How Massage Can Help You Stay Fit

By Jennifer

If you are going to exercise you are going to get sore muscles, bones or joints.

There are many beneficial effects of massage, including pain relief, stress reduction but also relief of many diseases.  An occassional regular massage can definitely help you stay more comfortable and also help you retain your flexibility.

 

 

Massage is particularly useful when it comes to relieving the pain of musculoskeletal injuries. This is helpful if you do overdo it while exercising. It reduces back pain and postoperative pain and can help relieve muscle soreness and headaches.  It can alleviate the need for any pain releivers.

 

 

Massage also increases the breath capacity in asthmatics and can help alleviate the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. It can also help with dental or jaw pain.

 

 

Massage also has beneficial effects mentally and can help reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. In addition to pain relief, reducing stress is a common reason many people get massages.

 

 

Massage can be performed by a professional Massage Therapist, or by other health care professionals, such as Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Athletic trainers, and Physical Therapists.

 

 

Massage therapists work out of hospitals, in nursing homes, sports and fitness facilities, spas, beauty salons and cruise ships. Some travel to private offices, residences or businesses and do the massage on the premises using a portable massage table.

 

 

The usual professional massage entails that the client liw on a massage table, sitting upright in a massage chair, or lying on a pad on the floor.  The person receiving the treatment is unclothed as necessary and their body is draped with towels or sheet.

 

 

Massage can also help improve a person’s psychological outlook and relieve stress. It is used to block pain, create a natural high and sense of well-being and prevent the development of scar tissue. The word itself is a French word that means “friction or kneading. “

 

 

Massage involves manipulating the patient’s body with pressure tension, motion, or vibration done manually or with mechanical aids. Usually it is tendons, joints, lymphatic tissue organs and connective tissue that is the focus of the healing touch.

 

Massage can be applied with the hands, fingers, elbows, forearm, and feet. There is over eighty different types of massage available so do a little research before you book an appointment.

 

 

Common types of massage include Swedish massage, aromatherapy massage, hot stones massage, deep tissue massage, shiatsu, Thai massage, reflexology, sports massage, Trager massage and acupressure.