Why Get a Massage?
The therapeutic benefits of massage are widely recognized through personal and clinical experience and are also supported by scientific research.
Receiving regular massage has been shown to reverse the effects of prolonged stress and repetitive motions, to assist in the prevention and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal dysfunctions due to injury or strain, and to improve overall health and wellbeing.
There are countless benefits of receiving even just one massage, but to provide an idea of the range of health benefits of therapeutic massage, these are some of the most common benefits my clients book sessions for.
Relaxation/Stress Relief
Massage calms the nervous system, reducing anxiety and stimulating natural endorphins (ie: serotonin, dopamine). Prolonged stress can lead to chronic muscle tension and other long-term mental and physiological problems that regular stress reduction from massage can help prevent..
A massage session geared towards relaxation is nurturing and gentle yet powerful and thorough.
Sports Injury Prevention or Recovery
Sports massage is a form of bodywork customized for participants in athletics from the professional athlete to the casual hiker or biker. This type of manual therapy can be used to help prevent injuries by decreasing tightness and increasing range of motion, as well as to prepare the body for activity or to help recover from workouts or injuries.
A sports massage can be done before an event, after an event or as regular maintenance.
Occupational or Repetitive Strain Injury Recovery
Massage can be very effective in repairing the effects of repetitive motions that are common in our modern-day work and lifestyle. Whether chronic or acute, a strain can heal more quickly when therapeutic massage is used to increase circulation, relieve tension and reduce inflammation. When used regularly, massage can help prevent tension from building and decrease the likelihood of recurrent injury.
A therapeutic massage may focus on a particular area in need but is also holistic in nature with the goal of stimulating the body’s natural restorative function, increasing body awareness and continuing that process beyond the actual session.
Muscle Tension & Pain Relief
Tension comes from many sources – from everyday stresses or work conditions to physical strains or accidents. This causes muscles to tighten and shorten, which often leads to pain. And too often, a pain-spasm-pain cycle may begin, which perpetuates itself in an endless loop until an intervention such as massage breaks the cycle. The sooner massage therapy is applied, the easier it is to break the cycle.
A massage therapy session focused on pain relief associated with muscle tension is often most effective when a variety of techniques are used based on the health, pain level, tension area and history of the individual client.
Energy Balance & Overall Wellbeing
Massage has many positive effects on the mind, body and spirit from lessening depression and anxiety to enhancing immunity and increasing energy to reducing cellulite (that’s right!). Regular massage is like getting a tune up for the body. It helps us recover from daily stresses, while helping to prevent future pains from the build up of every day wear and tear on our body, to helping reduce the effects of the bigger stuff that may occur.
Therapies and Integrative Techniques Used
The massage benefits listed above are just examples of the types of therapeutic massage I provide. Additional ways your session can be customized to receive the benefits you seek include:
- Aromatherapy
- Energy medicine
- Chi Nei Tsang
- Cupping therapy
- Hot stone
- Lomi lomi (Hawaiian style massage)
- Lymphatic massage
- Medical massage
- Myofascial release
- Neural Network and Bowen Therapy
- Prenatal massage
- Orthopedic massage
- Reflexology
Conclusion
Problems in the muscular skeletal system can impede the natural healing process and lead to dysfunction and pain in the body. It is important to treat soft tissues such as muscles and tendons to help prevent incorrect imbalances in the body and to lessen any accompanying pain.
Depending on what your needs are, I offer a wide range of therapeutic treatments, which can be a stand alone treatment or as complementary care to other types of treatment. Holistic in nature and based on the innate healing abilities of the body, therapeutic touch helps facilitate the natural healing process by keeping the body in proper alignment and balance both energetically and physically.