Chronic Muscle Tension: Massage To the Rescue
Stressed Out? Get a Massage!
Getting a massage feels incredible. You begin feeling better even before the registered massage therapist enters the room. You are in a dimly lit, serene space surrounded by calming music and soothing scents. The crisp cool sheets feel smooth on your bare skin. Once the massage therapist starts pressing and kneading your skin, all that tied up muscle tension and stress begins to get released.
The power of touch heals and invigorates tired, aching or injured muscles while increasing blood and lymph circulation. After a massage, you will feel like you are floating on clouds for days. If you’ve never had a massage before, it’s time to learn about its many health benefits and consider making it part of your healthcare regimen. If you are tired, depressed or stressed out, read on (and go ahead and book that massage).
Massage, Physiotherapy, and Chiropractic. What’s The difference?
Massage therapy involves a hands-on treatment to soften tissues, thus restoring function, relieving pain, and decreasing muscle tension. Physiotherapy involves a broad scope of practice that includes a combination of massage, rehabilitative exercises, manual therapy, and acupuncture. In contrast, chiropractic focuses on the use of spinal manipulations to treat your pain. A good healthcare professional will create a treatment plan that includes all three professionals to help you boost up your recovery times.
How Massage Therapy Helps You.
A new study shows that massage therapy isn’t just a way to relax and indulge, but it is a natural pain reliever. The power of touch relieves pain by reducing chronic muscle tension and triggers the release of natural pain relieving chemicals in your body, called endorphins. This “feel good” chemical are the same chemicals that are released in your body during exercise and laughing. A soothing massage can help you “unwind”, but that’s not all. Here are six surprising health benefits of massage therapy:
1. Counteract The Imbalance Caused From Sitting All Day
Beware, desk workers. If you spend most of your day sitting behind your desk, more than likely you have some form of postural stress. Prolonged periods of sitting can cause pain or weakness in the low back, glutes, shoulders, and neck.
2. Soothes Muscle Pain
Sore muscle? A soothing massage can help. Massage increases circulation, in much the same way, rubbing your knee when you hit it on the edge of a coffee table helps to relieve the pain.
3. Alleviates Anxiety and Depression
If you suffer from anxiety and depression, hold off on the antidepressants. Massage naturally stimulates the increase of serotonin (same ingredient found in antidepressant medications) production in the brain, which helps prevent or lessen depression. In addition, the powerful human touch and a sense of connection with the massage therapist can be incredibly therapeutic and relaxing, which can also help with depression.
4. Improve your Zzzzzz’s
Insomnia? Want to improve your quality of sleep? Pain, anxiety and depression often interfere with a good night’s sleep. A massage is a wonderful cure for stress and a powerful way to relax, ultimately resulting in better-shut eye.
5. Immunity Booster
A gentle kneading session stimulates the lymphatic system, which helps rid the body of waste, debris, toxins and pathogens. The relaxing effect of a massage can alleviate stress, resulting in a boost to your immune system.
6. Relieves Headache
Next time you have a headache, bypass the painkillers. A massage can help relieve chronic headaches while avoiding the side effects that often accompany prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Massage Therapy Has a Long List of Benefits
We all deserve to move our bodies in a pain-free manner. Whether you are injured, experiencing stiffness or just want to relieve muscle tension in your body, massage therapy can help you:
- Balance the nervous system
- Improve sleeping patterns
- Increase blood circulation
- Increase flexibility and range of motion
- Increase production of gastric juices, saliva, and urine
- Increase the blood’s oxygen capacity
- Manage pain relief
- Promote relaxation
- Reduce pain and inflammation
- Relieve muscle tension
- Rid body of waste and toxins
- Speed recovery from exercise-induced fatigue
- Speed up healing of injured tissues
- And the list goes on…
With a long list of benefits, go ahead and book that massage appointment!
The Circle of Care Approach at MVMT Physio & Chiro
Massage therapy works well in conjunction with other types of treatment such as physiotherapy, chiropractic, and acupuncture. Our massage therapy team, we provide a unique circle of care approach to supporting you in your journey towards rehabilitation, injury prevention and achieving optimal health.
We have a team of experts who are your very own circle of care. Imagine yourself at the center of the circle. Now Imagine a team of healthcare professionals around you, listening to you, communicating with each other and working together to ensure that you get the best possible care.
With a hands on one-on-one personalized approach, we combine the expertise of your physiotherapist, kinesiologist, and massage therapist to help you achieve your goals and get you back to your life as quickly as possible. Our clinic has helped thousands of patients since 1992 by providing chronic muscle tension massage in St Albert. Call MVMT Physio & Chiro and start feeling better today!