Massage Message

Massage is one of the oldest and simplest forms of physical therapy, dating back thousands of years.  There have been references to massage that have been found in ancient writings from many cultures around the world.  Massage therapy involves the manual manipulation of soft tissues in the body, mainly the muscle just underneath the skin, but also tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue throughout the body.  In certain types of massage, even deeper layers of muscle can be positively affected as well as certain organs in the body.

The intent of massage therapy is to relax the soft tissues, increase delivery of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the massaged area as well as decreasing any pain if present.  Regular massage sessions are also known for improving one’s health by targeting and impacting areas such as the circulatory, immune, nervous, and muscular systems.  Massage is also known to promote quality sleep, reduce the anxiety of every day life, improve ones concentration, as well as creating an improved sense of well being. The most well-known benefit of massage therapy, though, is the physical comfort and relaxation it provides. Many people who work long hours, undertake strenuous physical tasks or are just stressed over work and responsibilities can suffer from tight and tense muscles in the neck and back.  A therapist can find the source of muscle tension and apply the appropriate technique to alleviate the condition.

Massage therapy can greatly improve circulation throughout the body. With the right pressure, massage causes blood to circulate into and out of joints and muscles more smoothly. The increased blood flow also helps in the transport of nutrients to the muscle as well as assisting the lymphatic system in the removal of waste throughout the body.  This stimulation of lymph flow causes an enhancement in a person’s immunity to fight infection and disease. Improved circulation can also help speed up the recovery of muscle tissue injuries, as well as the muscles trained by an athlete from a workout. The increase flexibility in the joints also come about from relief of tension and the reduction of stiffness, thus giving the person an improved range of motion. This is turn, minimizes the potential for future injury, as well as aches and pain in the muscle associated with strenuous exercise.

There are easily over one hundred known types of massage practiced today.  Each type of massage has the same eventual goal and the only thing that is different between them is the technique used such as gliding, kneading, rubbing, shaking, stroking and rocking.  These modalities are usually divided into two basic approaches, Eastern and Western.   Eastern styles have a common philosophy of energy centers and energy lines throughout the body. They are also known as Asian massage; such as Shiatsu, Tui Na, Thai massage, and Ayurvedic to name a few.  In the west, the styles are more mechanical approaches, such as Rolfing, cranisacral therapy, trigger point therapy, myofascial release, and of course Swedish massage.