You may know the benefits of training to tighten those steel muscles, but do you know the benefits of taking, from time to time, a massage that helps relax those muscles that should not be tense? Massage therapy, in the right place with the right technique, can help you get rid of muscle aches that have plagued you for weeks, although most likely you will require more than one session.
What is Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy is the set of varied manipulations, based essentially on movement and pressure with the hands on the surface of the body, generating a mechanical influence, which has therapeutic, preventive or curative objectives or aims.
Therapeutic massage or massage therapy is designed to provide relaxation, stimulation or rehabilitation to the different parts of the body, helping to improve the flexibility of the muscles, promote better circulation and in turn, reduce stress. The effects of any massage therapy not only depend on the different techniques, but also on the person who receives it since each individual has different needs and sensitivity. [1]
The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Massage Therapy Benefits
It is proven that massage benefits both the skin, the muscles, the digestive system, the nervous and respiratory system, production and normalization of hormones and directly influences the mood of people. The importance of massage lies in the fact that it is a technique with direct influence on the tissues on which it is affected and, in addition, with indirect effects on the rest of the body’s tissues.
A head massage can ease a headache and refresh the mind. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Another study, published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and led by psychiatrist Mark H. Rappaport and his team at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, analyzed blood samples before and after receiving a Swedish 45-minute massage and detected a significantly positive change in blood composition. Increased the number of lymphocytes, or white cells that act in the fight and prevention of diseases, lowered the levels of cortisol, the hormone linked to stress, and reduced the vasopressin arginine, a hormone involved in aggressive behavior. [2]
Massaging can help release endorphins in your body. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The sum of all these beneficial effects provides an important psychological effect of relaxation and well-being, capable of counteracting the some-emotional pressure and tension to which the individual is subject, of the preventive and curative nature that has been mentioned and the importance that today is given to this technique in society.
However, it should not be forgotten that each of these effects can be harmful if the techniques are not performed correctly, so it is very important to put yourself in the hands of a qualified professional.
