A Word On Massage

A little history on: Massage Therapy

One of the oldest forms of medicine offered to humankind and even animals for that matter; is the art of Massage Therapy. It dates back 5,000 years to approx. 3,000 B.C.E with forms of massage emerging in India, also Egypt and China around the same time. And, then of course it moved forward with Japan, then Greece and Rome. There was a time, before the more modern medical breakthroughs and the pharmacological industry, that medical doctors were actually trained in Massage Therapy as a method of healing injuries, relieving, pain, and preventing and curing illnesses. Unfortunately, there was a decline in the use of this healing method due to modern medicine. "Pain, especially chronic pain can be difficult to treat. For too long, the first option considered for pain management was a prescription, most commonly for opioids." (Michaele Colizza -  President of the American Massage Therapy Association) Massage and bodywork is becoming well known to be a viable option for helping the body heal itself.

Physiological effects

If we dive into the science of the body and the physiological effects of massage therapy we can begin to uncover why this art of soft tissue manipulation, coupled with many specialized modalities of massage therapy can help the body’s natural functions work better and promote healing. These effects are endless, ranging from what it does on superficial muscle tissue radiating deep down to the cellular elements of the body. Let’s take a for example a common problem experienced by most at some point in time or another, such as muscle tension, tightness, soreness, spastic muscles, etc. The cause could be anything from sleeping in a wrong position, a quick move in the wrong direction, exercising, a structural change of the skeletal system? There are many reasons why our muscles ache. According to researchers at McMaster University in Canada, massage affects the activity of certain genes, directly reducing inflammation in the muscles – this same result could come by taking aspirin or Ibuprofen that increased their ability to recover from exercise. The body, through its own biochemical processes, can produce substances that have more affect on pain and inflammation than most modern pharmaceuticals!

So what does massage do?

Massage focuses on a couple of things. The first and most important is restoring the muscle fibers back to their natural balance. what I am looking for are shortened muscle fibers and through the implementation of certain massage techniques, one being deep tissue strokes, will stretch out the muscle fibers and help them bounce back to their proper state. This all by itself should relieve a great deal of muscle tension and pain. The other component to massage therapy is how it naturally stimulates the body’s own processes for healing and pain management. Massage accomplishes this by reducing the activity of proteins called inflammatory cytokines that cause pain and inflammation while also increasing the proteins that signal the muscles to produce more mitochondria (the cell structures that produce energy and help the muscles recover). Both Swedish and sports massage can help improve overall posture and whole-body flexibility. Some people seek out massage for these reasons alone. Coupled with a regular stretching routine, many find that massage helps keep muscles pain-free and allows for an increase in range of motion. So, lets look at how it can boost the immune system. When the lymph system is in good condition, the human body is able to fight off colds, flu and other sickness more effectively. Massage helps stimulate the flow of fluid within the lymph system, therefore boosts the immune system in most people. People who receive regular massage have noticed fewer colds, illnesses and infections of all kinds.

If you’re looking for a professional, you’ve come to the right place. I offer many ways to get you feeling great. From the weekend runner to the dog walker, from the mechanic to the retiree; We all deserve to walk taller.

Also, if you’d like to set up an appointment with me, click on "Contact Me" and send me a message. I will call you back to confirm the details of your appointment. I am always around to answer any questions you might have.
Thanks for visiting, be well and have a great day!