A massage can do wonders for you if you pull a muscle or sustain any type of physical injury. It’s a simple, safe way to quickly reduce soreness and pain. If you’re sidelined by any type of muscular, tendon, or joint pain, you’re putting yourself at risk if you have a job that requires you to do some heavy lifting and pulling, or a job where you place a continuous strain on certain muscles because you sit at a desk for hours.
However, rather than getting a massage from a family member when you experience a minor injury–because too much pressure might aggravate your soft tissue injury–it’s best to seek out professional help A massage therapist is trained in a variety of ways to decrease tension in muscles, and knows how to expertly press, knead, and manipulate a tense, inflamed muscle to relax it. Inducing muscular relaxation will reduce the pain and improve flexibility. A good massage will also help you feel better because it will decrease your overall tension, increases endorphin levels, and promote a more restful sleep at nights.
Depending on the type of injury you’ve sustained and the massage therapist’s specialization, a massage can be as quick as fifteen minutes or as long as an hour. Quick therapy is possible when a therapist stimulates exact pressure points; still, sometimes, you may need a Swedish massage, which can last for an hour because it is far more elaborate. While a short session may be more convenient if time is an issue, a longer session will relax you from head to toe.
Besides visiting a professional because of their expert knowledge and trained skills, another good reason to go to a clinic is that a therapist will have a wide-range of equipment to work on your body from different angles and be in a position to exert different levels of pressure on various pressure points. A well-equipped clinic will have massage tables and chairs, as well as many other features to make you feel more comfortable, like props, pillows, fresh linen, massage oils, and so on.
Some clinics even have scented candles or aromatherapy equipment, as well as hi-tech surround sound speakers that pipe out tranquil instrumental music or soothing natural sounds like the patter of rainfall on a windowpane or the sound of ocean waves breaking on a beach.
Massage Therapy Health Benefits
Although you might visit a clinic to ease your pain, decrease your stiffness, and restore your range of motion, a therapy session will inevitably give your body “a complete tune-up.”
Here are some other health benefits you’ll reap when you get a professional massage:
- You will experience a positive mood shift.
Because massage reduces your levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and lowers your blood pressure, you’ll feel calmer. Massage will also stimulate your body’s production of serotonin and dopamine, and this will alleviate any anxiety or depression you might be experiencing. In short, a massage will put you in a remarkably happier state of mind.
- You will enjoy more restful sleep.
The process of gently kneading, pressing, and compressing muscles stimulates delta waves; and, in fact, a deep tissue massage can be so soothing that you’ll fall into a deep, restful sleep on the massage table.
Although the euphoria and oceanic sense of well-being from a treatment will fade after a few hours, you may notice that your sleeping patterns have improved, especially if you’ve previously struggled with insomnia. You might, for example, notice that it’s easier to fall asleep when you go to bed and easier to sleep more deeply during the course of the night.
- You will experience relief from many health issues and improve your general well-being.
Massage can boost immune cells, reduce PMS symptoms, improve heart health, and boost cognitive abilities by enhancing mental alertness. It can also reduce migraines and other types of tension headaches. Interestingly enough, if you start to get regular massages, people around you will begin to notice that you’re acquiring an increasingly youthful glow. This is because improving blood circulation will also increase the efficiency with which your cells detoxify and absorb nutrients. As a result of this change at a cellular level, your skin will feel softer and your hair will grow out thicker and faster.
In summary, if you have any aches, pains, or injuries, a good massage will calm your anxiety, reduce your stiffness, and restore your full range of motion. And, besides enhancing your body’s ability to heal itself, a massage will also provide a wide range of other health benefits to improve your overall well-being.
