Benefits of Massage

Massage not only feels great but it also helps maintain a healthy body, has many emotional and mental benefits, aids in injury recovery and prevention, and boosts the body’s natural immunity.  The following is a partial list of some of these benefits. If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Maintain a healthy body:

• Improve flexibility
• Detoxifies the body
• Reduce pain
• Increase strength and range of motion
• Encourages a healthy heart

Mental/emotional

• Relieve mental fatigue
• Decrease depression
• Decrease anxiety
• Relieve postpartum symptoms

Injury recovery

• Improve muscle tone
• Release endorphins (the body’s natural pain killer)
• Increase range of motion
• Decrease recovery time

Immune boosting

• Increase blood and lymph flow
• Encourage strong immune function
• Helps prevent disease

Physical effects of massage:

• Pumping - The stroking movements in massage suck fluid through blood vessels and lymph vessels. By increasing the pressure in front of the stroke, a vacuum is created behind. This is especially important in tight or damaged muscle tissue as a tight muscle will squeeze blood out like a sponge, depriving the tissues of vital nutrients and energy to repair.
   

• Increased Tissue Permeability - Deep massage causes the pores in tissue membranes to open, enabling fluids and nutrients to pass through. This helps remove waste products such as lactic acid and encourage the muscles to take up oxygen and nutrients which help them recover quicker.
   

• Stretching - Massage can stretch tissues that could not be stretched in the usual methods. Bundles of muscle fibers are stretched lengthwise as well as sideways. Massage can also stretch the sheath or fascia that surrounds the muscle, so releasing any tension or pressure build up.
   

• Break Down Scar Tissue - Scar tissue is the result of previous injuries or trauma and can effect muscle, tendons and ligaments. This can lead to inflexible tissues that are prone to injury and pain.
   

• Improve Tissue Elasticity - Hard training can make tissues hard and inelastic. This is one reason why hard training may not result in improvements. Massage helps reverse this by stretching the tissues.
   

• Opens Micro-circulation - Massage does increase blood flow to tissues, but so does exercise. What massage also does is open or dilate the blood vessels and by stretching them this enables nutrients to pass through more easily.