to pick up the pieces and restore. So, let’s commit to our health and wellness by incorporating regular massage therapy into our lives.
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